Galley provided by publisher

The Route of Ice and Salt was originally published in 1990s Mexico and is being translated into English for the first time in 2021. It is a story of Dracula's journey to England, narrated by the ship's captain who, even though he starts the journey unaware of the presence on his ship is, unfortunately, all too aware of the nature of vampires, and of creatures of appetites that are outside the norm.

This is a book about monsters. This is also a book about gay desire. I am fighting against my own instincts at the moment that tell me to quote Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's essay "Monster Culture: Seven Theses" in lieu of continuing this review, the way JLZ quotes Bram Stoker's own logs from the Demeter in the middle of the book.
It was a dense and tension filled novella that made me want to get out of bed, turn all the lights on, and attempt to write a paper or ten about it. The way José Luis Zárate weaves together the different visions of the vampire from across and around southeastern Europe to reflect and respond to the Captain's own internalised guilt and shame is exquisite, and difficult to read at times but all the more rewarding for it when you reach the ending.

Reader I loved it.