Caitlin Starling continues to wow with The Starving Saints, a dizzying yet lush horror novel set during a siege of a fantastical medieval fortress. At the start of the novel, the siege has run long. Provisions are depleted, water is short, and even the resident order of nuns cannot conjure up enough of a miracle to save everyone. Starling is amazing at putting her characters into absolute blenders of situations and then exploring the psychological fallout, and The Starving Saints is another bellringer, with enough lurid physical detail to make me feel like I was in a fever dream while reading. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if toxic beliefs, toxic relationships, and the extremities of what people will do when starving are your idea of horrific good time, add this to your to-read list.
The novel centers around three women trapped in the siege: Phosyne, an apostate from the nuns that otherwise provide for the town, is sequestered in a tower on the order of the King to find a way to conjure food after she solved their water problem; Treila, a servant girl with a past who is used to doing whatever it takes to survive and is on the hunt for a way out of the castle at whatever cost; and Voyne, a lady knight loyal to the King but finding that her talents are of little use in the current situation. Tensions in the town are on the cusp of boiling over as the food runs out when through the gate rides the Lady and her Saints, there to provide food and religious bounty to all of the town’s inhabitants. As the rest of the town celebrates the apparent answer to their prayers, the women have to deal with this new threat on top of their old problems. To eat of the Saint’s bounty is to succumb, but they are running out of time to save themselves without new food.
The main thing that stuck in my head after this book is how it lingers on the sensual details of eating, or not eating. The characters, stuck in place, dwell on the manifestations of hunger and the scraps they have left to eat. Every morsel and chew is described, because it is all of utmost importance to the characters and their motivations. In contrast, the feasts after the arrival of the Saints are an orgy of flavors and textures. Grease and fat and bright jeweled vegetables abound, and after the misery of starvation, it is entirely understandable that the temptation is irresistible. Scenes with the Saints pop with technicolor details, like a scene out of Willy Wonka. Treila also deals with hunger in a different way—even though she has a stash she has used to preserve herself, she still must sacrifice to another’s hunger if she wants to escape, and decide if the price is worth it.
The hunger extends into the metaphysical as the three POV characters hunger for each other and deal with the hunger of the Lady. All three characters have history that complicates how they react to each other in the present, and this builds a tangle of toxic sapphic yearning that is a delight to read. Treila’s need to escape morphs from a straightforward attempt into complication due to her history with Voyne and her relationship with Phosyne. Voyne is caught between her disgust at Phosyne’s lack of knightly virtues and her fascination at Phosyne’s knowledge and probability of success. Phosyne has never gotten over the urge for knowledge and experimentation that led her to leave the order but is finding that the real world continually intrudes on her quest for knowledge and is resisting the idea that her survival rests on her relationships with other people. And outside of them all is the Lady, seeking to draw them all into her power until they are as powerless to resist as everyone else.
The Starving Saints isn’t your typical horror book. From its setting to its magic to its focus on imagery and physical detail, the horror is as metaphysical as real, and its dizzying atmosphere can definitely be described as inhabiting a fever dream. If you are looking for something off the beaten path, something as bright as it is dark, The Starving Saints should be on your list.
