Erewhon Books has acquired the ecological horror novel Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, negotiated by John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton Agency for World rights. Humboldt Cut is slated for publication in early 2026.
Jasmine Bay, a psychiatric nurse living in Oakland, is suicidally depressed, feeling rejected by the world. That’s why when her godmother dies, she returns to Redcedar, California, a place she fought hard to escape when she was a teenager. There’s nothing but trees and death there, especially since logging is one of the most deadly jobs in the world. So when loggers come down from the forest babbling about monsters, the townsfolk joke that it’s Bigfoot or the ghost of Jasmine’s grandfather William Whipple, a notorious ecoterrorist who was lynched 40 years prior.
After a fight with her brother James results in him storming off into those supposed murder woods, Jasmine decides to lead a search party for him. With a handful of townsfolk and James’ pregnant wife Tilly, Jasmine encounters the completely strange and unexpected: vicious barkskin creatures out for blood, and bodily remains that disappear in seconds, leaving only an outline of pine needles. As their search unfolds, we are taken even further back into Redcedar’s history, exposing a system of corruption and destruction that’s as dense as the towering forest. Throughout the generations, the forest has been fighting for its very survival—no matter what the human cost.
Humboldt Cut hefts a brutal swing against abuses both natural and historical in this energetic, darkly humorous horror adventure that combines the botanical terrors of VanderMeer’s Annihilation with the psychological horror of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and a dash of Jordan Peele.
From the author, Allison Mick:
“Obviously it’s thrilling when your book gets sold. But more than that, I feel immense relief and gratitude to have found a home for my writing in Erewhon Books. From the get-go, I never had to wonder if I was making the right decision working with this team. From their commitment to diverse storytelling to championing genre-bending SFFH, it was a perfect fit. The world tries to make you question the value of having a complicated, intersectional identity and sharing it with others; Erewhon takes that complexity for what it is and welcomes it.
“Diana Pho was a genuine pleasure to work with. Moreover, she always understood what I was trying to do with Humboldt Cut. This novel is about so many things: ecology, mental illness, family lore, codependent queer friendships, how weird it is to visit your hometown. She asked all the right questions to build this manuscript into the best possible execution of those ideas. She never shied away from any of it, and together we’ve produced something truly special that’s going to make a lot of sickos out there really happy.”
From editor Diana Pho:
“Allison Mick is madcap talented—she sent her work in an open call for submissions and from page one, I found her writing immediately cheeky, bold, and cinematic in all of the best ways. As much as advocates fight to protect the forests, seeing how the forest can fight back is bloody gleeful! Humboldt Cut is redwood gothic by way of Key & Peele: horror with a funny bone and full of heart.”
so excited for this book!