The Salt Grows Heavy

A sensuous and strange horror novella full of creeping dread and delicious gore, twisting mermaid myths into something sharp, dangerous, and hungry, for fans of Christina Henry, Carmen Maria Machado and Eric LaRocca. Myths are full of lies. This is not one of them. Fleeing the downfall of an empire, a mermaid and her plague doctor companion escape into the eerie shadows of a wintery forest. Amongst the bark and snow they are drawn into ancient games for ageless children – a murderous hunt of blood and sacrifice – deep in the woods, where three who call themselves ‘saints’ rule over them all like gods. Trapped in a feverish nightmare of masked monsters, stitches and surgeons, and needle teeth, the mermaid must embrace all of her cruelty and hungers to free the children.

A sensuous and strange horror novella full of creeping dread and delicious gore, twisting mermaid myths into something sharp, dangerous, and hungry, for fans of Christina Henry, Carmen Maria Machado and Eric LaRocca. Myths are full of lies. This is not one of them. Fleeing the downfall of an empire, a mermaid and her plague doctor companion escape into the eerie shadows of a wintery forest. Amongst the bark and snow they are drawn into ancient games for ageless children – a murderous hunt of blood and sacrifice – deep in the woods, where three who call themselves ‘saints’ rule over them all like gods. Trapped in a feverish nightmare of masked monsters, stitches and surgeons, and needle teeth, the mermaid must embrace all of her cruelty and hungers to free the children.

"Khaw's poetic prose and stylish approach to gore make it a blood-soaked, unforgettable gem." -- The New York Times From Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth , comes The Salt Grows Heavy , a razor-sharp and bewitching fairy tale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. A Best Horror Book of 2023 ( The New York Times , Library Journal ) - A Best Book of 2023 (NPR) - A Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award Finalist! - An Indie Next Pick You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three "saints" who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive. Includes the bonus short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice", set in the same universe. Also by Cassandra Khaw: The Library at Hellebore Nothing But Blackened Teeth A Song for Quiet Hammers on Bone The Dead Take the A Train (co-written with Richard Kadrey)

"Khaw's poetic prose and stylish approach to gore make it a blood-soaked, unforgettable gem." -- The New York Times From Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth , comes The Salt Grows Heavy , a razor-sharp and bewitching fairy tale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. A Best Horror Book of 2023 ( The New York Times , Library Journal ) - A Best Book of 2023 (NPR) - A Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award Finalist! - An Indie Next Pick You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three "saints" who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive. Includes the bonus short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice", set in the same universe. Also by Cassandra Khaw: The Library at Hellebore Nothing But Blackened Teeth A Song for Quiet Hammers on Bone The Dead Take the A Train (co-written with Richard Kadrey)