Withered Hill: A dark and unsettling British folk horror novel

'A terrific, unexpected twist' Guardian

'Withered Hill is the ultimate nightmare destination' Laird Barron

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?

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.

‘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

David Barnett is an author and journalist based in the north of England. His commercial fiction, written as David M Barnett, includes the bestseller Calling Major Tom. His journalism has been featured in the Guardian, Independent and Telegraph. His comic work includes Books of Magic, for DC’s Sandman Universe, 2000 AD and Archie Comics.