A gripping supernatural mystery for fans of John Whyndam's The Chrysalids from the author of Snakeskins.
Workaholic TV producer Nina Scaife is determined to fight for what remains of her family after her partner walks out on her. She takes her daughter, Laurie, to the beautiful but remote Hope Island, to prove to her that she's still a part of her life. But as the behaviour of the islanders becomes strange, Nina struggles to reconnect with Laurie, and the silent island children begin to lure her away.
Meanwhile, Nina finds herself drawn to a recently unearthed archaeological site...and then she discovers the first of the dead bodies.
About the Author
Tim Major is the author of You Don't Belong Here, Blighters and Carus & Mitch, the YA novel Machineries of Mercy, the short story collection And the House Lights Dim, and a non-fiction book about the silent crime film, Les Vampires. Tim's short stories have appeared in Interzone, Not One of Us and numerous anthologies, including Best of British SF 2017 and Best Horror of the Year 10, edited by Ellen Datlow. He is also co-editor of the British Fantasy Society's fiction journal, BFS Horizons.
Industry Reviews
"Hope Island is a deliciously creepy mystery. Tim Major knows how to wield the weird and the effect is an original novel that's unsettling and compelling at every turn. The silent children who stalk the island are a disturbing threat outside, and the threat within the family offers a richly-realised emotional disquiet. Prepare to be unnerved."
D. K. Fields, author of Widow's Welcome and The Stitcher and the Mute "Tense and compelling, the taut and tangled mysteries of eerie Hope Island conspire to create a roiling fever dream of a novel in which nothing is certain, and in which even one's own senses cannot truly be trusted. Beneath an authentic and empathetic portrait of a family falling apart lies a deeply intuitive, atmospheric enquiry into those truths which underpin all human relationships: the way we speak and listen, the things we say and the things we hide. Hope Island is a strange and brilliantly original novel which cements Tim Major's rightful reputation as a top class writer of fantastical fiction."
Laura Mauro, author of Sing Your Sadness Deep
"Hope Island is a masterfully tense tale, building a looming sense of dread and growing uncertainty. Disturbing and original, surprising and shocking, it's an excellent novel from a unique voice in the genre."
Tim Lebbon, author of Eden and The Silence
"I tore through Hope Island, unnerved by its escalating tension and its keen sense of isolation -- I genuinely didn't know what to expect whenever I turned the page."
Award-winning author, G. V. Anderson
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR
"Tim Major is an exceptional writer"
Adam Roberts
"Clever, intriguing and suspenseful ... a must-read book from a terrific new voice"
Alison Littlewood on You Don't Belong Here
"A beautifully-written, cleverly unsettling puzzle-box of a novel"
Adam Roberts on You Don't Belong Here
"You Don't Belong Here is a novel that dares to do something different"
Ginger Nuts of Horror
"You Don't Belong Here is that perfect blend of cautionary tale, psychological horror and introspective character study."
The Eloquent Page
"It has freshness and it's fluently written entertainment."
Rising Shadow
"Strongly recommended for fans of original and uniquely weird fiction."
Ginger Nuts of Horror on Blighters
"Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I reached the end" Lynda Rucker on Carus and Mitch
