Fiend
Published on 24. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-83541-456-9 (ISBN)
Description
From a Goodreads Choice and Stoker Award (R) winning author, Succession meets The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry in this taut, fast-paced tale of sibling betrayal as the three heirs - the golden boy, the ferocious middle sister, the dilettante youngest child - to a powerful syndicate rush to fill the vacuum after their father falls critically ill, not realising the demonic forces he kept at bay.
Some families have skeletons in their closets. This one has a demon in its boardroom.
When Maris Berisha was nine years old, she heard something scratching at the walls of her family's penthouse. It felt like something malevolent was there, watching them.
The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they've always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence. Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They're blessed.
At least that is what Zef, the patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family-Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets, Maris's most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically, and Nora's job, as the youngest, is to just stay out of the way. But when things stop going as planned, and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, each hatching their own secret scheme. They didn't get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it might be their own.
Some families have skeletons in their closets. This one has a demon in its boardroom.
When Maris Berisha was nine years old, she heard something scratching at the walls of her family's penthouse. It felt like something malevolent was there, watching them.
The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they've always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence. Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They're blessed.
At least that is what Zef, the patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family-Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets, Maris's most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically, and Nora's job, as the youngest, is to just stay out of the way. But when things stop going as planned, and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, each hatching their own secret scheme. They didn't get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it might be their own.
Reviews / Votes
An absolutely wicked delight! Fiend ruined several nights' sleep for me, which is the highest praise I can give a book. Damn you, Alma Katsu, please write another novel as quickly as possible. I'm bereft to be done with this one.--Kelly Link, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Book of Love
Succession meets Supernatural in this tale of greed and family dysfunction. Alma Katsu ventures into contemporary horror with panache.
--Silvia Moreno-Garcia author of Mexican Gothic
If you liked Succession but think it would have been a lot more fun with a 1,000 year old demon, then Alma Katsu's Fiend has got you covered.
--Grady Hendrix, author of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Fiend is Severance with claws. When ambition is entwined with an ancient demonic power, no one in the corporate world-or a mogul's family-is safe. Alma Katsu reveals the monstrosity of power from every ugly angle, with plenty of scares and surprises.
--Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory
[O]ozing with dread . . . Katsu presents a fast-paced story that will unite her fans across genres.
--Library Journal
[I]n this haunting tale . . . Katsu's exploration of the bloody price of privilege keeps the pages turning. It's a supernaturally charged Succession that will have readers hooked.
--Publishers Weekly
Fiend by Alma Katsu is a dark, cutthroat family drama of high-stakes wealth, unchecked ambition, and supernatural temptation, perfect for fans of Succession and The Fall of the House of Usher. I was transfixed by this modern Gothic masterpiece from one of my favorite voices in horror.
--Sadie Hartmann, Bram Stoker Award winning author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered
A wickedly entertaining, dread-laced modern fable. Fiend is an unforgettable thrill ride that shocks and moves in equal measure. Magnificent.
--Rachel Harrison, author of Play Nice
Every family has skeletons in the closet-some have something far more evil. Alma Katsu has created a modern-day fable of greed and power, a story we think we know, and turned it inside out with a wicked blend of horror and suspense.
--Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of My Darling Girl and The Winter People
Alma Katsu has staked her claim as one of the top names in both contemporary horror and twisty thrillers! With Fiend, she delivers a devilishly cunning, supernatural Succession that brings all her skills to bear! This one will unite Katsu's readers, and earn her plenty more! Don't miss it.
--Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Birds and Road of Bones
A mesmerizing tale, twisting generational wealth together with family trauma. . . greed is the plan and the monsters are everywhere.
--Karen Joy Fowler, author of Booth
A family empire, a battle for ascendancy among the siblings, Fiend has the betrayal and intrigue of Succession with an added supernatural surprise. I tore through this book, a horror story about greed and power. Alma Katsu spins a great story, an amorality tale.
--Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women
Alma Katsu's cunning cut-throat fable FIEND is a hostile takeover of your bookshelf, a sinister indictment on familial bloodlines and corporate affairs that slits through every other novel that dares unseat it as your next favorite read.
--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
Alma Katsu's Fiend is pacy, brutal and chilling. Sibling rivalry's a ticking timebomb inside a loveless family built on obligation and secrets. Old evil and new money meet in an (im)morality tale for the modern age. I read it in one sitting - highly recommended.
--Angela A.G. Slatter, award-winning author of The Cold House
Perfectly paced horror for lovers of the demonic and family intrigue. Maybe you can't choose your demons or your family.
--V. Castro, author of Goddess of Filth, The Haunting of Alejandra and more.
While its billionaires-behaving-badly dynamic draws natural comparisons to a certain prestige TV drama, Alma Katsu's FIEND is no less a brilliant snapshot of a historical era than her previous horror novels-only this time, it's the present day. Katsu expertly captures our current age of rapacious oligarchs, seemingly supernatural in their immunity to consequences, destroying lives with their pettiness and their self-preservation. But my god is it nice to watch them squirm for a change.
--Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary
A chilling fairytale for modern times, in which greed, power and privilege come at a price ... and that price is demonic. Shocking and brutal, Fiend is the monstrously good new novel from the always-brilliant Alma Katsu.
--Tim Lebbon, author of Secret Lives of the Dead
With FIEND, the master of historical horror turns her sights on our own terrifying times with a tale that's twisty, timely, devilish, and above all, irresistibly page-turning.
