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The Salt Grows Heavy

Published
May 2023
Main Genre
Horror Horror
Rating
Pages
112

About This Book

"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)

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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Formats & Editions

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Paperback

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Trade Paperback
Oct 2025 Tor ISBN 125041797X
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
First Edition May 2023 Daw ISBN 1250830915
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Hardcover
May 2023 Titan (UK) ISBN 1803363428
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Hardcover
May 2023 Tor ISBN 1250322960
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eBook

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eBook
May 2023 Daw ISBN 1250830923
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eBook
May 2023 -- Not Selected ISBN B0B9KV4Y19
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eBook
May 2023 Titan (UK) ISBN 1803363436
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Audio

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Audible
May 2023 -- Not Selected ISBN B0BFFKML7P
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