"Gorgeously atmospheric, heartrending and deeply ominous." - Hester Steel, author of The Faceless Thing We Adore

"A seductive and infernal hymn of dread, love, and damnation." - Elliott Gish, author of Grey Dog

For fans of A Dark and Drowning Tide and The Lighthouse Witches comes a queer speculative fiction novel about a lighthouse keeper who made a devil's bargain to save her sister.
But when a shipwrecked survivor washes ashore, she is left with an impossible choice…
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One deal with the devil makes a fool. Two? A villain...

A year ago, Elle made a deal with the devil to save her sister. Now, they live on a desolate spit of land beyond Halifax harbour. Elle, as a lighthouse keeper, steers unsuspecting sailors to their destruction; those are the terms of her bargain. Liney need never know the cost. Her safety is worth every drop of blood.

But a sinner’s pact is not so simple. When the devil returns, demanding more—more shipwrecks, no survivors—Elle knows what she must do to keep Liney safe...

Another ship. Another crew killed in the devil’s name.

Then a woman washes ashore. Is she a soul to be sacrificed, or part of a darker design? As Liney and the stranger grow closer, Elle faces an impossible choice: kill, and break Liney’s heart, or forfeit her own soul.

Danger arises from all sides: the merciless sea, ruthless men on the mainland, and the infernal bargain itself…

Souls and sisterhood, fate and fire—what must be sacrificed for the devil to get his due?

A riveting tale of doomed love and a chilling Faustian bargain, A Fate Worse Than Drowning is a masterwork of queer speculative fiction that will captivate fans of gothic literature.
Tropes

Gothic Fiction

LGBTQ+

Speculative Fiction

Deal with the Devil