--Jennifer Thorne, author of DIAVOLA
[A] thoroughly enjoyable story of rich people behaving badly-rich people who happen to have a demon at their command-with a plot that's propelled by the dysfunctional family dynamics far more than by the supernatural elements. Katsu's first contemporary horror novel is an excellent choice for horror-curious readers who may be leery of gore and jump scares, fans of TV series Succession, and for those who enjoyed Come Closer by Sara Gran, The Corporation by J. F. Gonzalez, or Our Share of Night by Mariana EnrIquez.
--Booklist Review
Inherited empowerment is hard to make empathetic, and author Katsu deserves praise for rendering the unscrupulous Berishas somewhat sympathetic . . . Katsu finely depicts their foibles and cravings in 239 breezy pages which can easily be read in one sitting.
--A Head Full of Horror Review
Fiend is a must-read, chilling narrative on what happens when love is secondary to power. Will greed or family bonds win in the end?
--Southern Literary Review
PRAISE FOR ALMA KATSU
One of CrimeReads' Most Anticipated Crime Fiction 2022
One of Book Mark's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of April
One of CNN's Most Anticipated Reads of April
One of Crime Read's Recommended Books of April
One of Book Riot's Best New Releases in April
One of Booklist's Best Horror Books of 2022
I'm in awe of Alma Katsu's uncanny ability to take historical fiction and infuse it with something so dark and otherworldly. I read this book in two sittings and during the night in between, I dreamt about it. A supernatural story with true heartache.
--Jamie Ford, author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Katsu weaves myriad perspectives into a powerful historical horror novel centered on the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. . . . The meticulous and compassionate portraiture, placed against the backdrop of what evils humans do to one another, creates a horror that renders even the creepiest spiders merely decorative in comparison. Horror readers looking for sharp social commentary should snap this up.
--Publishers Weekly
The Fervor is set in 1944, but it's about the world we live in now-and that's terrifying.
--Stephen Graham Jones, author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw
The Fervor is heartbreaking, beautiful, and unputdownable. It turns the mirror of the past on the present, showing us what we could become if fear is allowed to defeat sense. It's a masterful accomplishment which will stay with me for a long time.
--Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street
Is there anything the brilliant Alma Katsu can't write about? The Fervor is an utterly compelling combination of the historical novel, the medical thriller, and the supernatural scarefest. It's also a hauntingly moving meditation on prejudice and suspicion that feels like it has as much to say about our present moment as it does about the past. This is sure to be considered one of the best, most original novels of the year.
--David Bell, author of Kill All Your Darlings
Masterfully written. Rich in historical detail and packed with complicated, compelling characters, The Fervor is a frightening reminder that those of us in the present are always on the cusp of repeating the sins of the past.
--Riley Sager, author of Lock Every Door
A haunting, harrowing slice of historical horror conjured by a masterful storyteller.
--Chuck Wendig, author of Wanderers
A chilling, inventive supernatural thriller about a mysterious outbreak in a Japanese American internment camp during the frenzied nationalist days of World War II. The story is propulsive and dense with spidery scares, but the greatest horror comes from the deep resonance between this shameful episode of our history and the news we read every day.
--Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay
Alma Katsu is the reigning queen of literary historical horror, and The Fervor might be her best book yet. . . . A scathing look at anti-Asian sentiment that also explores what happens when racism is allowed to flourish unchecked, this is a historical-fiction narrative that feels incredibly timely.
--NPR
The Fervor uses a nightmare period of our history to explore another sort of darkness, drawing on Japanese demons and human scapegoating for a truly chilling tale.
--Shondaland
The action leaps off the page and has a cinematic quality. The Fervor is a stunning triumph and unfurls like a masterfully woven tapestry. It is suffused with secrets, pain, Japanese myths long thought forgotten, and above all the guilt that permeates throughout. . . . The ghosts of this story will haunt readers long after they're finished reading.
--Booklist (starred review)
Alma Katsu is known for her riveting supernatural historical horror. . . . The jorogumo are wildly creepy, skincrawling creatures, and Japanese culture and mythology create a rich and believable supernatural presence.
--New York Times Book Review
Gives readers a glimpse into one of the darkest moments of American history, and then gives the already terrifying ethos of that time a new and frightening shape....The Fervor delivers a punch that's equal parts psychological horror and jump scare. It will make you want to read into the wee hours of the morning, even though you may question that decision when the shadows start to move.
--BookPage (starred review)
Despite its supernatural elements, the true horror in The Fervor doesn't come from jump scares like readers might expect. . . . The novel provides an incredibly important and eye-opening commentary on discrimination and racism.
--BookTrib
Deeply moving, at times frustrating (for the right reasons), and with an intriguing mystery to keep the pages turning, catching The Fervor is well worth your while, but you might not be able to shake it afterwards.
--Rue Morgue
Katsu has no peer when it comes to atmospheric, detail-rich historical horror, but this volume is more unsettling than anything she's written yet, because its demons attack readers uncomfortably close to home. A must-read for all, not just genre fans.
--Library Journal (starred review)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
174 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83541-456-9 (9781835414569)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of six novels, most recently Red Widow, The Deep, and The Hunger. She is a graduate of the master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. Prior to the publication of her first novel, Katsu had a long career as a senior intelligence analyst for several US agencies. She lives in West Virginia with her husband.