A terrifying supernatural entity haunts Toronto’s gay village in the ’80s in this gruesome, metatextual modern horror classic that spans decades of queer community and history. RED X is a masterful experimental work already heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century, now reissued with deluxe materials, including a new introduction by Gretchen Felker-Martin and an essay by Anthony Oliveira.
“[A] seminal work of queer literature . . . So arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
In 1984, a young gay man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a community of friends and lovers desperate for answers. Instead, they face everything from casual indifference to outright prejudice. As decades pass, more men vanish, revealing a terrifying, centuries-old demonic presence at the heart of the disappearances.
Interspersed throughout, the author shares autobiographical vignettes: his earliest brushes with death and fear, his observations on queer culture and the horror genre, on representation and erasure, culminating in an elegiac and brilliantly woven narrative that blends fact and fiction, and has already been heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century.
Praise for RED X
“When they speak of seminal works of queer literature a hundred years from now, David Demchuk’s RED X will most assuredly be included in that conversation. A tremendously influential novel so arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised. A merciless and truly daring masterpiece of queer fiction.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
“Can a horror novel be too disturbing? David Demchuk’s RED X begs that question, not because of any excess of gore or violence but because of its singular and unflinching dark vision. That’s a good thing—too much contemporary horror fiction plays for easy shocks and even easier sentimental tears, and Demchuk is clearly after something deeper.” —Toronto Star
“A book full of heart and righteous fury, an urban nightmare with some retro-horror stylings that sidesteps that genre’s usual pitfalls of splatter and pessimism to deliver a story of emotional heft and guarded optimism. While it’s relentless and can be incredibly disturbing, there are also moments of beauty, hope, and a certain melancholy. It’s a complex, disturbing, challenging, and compulsively readable work that commands your attention, and indeed deserves it.” —Tor Nightfire
“One of the greatest horror novels of all time, period. Fight me. It's exactly the book we need right now: scary, angry, horny, and packed with memorable monsters both supernatural and systemic.” —Sam J. Miller, author of The Blade Between
David Demchuk is the award-winning author of The Bone Mother, RED X and, with co-author Corinne Leigh Clark, The Butcher’s Daughter. After many years in Toronto, he now lives with his husband in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
A terrifying supernatural entity haunts Toronto’s gay village in the ’80s in this gruesome, metatextual modern horror classic that spans decades of queer community and history. RED X is a masterful experimental work already heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century, now reissued with deluxe materials, including a new introduction by Gretchen Felker-Martin and an essay by Anthony Oliveira.
“[A] seminal work of queer literature . . . So arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
In 1984, a young gay man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a community of friends and lovers desperate for answers. Instead, they face everything from casual indifference to outright prejudice. As decades pass, more men vanish, revealing a terrifying, centuries-old demonic presence at the heart of the disappearances.
Interspersed throughout, the author shares autobiographical vignettes: his earliest brushes with death and fear, his observations on queer culture and the horror genre, on representation and erasure, culminating in an elegiac and brilliantly woven narrative that blends fact and fiction, and has already been heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century.
Reviews
Praise for RED X
“When they speak of seminal works of queer literature a hundred years from now, David Demchuk’s RED X will most assuredly be included in that conversation. A tremendously influential novel so arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised. A merciless and truly daring masterpiece of queer fiction.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
“Can a horror novel be too disturbing? David Demchuk’s RED X begs that question, not because of any excess of gore or violence but because of its singular and unflinching dark vision. That’s a good thing—too much contemporary horror fiction plays for easy shocks and even easier sentimental tears, and Demchuk is clearly after something deeper.” —Toronto Star
“A book full of heart and righteous fury, an urban nightmare with some retro-horror stylings that sidesteps that genre’s usual pitfalls of splatter and pessimism to deliver a story of emotional heft and guarded optimism. While it’s relentless and can be incredibly disturbing, there are also moments of beauty, hope, and a certain melancholy. It’s a complex, disturbing, challenging, and compulsively readable work that commands your attention, and indeed deserves it.” —Tor Nightfire
“One of the greatest horror novels of all time, period. Fight me. It's exactly the book we need right now: scary, angry, horny, and packed with memorable monsters both supernatural and systemic.” —Sam J. Miller, author of The Blade Between
Author
David Demchuk is the award-winning author of The Bone Mother, RED X and, with co-author Corinne Leigh Clark, The Butcher’s Daughter. After many years in Toronto, he now lives with his husband in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
