The Others of Edenwell (Paperback) - Verity M.Holloway

The Others of Edenwell (Paperback) - Verity M.Holloway

A dark spirit haunts an isolated Norfolk retreat in this unsettling and sinister historical horror set in the early 1900s, perfect for readers of Michelle Paver, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Andrew Michael Hurley.

Norfolk, 1917. Unable to join the army due to a heart condition, Freddie lives and works with his father in the grounds of the Edenwell Hydropathic, a wellness retreat in the Norfolk broads. Preferring the company of birds – who talk to him as one of their own – over the eccentric characters who live in the spa, bathing in its healing waters, Freddie overhears their premonitions of murder.

Eustace Moncrieff is a troublemaker, desperate to go to war and leave behind his wealthy family. Shipped to Edenwell by his mother to keep him safe from the horrors of the trenches, he strikes up a friendship with Freddie at the behest of Doctor Chalice, the American owner of the Hydropathic.

As the two friends grow closer and grapple with their demons, they discover a body, and something terrifying stalking the woods. The dark halls of the spa are breached, haunted by the woodland beast, and the boys soon realise that they may be the only things standing between this monster and the whole of Edenwell.

Review

“Strange, infinitely sad, and ambiguously haunted, Verity Holloway's new novel is entirely its own creature. Edenwell - a WW1 hydrotherapy retreat surrounded by ominous woodland and the scars of ancient mines - offers a deliciously spooky, folk horror-imbued setting for this Weird meeting of scars and secrets; fans of Lucie McKnight Hardy will be delighted.”
- Ally Wilkes, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of All the White Spaces

 

"Like a chill fog rolling off the Fens, The Others of Edenwell seeps under your skin and stays there. Contrasting the true horrors of the First World War with a much older evil, Verity Holloway skilfully evokes a very particular place and time with beautifully drawn characters and telling details. A haunting and deeply evocative read."
- Jeremy Dyson, BAFTA award winning member of The League of Gentlemen, and co-creator of Ghost Stories.

 

This is a book of gentle strength, which works its magic by luring and inviting, without ever shouting. It will make you forget the world for a while, and then look at it from a new perspective. It is a story with a great sense of time and place, which also manages to be timeless and universal. Call it horror, call it fantasy, call it what you want, as long as you read it.” Francesco Dimitri,
- World Fantasy Award winner and author of Never the Wind

 

"Tender, unsettling, and oddly beautiful, this book is a real heartbreaker."
- SFX

 

"The absolutely convincing recreation of the past combined with a gradual, creeping dread make this a fascinating and frightening book. The prose is accomplished, the characters perfectly realised; rarely has horror been treated with such intelligence and attention to detail. Holloway is a major talent."
- Alex Pheby, author of Mordew

 

“In The Others of Edenwell, Verity M. Holloway has woven a world of strange and secret treasures. It’s a beautifully written novel that finds its way under your skin and makes a lasting impression.”
- A. J. Elwood, author of The Cottingley Cuckoo

 

"A mesmeric novel. This is such an absorbingly-written book, that I was annoyed with myself that I had read it so quickly."
- Johnny Mains, author of A Man at War

 

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“An uncanny heart beats between the pages of this beautifully crafted book. Beguiling, chilling and profoundly disorientating, something terrifying and ancient stirs in this story of friendship, love and loyalty set against the all-pervading grief and loss of the Great War.”
- Lucie McKnight Hardy, author of Water Shall Refuse Them

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“Verity M. Holloway makes otherworldly darkness all too real.”
- Priya Sharma, author of Ormeshadow and the award-winning collection All the Fabulous Beasts

 

"Verity M. Holloway’s meticulously researched historical chiller is endlessly atmospheric and melancholic from the first page, and builds to a breathtaking final act."
- Tim Major, author of Snakeskins

 

"One of the horror novels of the year, this is a beautiful gothic masterpiece splicing history with a powerful tale of war and loss. Strongly recommended, and an author to pay attention to!"
- Runalong the Shelves