Dark Matter: A Richard and Judy bookclub choice from the author of WAKENHYRST

Michelle Paver

Oct 2010 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

A terrifying 1930s ghost story set in the haunting wilderness of the far north.

January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year. Gruhuken.

But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice. Stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return - when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible.

And Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark...

Ratings and reviews

I have loved ghost stories, the otherworldly descriptions of the polar regions and ofcourse, writing that sounds so like a first hand account set in the early 20th century England. This ticks all boxes with love for a furry friend too, what more can you ask for a satisfying evening read!

it's the type of book that has you cant put down, when your imagination takes over its truly terrifying. It was beautifully written. My only dislike was the fact that the ending was a bit rushed.

wow, a very chilling story, never thought I would be scared of that perfectly described suspense! The ending was... mostly unexpected) That's why it makes this book so good in it's ghostliness

About the author

Born in Malawi to a Belgian mother and a father who ran the tiny 'NYASALAND TIMES', Michelle Paver moved to the UK when she was three. She was brought up in Wimbledon and, following a Biochemistry Degree from Oxford, she became a partner in a big City law firm. She gave up the City to follow her long-held dream of becoming a writer. She is the author of the brilliantly successful children's series, THE CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS. DARK MATTER is her first adult ghost story. It arises from her lifelong love of the Arctic, which has taken her to northern Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Spitsbergen.