Pre-order Releases Jan 12, 2027
Clyzia: A Gothic Romance
by Mary Fortune
From $12.64 / copy at 25+ copies; lower per-copy prices at higher quantities (see Volume pricing) As low as $11.20 at 1,000+
Volume pricing
The more copies, the less each one costs
Applied automatically in your cart. No code needed.
About the book
Clyzia
This distinctive take on the Gothic novel is “a glorious female revenge fantasy.”
Mary Fortune is now widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of crime fiction, whose stories offer a vivid account of life and death in colonial-era Australia. She tackled subjects like murder, armed robbery, and sexual violence with a frankness unprecedented for a woman in the nineteenth century, in styles ranging from melodrama to social realism and what is now called noir. Fortune’s detective stories—like those of Edgar Allan Poe—often have an undercurrent of horror running through them, reflecting the influence of the Gothic tradition from Ann Radcliffe through Mary Shelley to Mary Elizabeth Braddon. So it’s no surprise that Fortune made an original contribution of her own to the horror genre with Clyzia, which biographer Lucy Sussex has called “a late and extreme flowering of the Gothic,” its eponymous anti-heroine “a daughter of Frankenstein.”
When dissolute aristocrat Chatham Adderfield seduces Calista Heckstone, daughter of Zela, “Queen of the Gipsies,” then betrays her to marry a woman of property, a narrative of corruption and revenge is unleashed that will enmesh three families and blight their lives down through the generations. After Calista dies in childbirth, her daughter Clyzia is groomed by Zela to be the instrument of the family’s vengeance. Physically infirm, but skilled in alchemy and magic, Clyzia is hell-bent on the destruction of the Adderfield clan.
Fortune uses figures and tropes of the Gothic novel—the occult, women in jeopardy, madness and delirium, the past haunting the present—to illuminate the devastation wreaked on women’s lives in a world defined by patriarchal power and class privilege, but also to show how women themselves are warped by this world—if they are not to become helpless victims, must they be pitiless killers?
Clyzia was serialized in 1866-67 in the mass-circulation Australian Journal and never reprinted. This first publication in book form includes all 14 illustrations from the original serial, as well as an introduction by Lucy Sussex, co-author (with Megan Brown) of a biography of Mary Fortune and co-editor (again with Megan Brown) of the collection of Fortune’s crime fiction, Nothing But Murders and Bloodshed and Hanging (Verse Chorus Press), selected by the New York Times as one of 2025’s “best classic mystery reissues.”
What readers are saying
Details
- Publisher
- Verse Chorus Press
- Author
- Mary Fortune
- Format
- Paperback
- Release date
- Jan 12, 2027
- ISBN-13
- 9781953835215
- ISBN-10
- 195383521X
- Pages
- 250
Who it's for
Made for sharing
Pre-order copies for everyone on your list, and they ship on release.
- Book clubs A copy for every member, on one order. Get a quote
- Events and conferences A book for every attendee, delivered to your venue. Get a quote
- Author events and signings Copies at the venue in time for the day. Get a quote
- Gifts For clients, staff, members or volunteers. Get a quote
Before release day
Need them before Jan 12?
Books ship on release and usually arrive around the release date. Early delivery is common, and we arrange it often. It needs the publisher’s OK, so tell us why you need them early and we’ll make the request for you.
- Tell us the date and the reasonA class unit, an event, a program launch: one line is enough.
- We ask the publisherWe make the request on your behalf. It’s a routine part of what we do.
- We confirm with youYour specialist confirms the date by email before anything ships.
Other times a quote is the better path
- Several addressesOne order split across schools, branches, classrooms or homes.
- Signings and eventsTell us the venue and the date, and we’ll plan the delivery around it.
- Custom touchesBookplates, belly bands, gift notes or packaging for your copies.
- Purchase ordersSchools, libraries and agencies can pay by PO.
Clyzia for groups: pricing
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart. No codes, no account needed.
| Copies | Price per copy | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 25 – 99 | $12.64 | 21% off list |
| 100 – 249 | $12.16 | 24% off list |
| 250 – 499 | $12.00 | 25% off list |
| 500 – 999 | $11.52 | 28% off list |
| 1,000+ | $11.20 | 30% off list |
Where can I buy 100 copies of Clyzia?
BookPal sells Clyzia in quantity. At 100 copies the price is $12.16 a copy, against a list price of $16.00, and the cart applies the volume tier automatically. Free shipping on most orders over $95 in the contiguous US. A specialist can quote a larger or mixed order.
- New books only, straight from the publisher
- Volume prices apply automatically in the cart, with no code needed
- Order at least 10 business days before you need the books (11 from mid-November through December)
What does Clyzia cost when I buy for a group?
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $12.64 (21% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $12.16 (24% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $12.00 (25% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $11.52 (28% off list); 1,000+ copies, $11.20 (30% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.
How fast can I get copies of Clyzia?
This title is not released yet. Pre-orders ship when it is, currently scheduled for January 12, 2027. Need them by a specific date? Request a quote and we'll confirm timing before you pay.
Can you ship to several locations or people's homes?
Yes. We ship group orders to one address, to multiple sites, or to individual recipients, in the US and internationally. See fulfillment options.
Can I get a formal quote for approval before ordering?
Yes. Request a quote and we'll send a PDF you can forward for approval.
Do you accept purchase orders and tax-exempt orders?
Yes. We accept purchase orders upon approval, as well as cards, PayPal, ACH, wire transfers and checks. BookPal is a tax-exempt supplier in all 50 states. See purchase orders and sales tax exemption.
What if I find a lower price?
Send us the link. We match prices from other booksellers and distributors on a new copy in the same edition, available to ship in the quantity you need. Clearance sales and pricing errors are the exception, and we'll tell you quickly if that's the case. Start a price match.
Turn this order into a program
Groups that order together often pair the copies with something more. We handle the extras so you don't have to.
Branded cover stickers on paperbacks from 100 copies, plus bookplates, inserts and belly bands. Your specialist confirms what fits your title.
Customization options Ship to every readerOne address, many sites or individual recipients' homes, in the US and abroad.
Fulfillment options Pair it with a branded journalJournals with your logo or each reader's name, for the same group.
Branded journals
Bring in a speaker
BookPal is partnering with Talezo to help you find and book authors, speakers and performers for your event.
BookPal × TalezoWrite a Review
Clyzia: A Gothic Romance
A colleague asked you to approve this order
Your quote list
Add books as you browse, then request one quote for all of them.