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Our Crimson Cage
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26From the Indie Ink Award nominated author of The Fealty of Monsters and The Cradle of Eternal Night comes a new, blood-soaked tale of vampires and selfish desire, in this folk horror retelling of Carmilla, taking place in 19th Century Poland.
Laura Toperz’s husband will be only gone for a week. Despite hiring a new maid to pick up her duties, she expects the days to go by as they do when her husband is present: mundanely and without incident. She is not prepared to solve a murder.
Elżbieta dreams of riches. Being hired as a maid for the wealthy Toperz household might just be her ticket to security. After one of her shifts, she sneaks into the manor’s forbidden basement in search of treasure, hoping for valuables or jewels. Instead, she discovers something starving and solitary, begging to be unleashed. Elżbieta can only give in.
Soon, sanguinary terrors descend upon the town. Unaware of her maid’s transgression, Laura remembers the bloodthirsty woman trapped below: Karmila, who comforted her in her youth. Karmila, whom her late father swore was just an imaginary friend. Karmila, who now paints the town and its maidens red.
Having escaped under her watch, Laura must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to bring back peace and quell the lustful frenzy entrancing everyone around her.
Even if it means herself.
Laura Toperz’s husband will be only gone for a week. Despite hiring a new maid to pick up her duties, she expects the days to go by as they do when her husband is present: mundanely and without incident. She is not prepared to solve a murder.
Elżbieta dreams of riches. Being hired as a maid for the wealthy Toperz household might just be her ticket to security. After one of her shifts, she sneaks into the manor’s forbidden basement in search of treasure, hoping for valuables or jewels. Instead, she discovers something starving and solitary, begging to be unleashed. Elżbieta can only give in.
Soon, sanguinary terrors descend upon the town. Unaware of her maid’s transgression, Laura remembers the bloodthirsty woman trapped below: Karmila, who comforted her in her youth. Karmila, whom her late father swore was just an imaginary friend. Karmila, who now paints the town and its maidens red.
Having escaped under her watch, Laura must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to bring back peace and quell the lustful frenzy entrancing everyone around her.
Even if it means herself.
ebook
Expected publication August 11, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC of this novella in exchange for an honest review.
The title of Our Crimson Cage suits this novella so much. All of the women are trapped in a cage of patriarchy and repression, whether those cages be literal or figurative. Similar to a source of its inspiration, Le Fanu's Carmilla, female desire and autonomy can only exist in death. Unlike Carmilla, the undead and uncaged Laura are allowed to live on; only by breaking the bounds of societal expectations and death itself can these rebellious women truly live.
The prose itself is lush and figurative without being too much, which is a commonality between all of Ladz's works.
The way in which Karmila's presence transforms from an atmosphere of dread to that of freedom and desire is brilliant. We as the reader uncover the truth alongside Laura and Elżbieta via their character arcs. It is a page turner that I devoured over a few hours as I anticipated both Karmila's appearance and the resolution of the tension between Laura, Elżbieta, and Beata.
One last aspect that was brilliant was the use of the 1st person POV for Laura and Elżbieta contrasted with that of the 3rd person POV of Karmila (along with that of some of the townspeople). By placing distance between the reader and Karmila via 3rd person, it makes her seem larger than life and more monstrous.
The title of Our Crimson Cage suits this novella so much. All of the women are trapped in a cage of patriarchy and repression, whether those cages be literal or figurative. Similar to a source of its inspiration, Le Fanu's Carmilla, female desire and autonomy can only exist in death. Unlike Carmilla, the undead and uncaged Laura are allowed to live on; only by breaking the bounds of societal expectations and death itself can these rebellious women truly live.
The prose itself is lush and figurative without being too much, which is a commonality between all of Ladz's works.
The way in which Karmila's presence transforms from an atmosphere of dread to that of freedom and desire is brilliant. We as the reader uncover the truth alongside Laura and Elżbieta via their character arcs. It is a page turner that I devoured over a few hours as I anticipated both Karmila's appearance and the resolution of the tension between Laura, Elżbieta, and Beata.
One last aspect that was brilliant was the use of the 1st person POV for Laura and Elżbieta contrasted with that of the 3rd person POV of Karmila (along with that of some of the townspeople). By placing distance between the reader and Karmila via 3rd person, it makes her seem larger than life and more monstrous.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Since eARCs are being delivered to folks, I thought I would share the author's note for this story.
Our Crimson Cage is a gothic horror that takes place in 1850s rural Poland. There will be Polish words that might seem unfamiliar, and I want to encourage you look up the meaning should you get stuck.
As per the genre, there will be contents that may be distressing. Many of these are classic tropes in the gothic genre. If you feel distressed at any point in reading, please set this down and take a break.
Content notes: Intergenerational incest, blood, gore, dead parents, infidelity, blasphemy, dismemberment, menstruation, urination (in fear), and explicit sexual content which includes incest, dubious consent, inappropriate power dynamics, inappropriate references to religious iconography, breast feeding with blood, and urination (sexual)
This work is not intended for readers under 18.
Our Crimson Cage is a gothic horror that takes place in 1850s rural Poland. There will be Polish words that might seem unfamiliar, and I want to encourage you look up the meaning should you get stuck.
As per the genre, there will be contents that may be distressing. Many of these are classic tropes in the gothic genre. If you feel distressed at any point in reading, please set this down and take a break.
Content notes: Intergenerational incest, blood, gore, dead parents, infidelity, blasphemy, dismemberment, menstruation, urination (in fear), and explicit sexual content which includes incest, dubious consent, inappropriate power dynamics, inappropriate references to religious iconography, breast feeding with blood, and urination (sexual)
This work is not intended for readers under 18.
Review of advance copy received from Author
As harrowing and primal as the menstrual blood painting its pages, OUR CRIMSON CAGE is a masterwork of lesbian desire and eroticism and one of the sharpest historical takes on Carmilla I've ever seen.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews