The first Booth story, “Bringing Helena Back,” was a reworking of that dynamic, and by the time I was done with the story, Booth had endeared himself to me.ĪM: Booth is an intellectual man, who is not so much physically strong as he is thoughtful and observant. Lovecraft story, “The Statement of Randolph Carter,” with a sensitive, somewhat weak–willed narrator and his brilliant, overbearing friend. SARAH MONETTE: Booth emerges pretty directly from an H. What was the initial spark that brought Booth into existence? What was the first Booth story? ĪPEX MAGAZINE: Kyle Murchinson Booth is a recurring character for you and has appeared in many of your short stories (I’m thinking particularly of the stories in your short fiction collection The Bone Key). To learn more about Sarah Monette and her fiction, visit her website at. This issue of Apex Magazine brings you one of her beloved Kyle Murchinson Booth series stories, “To Die For Moonlight.” In this interview, we discuss mystery authors, short stories verses novels, editing ten–year–old projects, half–goblins, and - of course - Mr. Her short story, “Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland,” garnered the 2003 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Short Fiction. Her work has appeared in many print and online magazines, such as Clarkesworld Magazine, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Fantasy Magazine, and Strange Horizons. I still can’t decide whether or not I actually liked the book as a whole, but that’s immaterial in view of the fact that I was hooked.An expert in 17 th century literature and a dedicated book collector, Sarah Monette is also the author of several dozen fantasy and horror short stories, many of which have appeared in Year’s Best anthologies, The Doctrine of Labyrinths fantasy series (beginning with Mélusine), two fiction collections, and the Iskryne World series (beginning with A Companion to Wolves), co–authored with Elizabeth Bear. But I decided to give it a chance and ploughed on (things settle down a bit after that early, shocking scene) and, to my surprise, I was completely and utterly gripped. While I don’t mind reading about violence in battle situations, torture and sexual violation is another matter entirely.

So much for heart-warming cosiness! Something happens in the early chapters of Mélusine which very nearly made me decide not to carry on – those who’ve read the novel will know what I’m talking about. Needless to say, I hadn’t read much of the first book, Mélusine, before realising that this was a very different kind of novel. Having enjoyed The Goblin Emperor, I thought it would be fun to read some other books by the same author, and that meant going back to her popular Doctrine of Labyrinths series.

A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette