Strange New World

by Vivian Shaw

Overview

"Vivian Shaw knocks it out of the park yet again. If you aren’t reading Dr. Greta Helsing, you’re missing out." —T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of What Moves the Dead

"Deeply compassionate and endlessly surprising, this series will steal your heart." —Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

In this witty conclusion to a delightful fantasy series finds Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, facing the latest and strangest challenge of her career...accompanying an anxious angel and a sullen demon on a road trip across America.
 
After narrowly avoiding the end of the world, the leaders of Heaven and Hell are struggling to collaborate according to the terms of their new treaty—especially because angels and demons are, quite literally, allergic to each other. Seeking a solution, the powers that be decide to see if the allergy persists on Earth by sending an angel and demon on a research trip, first stop: New York City. And what better chaperone than Dr. Greta Helsing, who happens to owe Hell a few favors of her own?
 
But there’s unrest in New York’s monster underworld and Greta and her team are about to land in the middle of it. Something is off in Heaven and on Earth, and Greta will have to figure out just what that is if she hopes to protect those she loves most.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316537971
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	05/20/2025
Series:	A Dr. Greta Helsing Novel Series , #4
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Vivian Shaw wears too many earrings and likes edged weapons and expensive ink, and, as an expat Brit born in Kenya, is not actually from anywhere. She has a BA in art history, an MFA in creative writing and publishing arts, and makes jewelry on the side. She writes about monsters, both in and out of classic horror literature; medicine, in its many forms; machines, extant and fantastical; disasters and their causes; and, perhaps most importantly, found family. She is the author of the Dr. Greta Helsing contemporary fantasy series and the sci-fi/horror novella The Helios Syndrome (Lethe Press). She reviews for the Washington Post and her short sci-fi/horror fiction has appeared in Uncanny, Pseudopod, and The Deadlands. She lives in Santa Fe with her wife, the Hugo-Award-winning author Arkady Martine.

Editorial Reviews

03/17/2025

Dr. Greta Helsing, human doctor to London’s supernatural community, returns for one last romp in Shaw’s colorful series finale (after Grave Importance). Heaven and Hell have reached an uneasy peace after the recent Accords, but their collaboration is hindered by the fact that demons can’t stay long in Heaven without falling ill and angels have a similar reaction to Hell. Greta is tasked with taking a surly demonic intern and a clumsily enthusiastic angelic orderly on a medical research bus tour in America, primarily to see how their collaboration goes on the mortal plane. But before the bus can leave New York, Greta, her new employees, and her husband, the vampyre Francis Varney, are thrown into an increasingly violent conflict between a newly revived nosferatu underworld boss and a sect of charismatic street preachers that may be connected to Heaven itself. The road trip premise turns out to be a bit of a frustrating red herring, but there’s plenty of excitement in the New York drama, and the larger arc of managing Heaven’s discomfort with change carries the novel through. Returning fans will enjoy cameos from series favorite characters and be gratified by the optimistic spot Shaw leaves things in, as angels and demons learn to work together without sacrificing their individuality. This satisfies. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Strange New World is a purely delightful return to Helsing’s story. You don’t expect a book this tense and gripping to also be funny and kind. Vivian Shaw knocks it out of the park yet again. If you aren’t reading Dr. Greta Von Helsing, you’re missing out. I loved it.”—T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of What Moves the Dead

"Deeply compassionate and endlessly surprising, Strange New World is another pitch-perfect addition to the world of Dr. Greta Helsing. This series will steal your heart." —Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

"This witty novel is perfect for fans of Good Omens, complete with an ironic, fun take on demons, angels, and everything in between. A charming series that will likely please fans but that isn't too difficult to dive into as a new reader." —Booklist

"Dr. Greta Helsing, human doctor to London’s supernatural community, returns for one last romp in Shaw’s colorful series finale... Returning fans will enjoy cameos from series favorite characters and be gratified by the optimistic spot Shaw leaves things in, as angels and demons learn to work together without sacrificing their individuality. This satisfies." —Publishers Weekly

"Quickly paced with engaging characters, the final volume of Shaw’s quartet brings to a close a unique supernatural series focused on medical care for otherworldly beings." —Library Journal

Praise for the Dr. Greta Helsing Novels

"There are as few heroines as well written and compelling as Greta Helsing." ―BookPage

"Strange Practice is written with elegance, wit, and compassion. The prose is gorgeous, the wit is mordant, and the ideas are provocative. Also, there are ghouls.” —Laura Amy Schlitz

“A playfully witty confection . . . framing London’s supernatural residents as delightfully normative while still capably evoking the frisson of the uncanny.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A book to settle into. A warm quilt of a thing that's made for curling up with." ―NPR

"Shaw balances an agile mystery with a pitch-perfect, droll narrative and cast of lovable misfit characters. These are not your mother's Dracula or demons." ―Shelf Awareness
 

From the Publisher

03/01/2025

The end of the world has been avoided, and Heaven and Hell try to find their way with the new accords signed by their leaders. One big problem is that angels and demons are literally allergic to each other in their respective realms, so attempts to assist and rebuild are being thwarted by unwell beings. The idea to test this allergy in a neutral place—on Earth—is decided upon, and so begins a research trip across the United States with an apprehensive angel, a grumpy demon, and Doctor Greta Helsing as chaperone. Greta knows she owes Hell a few favors, so she begrudgingly agrees to help, arriving in New York City to begin their trip. However, there have been some strange happenings in the monster world, and Greta's group finds themselves at the center of a harmful situation, one that involves not only some beings on Earth but possibly agents of Heaven itself. VERDICT Quickly paced with engaging characters, the final volume of Shaw's quartet (after Grave Importance) brings to close a unique supernatural series focused on medical care for otherworldly beings.—Kristi Chadwick

Library Journal