Blood Slaves

Markus Redmond

$55

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Kensington Publishing
02 September 2025

Horror & ghost stories

For readers of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.

For readers of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.

What if nobody ever freed the slaves...because they freed themselves - 150 years before the Civil War?

In the Province of Carolina, 1710, freedom seems unattainable for Willie, for his beloved Gertie, and for their unborn child. They live, suffer, and toil under their brutal master, James ""Big Jim"" Barrow, whose grand plantation was built by the blood, sweat, and tears of the enslaved. To flee this hell on earth is be hunted and killed. Until one strange night Willie is offered a dark hope by Rafazi, an enigmatic slave with an irresistible and blood-chilling path to liberation.

Hailing from the Kingdom of Ghana, Rafazi is the lone survivor of the Ramanga, an African vampire tribe rendered nearly extinct by plague. Rafazi has roamed the world for centuries with an undying desire to replenish the power that once defined his heritage. In Willie, Rafazi has found his first biddable subject to be turned and to help in a hungry revolt. And Willie desires nothing more than to free his people from malicious bondage. Whatever it takes.

One by one, as an army of blood slaves thirsting for revenge is gathered, the headstrong Gertie fears that no good can come from the vampiric legacy that courses through Rafazi's veins. Willie knows that only evil can fight evil. And when the woman he loves stands between the reemergence of the Ramanga and the justified slaughter of the oppressors, Willie must make an irreversible decision. Only one thing is certain- on the Barrow plantation, and beyond, blood will spill.

Part historical drama, part supernatural horror, and part alternate history, Blood Slaves is an ingenuous and defiant new creation myth of the vampire, one rooted in both justice and the sometimes-violent means necessary to achieve it.

By: Markus Redmond
Imprint: Kensington Publishing
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9781496753168
ISBN 10: 149675316X
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 02 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Markus Redmond is an actor, director, screenwriter, and author. Known for his roles on Doogie Howser, MD, NYPD Blue, Murder One, Mad About You, Angel, and Fight Club, he wrote and starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Sharon Stone in the indie film If I Had Known I Was a Genius. He wrote, directed, and starred in the Amazon Prime thriller The 6th Degree, and has multiple screenplays in development. He lives in Los Angeles and Blood Slaves is his first novel.

Reviews for Blood Slaves

Praise for Blood Slaves “Immersive and haunting, Blood Slaves is a painful revisitation of the horrors of history through the lens of supernatural empowerment and a new spin on vampirism for freedom.” —Tlotlo Tsamaase, Author of Womb City and The Silence of the Wilting Skin “Redmond paints such a disturbingly real portrait of inhumanity in the early American South that you’ll beg the vampires to rise and destroy every plantation and slave owner.” —Nicholas Belardes, author of The Deading and Ten Sleep “A stunning page-turner of a novel that has all the makings of a 'must see' television series: love, loss, romance, betrayal, tons of action, and a spectacular, timeless look at the eternal battle of good vs. evil. Blood Slaves is a wondrous new history of justice and revenge. It is the American Game of Thrones.” —David Greenwalt, Executive Producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Co-Creator of Angel, and Grimm