Monsters are real. Well, monstros are, anyway - an emerging group of citizens trying to find their place in Brindlewatch, ever since the Camillites made a splash in the small town of Quixx, and the Jettites climbed out of their subterranean city beneath Lake Mallion. The Far Cities are bristling with newcomers looking for a fresh start in this brand-new world, but is it as safe for them as they think?
Sable, a Camillite who still lives on Mount Quixx, isn't so sure. She sees the world through the distorted lens of the novels she steals from Professor Bedouin's observatory and is slow to trust the strangers in the world beyond the page. She is a side-character in her own story, and she wants to keep it that way.
But a desperate letter begging for help rewrites Sable as the protagonist sleuth of her favorite novels, and hot on the trail trying to find her vanished friend, Sable uncovers more than she bargained for in the bright lights of the big city: a famous author with the ability to make every monstro's dream come true, a dastardly underworld targeting vulnerable monstros, and a sweet bookseller who may be at the heart of the mystery.
And on the airwaves, a broadcast like no other promises a bold new world for everyone. Will Sable find her voice and save those terrified of speaking up, before it's too late? Welcome to Brindlewatch - a world like ours from days gone by. Fast shiny cars, growing metropolises, and a war on the other side of the ocean with an enemy no one can see. Back at home, monsters, spirits, and the humans who get entangled with them populate the pages of the Brindlewatch Quintet.
S.M. Beiko is a Winnipeg-based fantasy author and award-winning graphic novelist. Her work includes The Lake and the Library, the Realms of Ancient trilogy, and the in-progress Brindlewatch Quintet. Beiko has won the Aurora Award and was nominated for the Joe Shuster Award in 2020 for her original graphic novel KRAMPUS IS MY BOYFRIEND!
Sales and Market Bullets
• DELIGHTFUL AND UPBEAT: For a younger YA audience, with charming and relatable characters, lively dialogue, and a focus on friendship and found family. The books charm you with their warmth and heart, making the world just a little bit brighter.
• DIVERSE VOICES: Beiko is bisexual, and in this series of standalone novels, nearly every character falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Plenty of queer romance ensues!
• PRAISE FOR THE SERIES:
• "Fans of Diana Wynne Jones and TJ Klune will find much to love in this wholly original novel that blends science and magic, modernity and tradition, and features a sweet monster romance, found families, kooky characters, and a pair of sisters whose fraught relationship is central to their coming-of-age stories." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review of The Stars of Mount Quixx
• "A hot ticket, chockablock with memorable performances." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review of The Door on Lake Mallion
• BUZZY AUTHOR: The first two books in the series were both nominated for the Aurora Award in the Best Young Adult Novel category, and The Stars of Mount Quixx was shortlisted for the 2024 CCBC Book Awards Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Beiko is a master of self-promotion and a much-beloved figure in the science fiction and fantasy community in Canada.
