At five years old, John Andrews" life is changed forever by a fistfight in a vacant lot. Twelve years later, fleeing a haunted past, he and his mother abandon post-war Newcastle for the hope of a better life in Cornwall—in the village.

Life in the village seems like a dream; John meets his first love. But the dream becomes a nightmare as his joy is overshadowed by terrors. A cascade of unexplainable events leaves him struggling to save what remains of his family, his love, and his sanity—not to mention his life—as the Village of Lost Souls hungers for more.

"Sam Kates"s writing style is elegant and deft, and his way with words is superbly meticulous. He paints a picture for the reader of color and space and emotion, but uses a light brush so that no two readers will see quite the same thing: he doesn"t overburden the reader with description but leaves just enough, and just the right things, to the imagination. Kates has written some of the most powerful scenes anyone has put on paper, yet his writing is smooth, effortless, and supremely comfortable."

-Adam Byrn Tritt,

author of the award-winning sci-fi short story "Ezekiel"s Wheel"