'Where the Dead Wait' by Ally Wilkes is a gothic novel set in the Arctic, where doomed exploration leads to depravity and isolation. The story follows disgraced ship captain William Day as he uncovers his past and the true nature of his relationship with his second in command, Jesse Stevens. Haunted by his actions during a previous Arctic expedition, Day embarks on a journey to find Stevens, delving into themes of survival, cannibalism, and inner struggles. The writing style is described as immersive, atmospheric, and eerie, creating a chilling and hopeless atmosphere that forces readers to confront the characters' motivations and actions.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include trauma from cannibalism, death, mental health struggles, and themes of isolation and hopelessness.
From The Publisher:
"Haunting...Ominous." - The New York Times Book Review
A "wonderfully chilling" (Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author) polar gothic about a Victorian explorer in search of his lost shipmate-and redemption-from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of All the White Spaces .
William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace.
Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day's chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens--the man who's haunted his whole life-back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he's- done.
Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism.
Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens's wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving. The restless dead are never far behind in this "breathtaking achievement" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review).
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1 comment(s)
The narrative voice was spot on - and I'm a Victorianist, so I'm hard to please when it comes to modern authors writing period prose. Great balance between psychological and physical horror. The atmosphere of dread starts on page one and never lets go. Eerie, compelling, disturbing in all the best ways.
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Where the Dead Wait?
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