The Red Winter

De: Cameron Sullivan

Narrado por: Imogen Church, Rory Barnett

A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

"...narrator Rory Bennet voices Sarmodel like a French Peter Lorre, and it’s *chef’s kiss*" — Book Riot

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gevaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.

Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse.

But Gevaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian’s unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian’s arcane activities – not to mention his demonic counterpart – have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war.

Debut author Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history with this darkly entertaining retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gevaudan. Lifting the veil on the hidden world behind our own, it reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d’Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

“An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious. I've rarely been this satisfied—or this hungry for more.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

“So bloody good. The Red Winter is absolute ripper entertainment—miss it at your peril!” —Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

“A gorgeous tangle of history and fresh-made myth. You'll eat this one up.” —Cassandra Khaw, bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

“Charming, haunting, ambitious, and a great deal of fun.” —T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of A Sorceress Comes to Call

Engaging, sarcastic, exciting

I was never bored during this book. I loved the tone, pacing, and overall world.
My one argument is that I don’t get why Sebastian fell in love with Antoine. He was a selfish, spoiled, and disloyal nobleman who
didn’t seem to care about anyone but himself. I’m guessing this may be a greater insight into Sebastian’s character and I’m really hoping for more books about him. Congrats on a great debut and a great narrative performance!

A dang good debut!

If you've been searching for something to soothe the itch that Empire of the Vampire left behind, look no further! The Red Winter is kind of like EotV’s little werewolf bro but with a slightly less profane mouth. It's still plenty violent, horrifying, and sexy though.

This story features a frame narrative told via Sebastian recording his tale across three timelines: His journey with Jacques in 1785; his history with Jacques’s dad, Antoine, in 1766; and Livia’s reports detailing an important search for a bone relic belonging to Joan of Arc in the 1430s.

Rory Barnett's narration was perfect, and he is one of the best narrators I've heard. I listened and read along to the physical book. Barnett gives some characters accents, but I didn't find them silly or distracting. I also liked how he handled the book's footnotes. He finishes the sentence or paragraph where the footnotes appear before reading them.

Unfortunately, I thought Imogen Chruch's narration was not good. She reads Livia's addendum chapters. Her voices, accents, and handling of the footnotes were so distractingly overwrought/bad that I skipped her chapters and just read from the book until it was time to put Barnett back on. That being said, there are only a few addendum chapters.

Fantastic

A dark and tragic romance with demons and monsters. Well written with excellent character development.

Masterpiece

Everything about this is just excellent. Best thing I've read in years. The prose is elegant and brutal in equal measure, the humor is dry as a beautiful desert, and the way the story blends together various histories and lores creates something both comfortably familiar and wholly unique.

Absolutely Wonderful

One of the best books I've audio-read in a while, and I go through quite a few with my commute. The way that all of the symbolism works together and the way that the book keeps you turning the pages is just wonderful.