The Animals We Became
On sale
26th November 2026
Price: £24.99
Genre
You exist because of a crime, because of a curse, and because of a trick.
Blodeuedd never asked to be made.
Created from flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet to marry a man cursed never to have a human wife, Blodeuedd has no knowledge of the world, no family outside the marriage, and no power to choose. But a caged animal still has claws, and Blodeuedd will find a way to be free, whatever the cost.
Gwydion knows what it is to be unmade.
Haunted by the years he served in animal form as punishment for his brother’s crimes, Gwydion has turned his tricks to his nephew’s happiness – and the creation of Blodeuedd is the greatest trick of them all. But his creation asks questions he cannot answer and drags from the depths of the forest the past he has been trying so hard to forget. Now they both must face their unmaking.
From the author of The Wolf and His King comes a spellbinding new medieval fantasy standalone retelling the story of Blodeuedd from Welsh mythology in a profound exploration of cyclical trauma and transformation. As angry as it is hopeful, this visionary novel is unmissable for readers of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Samantha Shannon.
PRAISE FOR THE WOLF AND HIS KING
‘Howlingly good’ THE BOOKSELLER
‘Quiet, meditative, powerful’ LOCUS
‘A beautiful, lyrical tale of love, betrayal and above all, yearning’ SFX
‘With prose that flows off the page like honey’ CRISTIN WILLIAMS
‘Will sink its teeth into you’ V. V. JAMES
‘Filled with loyalty and betrayal, dark secrets, and oh, so much yearning’ KIMBERLY BEA
‘Finn Longman is a master of their craft’ WREN JAMES
Blodeuedd never asked to be made.
Created from flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet to marry a man cursed never to have a human wife, Blodeuedd has no knowledge of the world, no family outside the marriage, and no power to choose. But a caged animal still has claws, and Blodeuedd will find a way to be free, whatever the cost.
Gwydion knows what it is to be unmade.
Haunted by the years he served in animal form as punishment for his brother’s crimes, Gwydion has turned his tricks to his nephew’s happiness – and the creation of Blodeuedd is the greatest trick of them all. But his creation asks questions he cannot answer and drags from the depths of the forest the past he has been trying so hard to forget. Now they both must face their unmaking.
From the author of The Wolf and His King comes a spellbinding new medieval fantasy standalone retelling the story of Blodeuedd from Welsh mythology in a profound exploration of cyclical trauma and transformation. As angry as it is hopeful, this visionary novel is unmissable for readers of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Samantha Shannon.
PRAISE FOR THE WOLF AND HIS KING
‘Howlingly good’ THE BOOKSELLER
‘Quiet, meditative, powerful’ LOCUS
‘A beautiful, lyrical tale of love, betrayal and above all, yearning’ SFX
‘With prose that flows off the page like honey’ CRISTIN WILLIAMS
‘Will sink its teeth into you’ V. V. JAMES
‘Filled with loyalty and betrayal, dark secrets, and oh, so much yearning’ KIMBERLY BEA
‘Finn Longman is a master of their craft’ WREN JAMES
Reviews
Fresh and modern . . . A beautiful, lyrical tale of love, betrayal, and above all, yearning
The perfect book to feast upon this winter, wrapped in fur blankets, with a rich mug of cocoa. This lyrical, rich retelling elevates queer voices while still honouring the original medieval folklore. Finn Longman is a master of their craft
The Wolf and His King is a novel about the isolating power of shame and fear of judgement: quiet, meditative, powerful, and suffused with a deep affection for and knowledge of aspects of the medieval world, from boar hunts to bliauts . . . I greatly enjoyed this novel. It feels deeply thought, in a way that I have encountered in fantasy far less often than I would like