Withered Hill

Scuttler's Cove

‘A brooding tale from the murky depths below the English idyll. Coastal-horror at its finest’ Matt Wesolowski The sea never forgets. The sea never forgives... Scuttler’s Cove is a working village, nestling in dramatic coastal scenery in Cornwall, where life has gone on uninterrupted for centuries... until this seaside idyll was discovered by the rich. Now the quaint harbour-front cottages have been snapped up by second-homers and rental companies, and the locals can barely afford to live in their own town. It is a very different place for Merrin Moon, who left for university at the age of eighteen and never looked back. Now in her thirties, she returns to the Cove for the first time since, after the death of her mother. She soon discovers that there are forces at play in the village that she could never have imagined. Is someone trying to drive out the second homers? And has their arrival started a chain of events none of them will be able to stop? For something old and terrible is awakening beneath the town’s hallowed ground. And with it comes a horror that the residents have fought for generations to keep a secret. A dark and mysterious folk horror of the sea, and a timely exploration of the displacement of our modern moment, with a twist that will leave you reeling. Praise for Scuttler's Cove ‘There's a rich vein of horror to be mined here, and Barnett's doing a great job of excavating it’ SFX ‘An eerie tale of folk horror, as old gods and locals with age-old roots come into conflict with new money and the modern world, with a satisfying supernatural showdown, and a twist you won't see coming’ Jane Johnson ‘Swarming spiders, vicious crabs, fish-headed revenants ... these are terrifying enough, but they're also the least scary things in Scuttler's Cove. It's the people you have to watch out for... a brutal, brilliant novel of folk horror and dread’ Tim Lebbon ‘It feels like a modern version of The Wicker Man, in the best possible way and with its own unique take’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Wow, just wow. David Barnett is my new go-to for folk horror’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Filled with great characters, a downright creepy unsettling narrative, and surprises in store which you won’t see coming, this is a must-read folk horror novel’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Very well-written. Dark, compelling and atmospheric’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Folk horror at its finest... leads to an intensely satisfying and fantastic ending that will have you actually cheering’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Another gem! Scuttler’s Cove takes you on a wild ride of mystery, intrigue, and horrific folklore’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘The bright, beachy atmosphere with a looming undercurrent of something dark and sinister kept the tension high... I found myself itching to read more when I wasn’t actively reading it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘I came for the crab on the cover, stayed for the folk horror... a timely and atmospheric horror novel’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

Withered Hill

'A terrific, unexpected twist' Guardian 'Withered Hill is the ultimate nightmare destination' Laird Barron Inside A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is. Surrounded by a thick ring of woodland, its inhabitants seem to be of another world, drenched in pagan, folklorish traditions. As Sophie struggles to regain the memories of her life from before, she quickly realises she is a prisoner after multiple failed escape attempts. But is it the locals who keep her trapped, with smiles on their faces, or something else, lurking in the woods? Outside In London, Sophie leads a chaotic life, with too many drunken nights, inappropriate men and boring temp jobs. But things take a turn as she starts to be targeted by strange messages warning her that someone, or something, is coming for her. With no idea who to trust, or where to turn for help, the messages become more insistent and more intimidating, urging Sophie to make her way to a place called Withered Hill... An utterly bewitching, dual timeline folk horror novel, with a truly devastating twist you have to read to believe. Praise for Withered Hill ‘Eerie, erotic and engrossing, David Barnett’s Withered Hill is a masterpiece of folkloric horror, one I suspect shall henceforth be mentioned in the same breath as The Wicker Man, as it well and truly deserves to be’ Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Sour Candy ‘A bloody masterpiece ... Black Mirror meets The Wicker Man’ Mark Stay, author of The Witches of Woodville series 'Haunting, shocking and beautifully written, Withered Hill lures you into a strange town where everything is slightly off-kilter, and then invites you to try and escape. But you can't. And neither will you escape the draw of this brilliant, almost hypnotic novel, which is one of my favourites of the year' Tim Lebbon 'Midsommar, Evil Dead and Stepford Wives all in one, this twisted dark fairytale rooted in the modern world had me too scared to walk my dog in broad daylight. Masterful storytelling, sinister, sick and funny – if you're as warped as this folklore horror gem' Lisa Rookes, author of The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood 'Withered Hill gets into you as the best folk horror tends to: the woods grow ever-deeper, the villagers more smilingly hostile as the escape routes shrink tighter than a keyhole. But there's much delight in being trapped in the hands of such an agile, clever, and knowing storyteller' Nick Cutter, author of The Troop 'Beguiling, bewitching and brilliant. Withered Hill gets under your skin like some long-forgotten pagan spell and keeps you turning the pages late into the night.' Jeremy Dyson, from the League of Gentlemen

The Seasons ... To which is Prefixed the Life of the Author, by Patrick Murdoch ... and an Essay on the Plan and Character of the Poem by J. Aikin. A New Edition Revised and Corrected by J. J. C. Timaeus