Hex

A powerfully poignant tale of one of the most turbulent moments in Scotland's history: the North Berwick Witch Trials. IT’S THE 4TH OF DECEMBER 1591. On this, the last night of her life, in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh’s High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor – Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe. As the hours pass and dawn approaches, Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture, confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace – and the tantalising prospect of escape. Hex is a visceral depiction of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition, exploring how the terrible force of a king’s violent crusade against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present day. 'This series has already produced two works of note and distinction. It raises the question – if a country cannot re-tell its history, will it be stuck forever in aspic and condemned to be nothing more than a shortbread tin illustration? Hex and Rizzio are showing the way towards a reckoning, and about time too’ – Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday

A powerfully poignant tale of one of the most turbulent moments in Scotland's history: the North Berwick Witch Trials. IT’S THE 4TH OF DECEMBER 1591. On this, the last night of her life, in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh’s High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor – Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe. As the hours pass and dawn approaches, Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture, confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace – and the tantalising prospect of escape. Hex is a visceral depiction of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition, exploring how the terrible force of a king’s violent crusade against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present day. 'This series has already produced two works of note and distinction. It raises the question – if a country cannot re-tell its history, will it be stuck forever in aspic and condemned to be nothing more than a shortbread tin illustration? Hex and Rizzio are showing the way towards a reckoning, and about time too’–Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday

'This is totally, brilliantly original' STEPHEN KING WELCOME TO BLACK SPRING, A PICTURESQUE TOWN WITH AN HORRIFYING SECRET... A 17th century woman with her eyes and mouth sewn-shut walks Blacks Springs streets... enters its homes... and watches its people while they sleep. They call her the Black Rock Witch . So accustomed to her presence, the townsfolk often forget what will happen if her eyes ever open. To protect themselves the Black Spring elders use high-tech surveillance to quarantine the town. Frustrated with the lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break the rules and go viral with the haunting. But no one foresees the dark nightmare that awaits them all. PRAISE FOR THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT: 'Reminiscent of vintage Stephen King' John Connolly 'A powerfully spooky piece of writing' Financial Times 'Spielbergian... a fabulous, unforgettable conceit' Guardian

'This is totally, brilliantly original' STEPHEN KING WELCOME TO BLACK SPRING, A PICTURESQUE TOWN WITH AN HORRIFYING SECRET... A 17th century woman with her eyes and mouth sewn-shut walks Blacks Springs streets... enters its homes... and watches its people while they sleep. They call her the Black Rock Witch . So accustomed to her presence, the townsfolk often forget what will happen if her eyes ever open. To protect themselves the Black Spring elders use high-tech surveillance to quarantine the town. Frustrated with the lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break the rules and go viral with the haunting. But no one foresees the dark nightmare that awaits them all. PRAISE FOR THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT: 'Reminiscent of vintage Stephen King' John Connolly 'A powerfully spooky piece of writing' Financial Times 'Spielbergian... a fabulous, unforgettable conceit' Guardian

"This is totally, brilliantly original." --Stephen King "HEX is creepy and gripping and original, sure to be one of the top horror novels of 2016." --George R.R. Martin The English language debut of the bestselling Dutch novel, Hex, from Thomas Olde Heuvelt--a Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves. Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear. The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past. This chilling novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in mainstream horror and dark fantasy.