A Thousand Monstrous Forms - by Saratoga Schaefer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Bluebeard gets a gothic horror and sapphic romance twist in this fairy-tale retelling from the author of Serial Killer Support Group and Trad Wife.

Artist Poppy Reed doesn't care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they've only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia's home: a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane.

As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia's insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement.

When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife--and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Thousand Monstrous Forms
"This sapphic Gothic horror will burrow under your skin and shake your bones."
--Booklist

"Haunting and evocative, the book's realistic characters will draw readers in, and the surprising plot twists won't let them go."
--Library Journal

"Consistent scares and plenty of entertainment."
--Publishers Weekly

"A dread-filled, creepy, and terrifying horror tale."
--Capes & Tights

"A dark and haunting descent into manipulation, madness, and possession, A Thousand Monstrous Forms taps into the greatest fears of every woman--that even our own kind might prove unsafe and that love is a steel trap--and every artist--that we might, in turn, become the vessel, and that our voice might be stolen away. In the end, Busirane might trap us all."
--Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Bloom and The Violence

"A masterclass of manipulation-as-monster and the terror that accompanies vulnerability! Both beautiful and haunting, A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a chilling horror of toxic love, people-pleasing, and the ghosts we cling to rather than being alone. The perfect Gothic fairy tale."
--Tanya Pell, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Her Wicked Roots

"Propulsive, haunting, and mythic, A Thousand Monstrous Forms wraps its bony fingers around your throat and refuses to let go. Schaefer is an undeniable master of the horror genre, and this foray into the Gothic solidifies their place in the pantheon of greats. A unputdownable retelling!"
--Taylor Grothe, author of Lethal Kiss

"This sapphic twist on the classic tale of Bluebeard takes us into the chill halls of a lonely mansion with a dark secret at its heart, blurring the line that separates hero and villain, home and cage. A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a captivating investigation of power, control, and the things we are willing to relinquish for love. Schaefer's Celia is a dazzling invention, a smooth-talking lover who draws in both protagonist and reader against their better judgment with her charm and sophistication. Urgent and relentless, this novel will seduce you with its beauty, then shake you with its horror."
--Elliott Gish, author of Grey Dog

"There's a reason you're seeing Schaefer's name everywhere: their work is setting the bar for smart, propulsive horror. A Thousand Monstrous Forms is delightfully scary, beautifully crafted, and heartbreaking in the best way."
--Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse and The Haunting of Room 904

About the Author

Saratoga Schaefer (they/them) is the USA Today bestselling and Indie Press bestselling author of Serial Killer Support Group, Trad Wife, The Last Time We Drowned, and A Thousand Monstrous Forms. Their books have been featured in Variety, People, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour, and their writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, CrimeReads, and more. Originally from Brooklyn, Saratoga now lives upstate with several needy animals and a haunted clown table.