The Monster of Eldenhaven by Halifax’s Jennifer Giesbrecht will creep you out

by

March 2025
π‘©π’π’π’Œ π’“π’†π’—π’Šπ’†π’˜ 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 π’ƒπ’š π‘Ύπ’“π’Šπ’•π’† π‘΅π’π’˜! π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ 𝑱𝒐𝒏 π‘»π’‚π’•π’•π’“π’Šπ’†.

π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘›π‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ πΈπ‘™π‘‘π‘’π‘›π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘›, 𝑏𝑦 π½π‘’π‘›π‘›π‘–π‘“π‘’π‘Ÿ πΊπ‘–π‘’π‘ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘β„Žπ‘‘

I had a meeting at Halifax’s Trident Bookstore a few months ago to talk about the Charles R. Saunders Prize. On a whim, I told the owner that Charles had lived above the store when he first moved to Halifax. She was delighted to learn that, and actually on her way to Ontario to talk about the state of speculative fiction in Atlantic Canada. She told them about Charles.

And she told me about the person serving me a coffee – Jennifer Giesbrecht. A lifelong Haligonian, former street performer, and video-game writer, she’s also the author of this creepy, slimy, dark and delightful novel crawling out of an other world, where magic works in this strange northern city called Elendhaven, and some monstrous creature has just pulled itself out of the waves.

β€œA thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die.”

But the story, really, is about the surprisingly likeable monster looking for a way to live. He meets a man who hides his magic abilities and suffers indignities in the hopes he can cast his revenge in the form of a sorcerous plague. The two … fall in love? Begin using each other for dark purposes? Amuse each other? All of these things, while wreaking havoc on the people of Eldenhaven.

Giesbrecht creates a touchable world that feels familiar from the first page. Her purposeful writing marches through the story, keeping you engaged and entertained, if a little sickened at times. It read like a master take on a classic dark fairy tale for adults, but this is a brand-new story.

Stop by the Trident and buy a copy. Charles would have loved it.