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The Calamities

Author:
Chuck Wendig
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Unabridged Audiobook

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Ratings
Book
2
Narrator
2
Release Date
August 18, 2026
Duration
19 hours 3 minutes
Summary
The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret of their power in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with “a devilishly great family drama that feels ready-made for HBO” (Esquire), from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

“Vivid, unsettling, and darkly compelling, The Calamities is Chuck Wendig at his best.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth

Mourning Mayne knows he’ll one day bear the duty of managing his family’s vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy of cruelty, domination, and exploitation . . . and something even darker.

Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in our world are the fiends—half-human, half-demon, and possessed of a dark magic born from buying human souls—and the Maynes are one of the oldest and most influential fiendish families.

But when Mourning’s estranged father, the formidable and terrifying Hadrian Mayne, demands that Mourning return to the fold, he has to decide whether to accept his legacy and embrace his role in the family or to forge his own destiny, and with it, change the course of the world.

Because along the way home, he will meet Key, a black-market seller of human souls, and Quinn, an artist who may hold the dark truth behind the fate of the fiends. Alone, they have all struggled with the darkness of their natures . . . but together, they might find a path out of the shadows.

Book One of The Fiends
Reviews
Profile Avatar Jake R. Sep 2026

Think Succession, but drenched in blood, demonic power plays, and ancient soul-trading dynasties. The Calamities was my first venture into the mind of Chuck Wendig-and to live inside that headspace must be a continuous nightmare. The scenes he constructs are gruesome, disturbing, and utterly brilliant. As the first installment in a duology, the story follows powerful ancient families descended from demons-now known as "fiends"-who barter with human souls. When internal unrest and ruthless scheming fracture the dynasty, a group of exiled outsiders is left to untangle the conspiracy before everything implodes. The characters are delightfully unhinged, yet despite their supernatural origins, their raw and messy human complexities keep them grounded and compelling. Leaning heavily into dark horror-fantasy, the story features ambitious world-building, though I found myself wishing for a bit more backstory and lore depth in certain areas. I'm hoping book two dives even deeper into those unanswered questions. The audiobook production was also superb. The four-person ensemble cast brings a theatrical energy to the story, delivering maniacal, chaotic character voices that elevated the entire experience well beyond what was on the page. The Calamities is viciously well written, delightfully unsettling, and left me satisfyingly grossed out. Bring on part two.

The Calamities

The Calamities

Author: Chuck Wendig
Read by: Nicole Cash
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