Weird House Press (2022)

November, 1799. Jonas Layne, the acclaimed “world’s greatest violist” who performs on a notorious viola known as the Inamorta whose previous owners all have succumbed to violent fates, begins keeping a journal. He is weary of the touring life and plagued by a terrifying reoccurring nightmare of a monstrous wolf. When Jonas and his father/piano accompanist Theodore are commissioned by the enigmatic Count Rufus Canis, they travel to his residence, Teethesgate Castle, in the hinterland. Teethsgate is eccentrically opulent and grandiose, but things there are not as they seem. Something ghostly clings to the castle and its bizarre family. In Larmes Harbor, the decrepit village south of the castle, people are disappearing, and the Count’s seductive daughter, Daeva, has a fearful and powerful secret which will force Jonas to confront one of his own—and the reality that his nightmare might be more premonition than dream.

Available in Paperback and eBook here, and Signed and Numbered Hardcover here.

“Joshua Rex continues to demonstrate why he is one of the most dynamic young writers in the weird fiction field. The Inamorta is a splendid example of old-time Gothicism – a Golgotha of horror and grue livened with deft character portrayal and crisp narrative pacing. And in its attempt to achieve the supremely difficult task of evoking terror from music, it is a thunderous success.”

– S. T. JOSHI

“In The Inamorta, Joshua Rex blends classic Gothic imagery and adept storytelling that evokes beauty and a creeping sense of dread. Rex’ writing is poetic and stylish, his character portrayal and narrative are clever, and his use of allusion, bits of well-balanced humor, music, and a bad-ass wolf make The Inamorta a rare and wonderfully crafted novella.”

– JOHN MCILVEEN, Stoker-nominated author of Hannahwhere and A Variable Darkness

“Joshua Rex’s writing is haunting, evocative, and intelligent. The Inamorta is a masterpiece of introspective horror, rich with characterization and atmosphere. Rex manages to capture the essence and feel of the best gothic literature while overlaying it a counterpoint of modern accessibility.”

– CURTIS M. LAWSON