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X The Unknown
X The Unknown
Dec 1, 2025 1:14 PM

Author:Shaun Hutson

X The Unknown

In a quiet field in Buckinghamshire, a huge crack has appeared in the earth's surface. And people are dying. Incinerated beyond recognition. At the same time, hospitals have noticed an increase in catastrophic deformities in foetuses, and cancer levels soaring.

Dr Adam Royston, a scientist working at the nearby military base, thinks he knows what it is; a creature as old as the earth that slumbers for centuries, then wakes to feed on the energy and radiation produced by humans. But if he's right, and they can't find a way to destroy the creature roaming the countryside, then it's not just Buckinghamshire that could be in danger, but the whole world.

Reviews

Britain's greatest living horror author

—— Dark Side

An expert in the art of keeping the reader turning the pages

—— Time Out

Hutson writes grippingly

—— SFX Magazine

Luka and Dora are made for one another. But they can't seem to get together. A beautifully tragic love

—— Elle

Who is it for? For anyone who wants a poetic love story which heralds the summer

—— Süddeutsche Zeitung

You can sense every second that they are soul mates... It is extremely rare that you find such a beautiful and romantic love story which is wonderfully narrated and not at all corny. A real discovery

—— Berliner Morgenpost

Nataša Dragnic has woven a seemingly simple but also serious and deeply moving love story. Readers will find it hard to put this gripping story down, the flowing style, the surprise twists, the protagonists themselves and their entanglement will keep you enthralled until the last lines... It is not kitsch, over-the-top or shallow but lively and colourful. A perfect book for your holiday suitcase or for a weekend at home alone

—— Gießener Allgemeine

This is the book that is wowing everyone - I too immediately fell for the love story between Dora and Luka, who are meant for each other but manage to mess it up so completely

—— Angela Wittmann , BRIGITTE

Natasa Dragnic’s tumbling prose has a delightful immediacy and freshness… Deft and confident

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

Dragnic’s prose is energetic and sparkling and carries you swiftly through a roller-coaster of emotions

—— Victoria Cooper , Red Online

Charming and quirky

—— Bookbag

Definitely one to watch

—— Big Issue (National)

Hudson’s ear for language…raises this debut novel well above the average

—— Lesley McDowell , Glasgow Sunday Herald

Janie’s irrepressible, childish glee and the sly humour into which it evolves give the novel a wry self-awareness that is both refreshing and endearing

—— Lettie Ransley , Observer

A gripping, often hilarious tale of growing up in the slums of Aberdeen. Hard to put down owing to the power of the narrative, its DNA is part Roddy Doyle/part Irvine Welsh

—— Ijeoma Onweluzo , The Lady

A sumptuous novel. Read it for the sentences and smarts, and for the copious sexy parts

—— Richard Ford , Guardian, Books of the Year

Everything I want from a love story: sexy, convincing, baffling, funny, sad and unforgettable

—— Juliet Nicholson , Evening Standard, "Books of the Year"

Banville's exquisitely written novel unravels the deceptions of memory with wit and pathos

—— Telegraph
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