In Cameron Sullivan's The Red Winter, Professor Sebastian Grave has been alive for longer than he can remember, thanks to his demonic "indwelling Spirit," Sarmodel, but he can never forget what happened with the Beast of Gévaudan 20 years ago. Now, in 1785, he learns that the beast has returned, to devastating effect, and the previous events, which also cost him the love of Antoine Avenel d'Ocerne, are coming home to roost. In trying to right the wrongs of that last encounter, Sebastian harbors hopes for a reconciliation with his former lover as he is pulled back into a hunt that, for him and Sarmodel, goes back centuries, each time at great risk to themselves and anyone else caught up in the pursuit.
Grave relates events of European history that crisscross his personal history with the beast as he tries to find the truth that will finally defeat it, while France and Europe once again stand on the precipice of great change. Sullivan's debut novel is an ambitious, captivating blend of history and myth peppered with romance and darkness, not just of the arcane but of the human heart, as he remakes the werewolf legend in an expansive way for a new age. The Red Winter is a haunting fantasy-horror romance that spirits readers to imperial Rome, the rise of Saint Joan of Arc, and the brink of the French Revolution. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer