Our Hideous Progeny

In this gothic adventure, debut novelist McGill builds on Shelley’s iconic story by adding sharp-minded female protagonist Mary, who sets out to discover the truth about her great-uncle Victor Frankenstein’s disappearance in the Arctic. * STYLIST, ‘The best new feminist retellings of classic stories to read in 2023’ *McGill’s prose is rich and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the eerie and foreboding tone of the Gothic tradition. The characters are complex and layered … Our Hideous Progeny is a masterful work of Gothic horror that will leave readers on the edge of their seat. * GLAMOUR *Evocatively and compassionately, Our Hideous Progeny seeks a way to tell the stories of those whose tales cannot fit in one book, those poor creatures who remain lost or forgotten * NEW YORKER *Our Hideous Progeny takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s masterpiece along with the Victorian fascination with scientific innovation and the prehistoric world. This wonderful debut evolves into a gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue. * JESS KIDD, author of THE NIGHT SHIP *A wonderful book; dark, passionate, multi-layered and rich with enticing detail. * JOANNE HARRIS, author of CHOCOLAT and THE STRAWBERRY THIEF *Compelling and utterly absorbing, Our Hideous Progeny is an artfully crafted debut that echoes the dark essence of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein while maintaining a fascinating originality all of its own. * SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, author of PANDORA *Darkly brilliant and sumptuously gothic, this atmospheric debut left me reeling * C.J. COOKE, author of THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES *A wonderfully rich, emotionally engaging tale with the flavour and appeal of a great 19th-century novel. * Guardian *A fantastic read: I felt everything about Mary, her simmering anger and her intellectual delight, so very clearly. * FREYA MARSKE, author of THE LAST BINDING TRILOGY *Exquisitely written, brimming with imagery both beautiful and shocking, this daring debut makes the rivalries of the Victorian scientific establishment thrilling and urgent, bringing us a story worthy of Mary Shelley. * SEAN LUSK, author of THE SECOND SIGHT OF ZACHARY CLOUDESLEY *

C.E. McGill was born in Scotland and raised in North Carolina. They are a recent graduate of NC State University. C.E. McGill’s short fiction has appeared in Fantasy Magazine and Strange Constellations, and they are a two-time finalist for the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing. They now live back in Scotland.