Introducing: Nyctophobia by Christopher Fowler

“It’s a strange thing, nyctophobia. You’re not born with it. It can start at any time. It comes and goes, and it’s one of the only phobias you can transmit to other people.”

Newly-married architect Callie and her wealthy husband Mateo move to Hyperion House, a grand old home in southern Spain. It’s an eccentric place built in front of a cliff: serene and beautiful, but eerily symmetrical, and cunningly styled so that half the house is flooded with light, and half – locked up and neglected – is shrouded in darkness. Unemployed and feeling isolated in a foreign country, Callie determines to research the history of the curious building.

But the past is sometimes best left alone. Uncovering the folklore of the house’s strange history, Callie is drawn into darkness and delusion. As a teenager Callie was afraid of the dark, and now with her adolescent nyctophobia returning she becomes convinced there’s someone in the darkened rooms.

Somewhere in the darkness lies the truth about Hyperion House.

UK cover

US cover

Nychtophobia is out in the UK October 9th and the US October 28th.
Pre-order today: UK | US

These beautiful covers were created by our incredibly talented artist Pye Parr. You can find out more about the process of making them over on his blog now. 

You can even follow him on twitter if such is your want.

Do you have a favourite of the two covers? Let us know in the comments or @solarisbooks. 

Check back soon where some of the Rebellion team will be sharing their deepest, darkest fears in a cheap form of therapy masquerading under the disguise of marketing - feel free to send us yours too, if you dare...

The Kitschies' Gothic Evening!

Wotcher all,

So I don't know if you're as excited as we are about the Kitschies' Gothic Evening, and I don't even know if you know about the Kitschies' Gothic Evening, but - uh. Actually, that's why I'm here. I'm posting now to totally tell you about the Kitschies Gothic Evening. Yeah.

So some of our favourite book folk - viz, Jared Shurin, Anne Perry and Rebecca Levene (and a growing number of excellent guest posters such as Tom Pollock, Lizzie Barrett and Den Patrick), also known as Pornokitsch, also known as The Kitschies - hosted an extraordinary and illuminating Steampunk Evening at Blackwells Charing Cross Road just a few months ago in December, as I'm sure you're aware (and if you're not aware, you may want to think about exactly where that puts you, vis-a-vis having you finger on the pulse of contemporary publishing; I'm not condemning you or anything, I just think you may need to rethink some of your life choices), and it was some sort of blast, with fantastic guests and good times had by all.

So now they're doing it again! Well, againish. Not steampunk this time. That's right, this time it's Gothic.

Awwwww, yeah.

The Kitschies are pleased as punch to be presenting (and I'm chuffed as chalk to be promoting) their frantically anticipated The Kitschies: A Gothic Evening, to take place next Thursday the 8th March, from 6pm to 8pm, at Blackwells at 100 Charing Cross, London.

And we're going to be there! That's right, kids, none, some, one or more of the Solaris and/or Abaddon crew will be present. Names will be taken. Asses will be kicked (we will be looking for both names and asses to facilitate this, so some sort of help with that will be appreciated).

More to the point, alongside some sort of roll-call of the awesome and sublime, the inspired and attractive Christopher Fowler will be there - he of the freshly-released, beautifully poignant and creepy-as-all-get-out Hammer-Horror-homage, Hell Train (Graham Humphreys cover pictured left) - getting all up in your grill with his blinding talent and his good-natured charm. And nobody wants to miss that.

It's going to be a fantastic evening, and a great opportunity to listen, watch, meet and chat. We look forward to seeing you there!

David

The ultimate Hammer Horror they never made...

Hell Train
by Christopher Fowler

Careening into the UK on 5th January and the US/Canada on 27th December

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-9-07992-43-8
$8.99/$9.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-907992-44-5

Also available as an ebook

At its peak in the 1960s, the legendary Hammer Films embarked upon an ill-fated new horror movie that was Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors all rolled into one…

Christopher Fowler, who created some of the most memorable taglines in movie history – including Alien’s “In space, no-one can hear you scream” – and whose company designed the iconic Trainspotting and Reservoir Dogs film posters, has crafted a terrifying tale set in the halcyon days of British horror cinema.

In his first book for Solaris, the multi-award winning author of the Bryant & May mysteries conjures up bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of train travel, all in a classically-styled horror novel that evokes the real-life spirits of this most British of movie studios.

When American screenwriter Shane Carter is asked to revive the classic studio’s fortunes and, inspired by an old board game, writes a script where four strangers who meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War must solve a terrifying mystery if they are to survive.

As they race through the war-torn countryside, they must uncover the secrets of a locked casket and of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them. And what exactly is the devilish riddle of the train itself?!

“The very British spirit of Hammer Horror rises from the grave in Christopher Fowler’s rattling, roaring yarn”

– Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula

About the Author
Born in London, Christopher Fowler has written for film, radio, television, graphic novels and for newspapers, including The London Times, for more than thirty years. He is a regular columnist for The Independent on Sunday. Fowler is the multi-award winning author of more than thirty novels, including the lauded Bryant & May mysteries. In the past year he has been nominated for eight national book awards.

House of Fear Launch!

On Tuesday the 27th of September, something scary will be haunting Foyles book shop on Charing Cross Road, London... us! The writers and editors of the upcoming House of Fear anthology of haunted house stories will be celebrating its launch and we'd like you to join us.

You can RSVP and spot who'll be there at the public facebook page, but don't forget to reserve your free ticket through the Foyles website!

House of Fear is an anthology of haunted house stories featuring terrifying tales by nineteen scribes of terror: Lisa Tuttle, Stephen Volk, Terry Lamsley, Adam L.G. Nevill, Weston Ochse, Rebecca Levene, Garry Kilworth, Chaz Brenchley, Robert Shearman, Nina Allan, Christopher Fowler, Sarah Pinborough, Paul Meloy, Christopher Priest, Jonathan Green, Nicholas Royle, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon and Joe R. Lansdale.

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