Acquisition Announcement: SLEEPING BEASTS by Sophia Zhao

Orbit is thrilled to announce that we’ve acquired debut author Sophia Zhao’s Sleeping Beasts, a supernatural horror novel about a Chinese American woman who cons her way into a role as the live-in tutor for a white family’s adopted son, only to realize that she might not be the only predator in the house. Steeped in Chinese folklore and legacies of colonial violence, Sleeping Beasts is perfect for fans of Parasite, The Eyes are the Best Part, and monstrous female appetites.

Here’s more about the book:

Nicky thinks she might be a bad person; others would call her a con artist. The only thing she’s sure of is that she’s always hungered for a life she could never have.

So when the opportunity arises to become a live-in tutor for six-year-old Caleb Bell, the adopted Chinese son of a wealthy white couple, Nicky doesn’t hesitate—even though she doesn’t speak a lick of Mandarin herself.

The Bells welcome Nicky into their Connecticut summer home, a lavish, vine-entombed manor filled with ancient ink paintings and relics from the Far East. When Nicky sees the Bells’ trove of Chinese art, she sets her sights on a much larger prize than tuition fees, and convinces herself she’s reclaiming stolen cultural treasure, not just committing petty theft.

But Nicky might not be the only predator in the house. At night, the manor’s byzantine hallways lead her astray. Strange visions plague her waking hours. The local townspeople look past her as if she’s already a ghost, even as the eyes of the Bell patriarch devour her every move.

Nicky realizes that quitting might not be as simple as waltzing out the front door. If she has any hope of escaping the bonds of her employment, she’ll have to confront the wretched legacy of her host family, and the trauma of her own shrouded past….

From the US editor: “Sleeping Beasts is a supernatural fever dream of a novel that put its claws into me from the very first page. It excels at being both deeply haunting and hugely entertaining, and I’m so excited to launch Sophia as one of the most exciting new voices in horror!”

From the UK editor: “Sleeping Beasts is brilliantly tense, sharp-edged and unpredictable. It kept me guessing—and gasping—from beginning to end. I could not be more excited to be publishing this book and launching Sophia as an incredible new horror talent.”

From the author: “The horror in this novel isn’t simply imagined, but lived. Sleeping Beasts explores a part of American history that some might prefer to leave forgotten, yet I carry with me all the same. I am honored to be working alongside Angelica, Katie, and the Orbit team, who have believed in this story from the very beginning.”

Sleeping Beasts will be published in Summer 2027 on the Run For It list. In the meantime, you can find Sophia on Instagram @bysophiazhao or on her website bysophiazhao.com.

Sophia Zhao is a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Strange Horizons, Uncharted Magazine, and Haven Speculative, among others. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English and Political Science. Born and raised in New York City, Sophia has failed to obtain her driver’s license. Sleeping Beasts is her debut novel.

Orbit US editor Angelica Chong acquired World English rights from Paul Lucas at Regal Hoffmann & Associates. Commissioning editor Katie Dent has acquired UK rights for Orbit UK.