Dark Matter (Paver novel)
 First edition | |
| Author | Michelle Paver |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Speculative fiction Horror Ghost story |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Group |
Publication date | October 21, 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 256 (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4091-2378-1 |
| Preceded by | Chronicles of Ancient Darkness |
Dark Matter is a speculative fiction novel from Michelle Paver. Part horror, part ghost story, it was published in the UK on October 21, 2010.[1][2]
Plot introduction[]
In London in 1937, 28-year-old Jack Miller is stuck in a dead-end job and jumps at the chance to be a wireless operator on a year-long Arctic expedition to Gruhuken on the northeast coast of Svalbard, though he has reservations about the class divide separating him from the other, Oxford University educated, members of the team. Bad luck seems to dog the expedition and when they arrive at Longyearbyen for the last leg of their journey, they are warned to choose another destination as their base, but the vague rumours about Gruhuken fail to dissuade them.
Critical reception[]
Eric Brown of The Guardian described the book as "a spellbinding read" and "the kind of subtly unsettling, understated ghost story MR James might have written had he visited the Arctic."[3]
Dark Matter was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award for best novel.[4]
Paver includes a number of references to the author Robert Louis Stevenson. Firstly, the Stevenson screen is an instrument designed by Robert Louis Stevenson's father. Secondly, the character Gus Balfour's namesake comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's mother's maiden name; Balfour. This name is also shared by Stevenson's protagonist of his novel Kidnapped.
References[]
- ^ "DARK MATTER is Published". michellepaver.com. October 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "Orion Publishing Group: Dark Matter". Orion Publishing Group. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ Brown, Eric (October 9, 2010). "Dark Matter, Clowns at Midnight, Damage Time and Version 43 - reviews". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "2010 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Shirley Jackson Awards. July 2011. Retrieved 22 Jun 2015.
Novel ... Finalists: Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (Orion) ...
External links[]
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- 2010 novels
- Novels set in the Arctic
- Fiction set in 1937
- Svalbard in fiction
- 2010s speculative fiction novel stubs
- Horror novel stubs