BOOK LAUNCH: RED X by David Demchuk

A terrifying supernatural entity haunts Toronto’s gay village in the ’80s in this gruesome, metatextual modern horror classic that spans decades of queer community, and perfect for fans of Eric LaRocca and historical horror.

Now being released in the United States for the first time, complete with deluxe materials, including a new cover, discussion questions, a playlist of classic queer songs throughout the decade, an essay by Anthony Oliveira, and an introduction by prominent horror author Gretchen Felker-Martin, RED X is a heavy-hitter in horror fiction, queer stories, and experimental narratives alike.

We're thrilled to welcome David Demchuk to The Twisted Spine in conversation with Sam J. Miller (RED STAR HUSTLE) on June 15!

About RED X

In 1984, a young gay man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a community of friends and lovers desperate for answers. Instead, they face everything from casual indifference to outright prejudice. As decades pass, more men vanish, revealing a terrifying, centuries-old demonic presence at the heart of the disappearances.
Interspersed throughout, the author shares autobiographical vignettes: his earliest brushes with death and fear, his observations on queer culture and the horror genre, on representation and erasure, culminating in an elegiac and brilliantly woven narrative that blends fact and fiction, and has already been heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century.

[A] seminal work of queer literature . . . So arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised.” —Eric LaRocca, author of WRETCH

About the speakers:

David Demchuk’s debut The Bone Mother was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Amazon First Novel Award, the Toronto Book Award, the Kobzar Book Award and a Shirley Jackson Award, and won the 2018 Sunburst Award for Best Novel. RED X was listed as a CBC Books pick for Best Canadian Fiction of the Year, a Rakuten Kobo Top 20 selection, and a New York Public Library Best Book of 2021—one of just three Canadian novels on the list. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies as well as Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse, Chronotope, The Winnipeg Review, Unfortunately, and JAKE. After many years in Toronto, he now lives by the sea with his husband in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Sam J. Miller‘s books have been called “must reads” and “bests of the year” by USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and O: The Oprah Magazine, among others, and have been translated into nine languages. They’ve also been banned in Florida, and stolen by AI. His work has won the Nebula, Locus, Shirley Jackson, and Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards, as well as the hopefully-soon-to-be-renamed John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He’s also the last in a long line of butchers. Sam lives in New York City, and at samjmiller.com

Event guidelines:

Each ticket includes either a paperback copy RED X or a $15 Twisted Spine gift card.

Limited additional copies of the books will be available for purchase at the event.

A signing will follow the discussion.

If you have any questions about the guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact [email protected].

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