A Blood as Bright as the Moon - by Andrea Morstabilini (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A vampire, desperately torn between worlds, is hunted down by a secret society bent on his destruction, in this timeless and unsettling queer gothic horror, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Frankenstein, Germany.

Ambrose, a young vampire, lives a life secreted away from the modern world with the rest of his clan, all of them under the spell of the charismatic Regina, who spins stories of salvation for their kind. Their grand plan? To build makeshift wings and fly to the moon where a safe haven awaits for all vampires.

But Ambrose harbours a secret: he is not ready to abandon the earth, and he is in contact with a human who believes he can be saved. As the rest of his kind prepare to flee their home, Ambrose is torn between loyalties.

However something else is on the horizon. The Royal Diurnal Society - a group with sinister plans for vampires - are closing in, and if Ambrose isn't careful, he could find himself at the centre of a terrifying and mysterious experiment.

Review Quotes

"A luscious novel that opens new doors and brings new obsessions to the Gothic and romantic mythology of the vampire: queer sensibility, the secret Polari language, sectarian violence, the Moon and the Tarot, images as precious as Symbolist paintings. It leaves you with a strange nostalgia and a scent of what has been lost."--Mariana Enriquez, author of Our Share of Night

"Reading A Blood As Bright As The Moon is like licking a battery in a rose-filled abandoned operating theatre while someone plays Wagner on the theremin. Utterly astounding, beautiful, and audacious. With writing this lush, and a toothsome exploration of queer difference and faith, fans of Castlevania or Anne Rice will absolutely eat this one up."--Ally Wilkes, Bram Stoker award-nominated author of All the White Spaces

"Baroque, lyrical, and marvelously operatic. A Blood as Bright as the Moon is a fever dream written in blood and unlike anything I've ever read before. A haunting, surreal examination of monstrousness and fate, this remarkable queer horror novel is evocative and powerfully chilling."--Eric LaRocca

"Sharp with intricate danger. An imaginative Gothic by way of Catriona Ward and a horrific theatrical fairy tale.--Hailey Piper, author of All the Hearts You Eat

"Erudite and bonkers, A Blood as Bright as the Moon is a restless meditation on vampirism through the competing lenses of the moon-fixed dreamer and the mad scientist. Between the cruelty of the doctor's scalpel and the impossible castles of the Swan King, Morstabilini charts the journey of an artistic soul -- a tender confession of queer abjection. It's Anne Rice meets Umberto Eco, with the saturation cranked up to 100. Fans of ST Gibson will find plenty here to sink their teeth into."--Noah Medlock

"An epic journey of a novel, which sinuously traverses both time and space. Ambitious, wily, inventive and witty, it is also a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting depiction of the persecution of the other, and of triumph in the face of oppression. Morstabilini's powers of storytelling are remarkably rich and haunting."--Lucie McKnight Hardy

"A unique voice and vision. Morstabilini puts a fresh spin on vampire mythos and the Gothic genre and delivers something unforgettable with this novel."--A.C. Wise

"A Blood as Bright as the Moon is such a charismatic book, vivid and audacious, and I love its hopeful heart. Every page is alive with awareness of how to use both genre expectations and deep emotional connections to create something quite special."--Aliya Whiteley, Shirley Jackson award-nominated author of The Beauty

"This was a joy to read. With the skilled surety of a master Morstabilini guides you along this riveting tale of vampires and dreams and the tug of war that is loyalty to self versus saviour, all wrapped up in a delicious cocktail of scintillating prose, a fearless experimental format and juicy cascade of events. A breath of fresh air to the vampire genre!"--Tobi Ogundiran, award-winning author of the Guardian of the Gods duology

"A BLOOD AS BRIGHT AS THE MOON is a bold new entry into the vampire genre. I've never read a novel that so deftly merges brutality and hope in each and every line. Just as eviscerating as it is healing, Morstablini's English debut is a decadently dark adventure."--Erin E. Adams author of JACKAL

"A BLOOD AS BRIGHT AS THE MOON holds multitudes. It is a dark fairy tale, a gothic play, a queer romance, and so much more. This exquisite novel is sure to haunt readers long after they have finished the final page."--Johanna van Veen, author of My Darling Dreadful Thing

"I would follow Andrea Morstabilini's writing anywhere. I trust his literary instinct and playfulness with literary codes. A Blood As Bright As The Moon is joyful proof of this author's boundless talent and it takes readers very far. An act of love for literature, transcending conventions."--Claudia Durastanti, author of Strangers I Know

"His narrative pulse is magnetic, and his novel is impossible to stop reading".--Roque Larraquy, author of the National Book Award nominee Comemadre

About the Author

Andrea Morstabilini was born in Lodi, in the misty middle of the Po Valley, in Northern Italy. He studied Modern Literature at the University of Milan with a thesis on the Fantastic in late 19th century Italian literature. He (predictably) loves Gothic novels and architecture, the theatre, cats, and cemeteries. He also works as an editor. He lives in Milan, and sometimes Kraków, with his husband.