Skip to content

The Salt Grows Heavy

The Salt Grows Heavy

Dark FantasyFairy Tales
Pages
128
Published
2023
Language
English

Synopsis

This dark fairy tale reimagines the classic mermaid story with a sharp, bewitching twist. After her daughters devastate a kingdom, a mermaid flees, finding an unlikely companion in a mysterious plague doctor. Their journey leads them to a chilling forest village where they must confront their own dark natures to survive the bloodthirsty inhabitants.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkCreepyMysteriousAtmospheric
Morally GreySurvivalAnti-Hero

Genres

Dark Fantasy Fairy Tales Gothic Horror

About the author

C
Cassandra Khaw

Cassandra Khaw, born August 31, 1984, is a Malaysian writer of horror and science fiction who also works as a video game scriptwriter for studios including Ubisoft Montreal, and has written for tabletop RPGs and as a games journalist. Their fiction has appeared in Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Fireside Fiction, Uncanny Magazine, and Nature. Their novella Hammers on Bone was a British Fantasy and Locus Award finalist, and their novel The Salt Grows Heavy and USA Today bestseller Nothing But Blackened Te...

Characters

the mermaidProtagonist
The Plague DoctorSupporting
All characters in The Salt Grows Heavy

Frequently asked questions

  • Does this book connect to any of the author's other stories?

    This novella serves as a continuation of the author's short story titled And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice, which explores the events preceding the mermaid's journey.

  • Is this part of a larger series?

    The narrative is a self-contained work that resolves its primary conflicts within the volume, functioning as a standalone story.

Read all 1 reviews