A Cosmology of Monsters

by Shaun Hamill

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Pub Date 29 Jun 2020 | Archive Date 25 Jun 2020

Titan Books

General Fiction (Adult) | Horror

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Description

Noah Turner’s family are haunted by monsters that are all too real, strange creatures that visit them all: His bookish mother Margaret; Lovecraft-obsessed father Harry; eldest sister Sydney, born for the spotlight; the brilliant but awkward Eunice, a gifted writer and storyteller – the Turners each face their demons alone. When his terminally-ill father becomes obsessed with the construction of an elaborate haunted house – the Wandering Dark – the family grant his last wish, creating themselves a legacy, and a new family business in their grief. But families don’t talk about the important things, and they try to shield baby Noah from horrors, both staged and real.

As the family falls apart, fighting demons of poverty, loss and sickness, the real monsters grow ever closer. Unbeknownst to them, Noah is being visited by a wolfish beast with glowing orange eyes. Noah is not the first of the Turners to meet the monster, but he is the first to let it into his room…

A Note From the Publisher

Publishing UK, ROI and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) - territory request considerations will apply.

Advance Praise

"Shaun Hamill's A Cosmology of Monsters brilliantly combines the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft with a contemporary story of a family under threat of destruction from supernatural forces. It succeeds because these are good, likeable people that we root for; they could be our neighbors. Horror only works when we care for the people involved, and because we care for the Turners, their nightmare becomes ours. Hamill's prose is simple, and simply beautiful. If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it, and think you will, too."

Stephen King

"A monster stalks a family across generations; a hidden city beckons from beyond perception; trauma and human frailty and loss bear their terrible fangs. . . . A Cosmology of Monsters is as weird and compelling and ambitious a horror novel as you could possibly want."

Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties

"Sometimes you read a book and you know it's special. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is just such a book. It's a book about family, love, loss, obsession . . . and monsters. Unique and wonderful. You won't read anything like it this year."

C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place

"Exquisitely written, A Cosmology of Monsters is both beautiful and haunting. Shaun Hamill has crafted the best sort of horror story: one full of love and dread that will have you rethinking your definition of what a monster is."

Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People and The Invited

"A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is beautiful, heartbreaking, offbeat horror. A terrific debut."

Ellen Datlow, editor of The Best Horror of the Year

"[A] very scary coming-of-age tale that lives in the same space as Stranger Things, Stand By Me, and Stephen King's It. . . . The way Hamill weaves his way between the phantasmagorical elements and Noah's everyday dramas is nimble in a way reminiscent of King. . . . An accomplished, macabre horror saga and a promising debut from an imaginative new author."

Kirkus Reviews

'This is a gem: a gentle horror novel, a haunted ride with real heart. I liked it so much that it made me feel personally grateful to Shaun for writing it.’

Francesco Dimitri, author of The Book of Hidden Things

"Gorgeously written and with beautifully observed characterisation, this heartfelt, deeply human tale of monsters kept me reading into the small hours. I’m glad to have discovered Shaun Hamill!."

Alison Littlewood, author of A Cold Season

"Shaun Hamill's A Cosmology of Monsters brilliantly combines the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft with a contemporary story of a family under threat of destruction from supernatural forces. It succeeds...