From Horrible Histories TV writer, Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
The unputdownable first novel in a new series for fans of Freya Marske, Genevieve Cogman, Good Omens, and Our Flag Means Death
A queer historical fantasy romcom adventure set in an alternate world, peppered with real events and fun characters from our history, as well as imagining a world where some historical events have gone differently. With a strong theme of found family, and discovering people with which you belong.
The year is 1599. Fang, a grumpy, heartbroken traveller from the Ming Empire, awakes from death to discover he’s not quite human anymore. Nor is he a zombie, vampire, werewolf, or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the segregated cities of Upper London and its dragon-ruled underground counterpart, Deep London.
He stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a people-pleasing popinjay of an actor afflicted with the same strange mysterious curse, which means neither of them can die. Thrown together by immortality, the two strangers set out to reverse the spell, traversing the dangers of Deep London and encountering vampires, ghouls, ogres, poets, púca, magical talking swans and the zombie of Christopher Marlowe, all the while trying to ignore the intense connection between them.
As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of. Needing to reverse the spell and get on with being dead, the worst thing they could do, right now, would be to fall in love…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gabby Hutchinson Crouch has a background in satire, with credits including Horrible Histories, BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, The Now Show, Dead Ringers, Spotlight Tonight with Nish Kumar & ITV1’s Newzoids, Elephant in the Room (Radio 4), Lucy Porter’s In The Family Way (Radio 4), Thrillcast (2000AD) & Sue Perkins’ Earpedia (Audible Originals). Born in Pontypool in Wales, and raised in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, she now lives in Canterbury.
X/Twitter and Insta: @ScribLit
Tiktok: GabbyHCWrites.
Image – GABBY041_credit Jason Dodds.jpg
Caption – credit Jason Dodds
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