A Season of Monstrous Conceptions
World Fantasy Award nominee for Best Novella
Lina Rather's A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is an eldritch historical fantasy of midwifery, monstrosity, and the rending of the world, for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Death of Jane Lawrence.
"An entrancing and transformative queer tale of cosmic horror."—Caitlin Starling
"A blood sacrifice of a novel."—Meg Elison
In 17th-century London, unnatural babies are being born, with eyes made for the dark and webbed digits suited to the sea.
Sarah Davis is intimately familiar with such strangeness—having hidden her uncanny nature all her life and fled to London under suspicious circumstances, Sarah starts over as a midwife’s apprentice to a member of the illegal Worshipful Company of Midwives, hoping to carve out for herself an independent life. But with each new unnatural birth, the fear in London grows of the Devil's work.
When the wealthy Lady Wren hires her to see her through her pregnancy, Sarah quickly becomes a favorite of her husband, the famous architect Lord Christopher Wren, whose interest in the uncanny borders on obsession. Sarah soon finds herself caught in a web of magic and intrigue created by those who want to use her power for themselves, and whose pursuits threaten to unmake the earth itself.
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Community Reviews
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
London is being plagued by births of unnatural children, babies born with extra eyes, tales, gills, and fur. As a midwife in training Sarah Davis is very aware of these deliveries. Not only has she witnessed them, she also hides a secret: she was once one of these babies. Having fleed to London under questionable circumstances, she does her best to hide her nature and the powers that come with it but a sudden meeting with a wealthy pregnant woman and her powerful husband will set her right in the middle of the unraveling of the world.
I really enjoyed this! The plot felt very different and unique. This was a very quick read and my only complaint is that I could have read more. I think this needed space to breathe and expand on some of the concepts/characters. Don't ask me how any of the magic or the other world works because I genuinely have no idea. Some of the relationships also felt a bit rushed or not explored enough. Overall this was very solid and delightful.
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