Incarnate - by Richard Thomas (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In a frozen tundra, a sin-eater fights for redemption and absolution as monstrous creatures ravage a community already struggling to survive.

Sebastian Pana is a sin-eater, a shaman-like figure who can absolve the dead of their transgressions before they move on to the afterlife. But when a tear in the fabric of reality allows hideous beasts to invade the small arctic town he calls home, Sebastian must wage battle with them the only way he knows how: by unleashing the power of sin itself.

Thus, the stage is set for an epic confrontation between the forces of good and evil, in which a mother monster strives to save the dying land around her-and a young Inuit boy, haunted by Sebastian's fate, risks everything to forge a new way forward for the desperate vestiges of humanity. As an obliterating darkness descends from the frozen mountains, this profoundly redemptive tale will build toward a climactic showdown in which nature and the supernatural collide with the eternal quest for healing and forgiveness.

From an author who has been compared to Lovecraft, Bradbury, and Gaiman, Incarnate is a masterpiece of contemporary arctic horror-a dark, unsettling story told in a maximalist voice inflected with powerful notes of hope and grace.

"Thomas excels at summoning nightmarish images, as vivid as they are stark. . . . The most terrifying aspects of the novel, however, stem from its strange, shifting structure, which never quite allows the reader to find firm footing. . . . Fans of Brian Evenson will enjoy-and perhaps cower from-this cold-weather tale." -Kirkus Reviews

"A stunningly creepy supernatural thriller set in the remote Arctic. It captures the terror of being alone in the frozen darkness with something dreadful. Weird and thrilling!" -Jonathan Maberry, New York-Times bestselling author of the Sleepers War and NecroTek series

"A harrowing look into the world of a sin-eater stationed at the end of the world. Richard Thomas manages to harness the northern lights into a brutal story about weathering the frozen tundra as well as the suffering of all mankind. Graceful, cosmic, and heartbreaking, Incarnate is a universe unto itself." -Gus Moreno, author of This Thing Between Us

"In Incarnate, Richard Thomas shows himself to be a master alchemist who can spin elements of a survival tale, healing magick, cosmic horror, and true environmental dread into pure dark gold that's enchanting, truly weird, and utterly frightening." -Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Castle of Los Angeles

"Thomas's characters peer behind the thin veil between worlds, mapping a landscape that's sinister but not hopeless. Incarnate will stick with you long after the last page." -A. G. Slatter, award-winning author of The Briar Book of the Dead

"Burns like cold ice. Forged from classic weird fiction, the feeling of isolation never lets up, even as the stakes rise to impossible heights. Incarnate offers a glimpse into a dark portal where nefarious things are all too anxious to cross over. This is Thomas at his best: dark, unforgiving, and painfully redemptive." -John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Requiem and Placerita

"Thomas creates a detailed, transcendental world full of both beauty and brutality. There are too many monsters to count, and yet we still dare to hope. My favorite work of his to date." -Mercedes M. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-winning author

"Reading Incarnate is a visceral experience-weird cosmic horror at its purest. Brutal and unforgiving, Thomas's novel is epic in its scope and ideas. The creature horror is mind-blowing-endlessly unique and fascinating in its variety. In his skilled hands, even the wildest beast is human and capable of redemption. I truly don't know how else to describe

Review Quotes

"A harrowing look into the world of a sin-eater stationed at the end of the world. Richard Thomas manages to harness the northern lights into a brutal story about weathering the frozen tundra as well as the suffering of all mankind. Graceful, cosmic, and heartbreaking, Incarnate is a universe unto itself." --Gus Moreno, author of This Thing Between Us


"A mournful meditation on the solitude of sin and the connective cosmic web that binds both man and monster together. Richard Thomas writes of our fall from grace with such transcendent eloquence, such astute empathy for the wicked and divine, it's enough to rekindle a reader's faith in the power of horror literature." --Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

"A numinous slow burn . . . from one of horror's best, Incarnate is a sumptuous and sinister exploration of human sin." --Lee Murray, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories


"A stunningly creepy supernatural thriller set in the remote Arctic. It captures the terror of being alone in the frozen darkness with something dreadful. Weird and thrilling!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of the Sleepers War and NecroTek series


"Burns like cold ice. Forged from classic weird fiction, the feeling of isolation never lets up, even as the stakes rise to impossible heights. Incarnate offers a glimpse into a dark portal where nefarious things are all too anxious to cross over. This is Thomas at his best: dark, unforgiving, and painfully redemptive." --John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Requiem and Placerita


"In Incarnate, Richard Thomas shows himself to be a master alchemist who can spin elements of a survival tale, healing magick, cosmic horror, and true environmental dread into pure dark gold that's enchanting, truly weird, and utterly frightening." --Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Castle of Los Angeles


"Reading Incarnate is a visceral experience--weird cosmic horror at its purest. Brutal and unforgiving, Thomas's novel is epic in its scope and ideas. The creature horror is mind-blowing--endlessly unique and fascinating in its variety. In his skilled hands, even the wildest beast is human and capable of redemption. I truly don't know how else to describe this meditative, monstrous, delicate, icicle-sharp novel. You'll just have to taste it for yourself." --Sam Rebelein, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Edenville


"Richard Thomas is a major name in the horror genre, and his latest book once again proves why. This is a strange, profound, and powerful tale about good and evil, and it's one that will stick with you long after you've turned the final page." --Gwendolyn Kiste, Lambda Literary and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Haunting of Velkwood


"Thomas creates a detailed, transcendental world full of both beauty and brutality. There are too many monsters to count, and yet we still dare to hope. My favorite work of his to date." --Mercedes M. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-winning author


"Thomas excels at summoning
nightmarish images, as vivid as they are stark... The most terrifying aspects of
the novel, however, stem from its strange, shifting structure, which never
quite allows the reader to find firm footing... Fans of Brian Evenson will
enjoy--and perhaps cower from--this cold-weather tale." --Kirkus Reviews

"Thomas is one of the best when it comes to the art of visceral horror. Incarnate is as cold and immaculate as winter in the deep Arctic." --Laird Barron, author of Not a Speck of Light


"Thomas's characters peer behind the thin veil between worlds, mapping a landscape that's sinister but not hopeless. Incarnate will stick with you long after the last page." --A. G. Slatter, award-winning author of The Briar Book of the Dead

About the Author

Richard Thomas is the award-winning author of nine books. These include the novels Incarnate, Disintegration, Breaker, and Transubstantiate; the collections Spontaneous Human Combustion, Tribulations, Staring into the Abyss, and Herniated Roots; and a novella, collected in The Soul Standard. Thomas has been nominated for Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, ITW Thriller, and Audie awards. He has more than 175 stories in print.