It’s November and, for writers of all things speculative, that means awards eligibility posts. Never one to be left out, here’s mine, short and sweet, for consideration by any and all who want their souls devoured by a tiny book.
Those familiar ’round these parts will know this already but for the uninitiated:
Dweller in Darkness (Novella, 36,000 words, Timber Ghost Press, Sept. 22, 2026)
“God-killing seemed a lofty ambition. Then again, is that not what we’re here to do in our hunt for the Dweller in Darkness?”
All of Cassius Marius’ life has been spent in service to the Pale King. Ever since his birth sixteen years ago on the night the Hero of Hathur died, his mother prepared him to join the Lightbringers: seven young men selected every equinox by the Church of the Pale King to descend underground to hunt and destroy the Dweller in Darkness, a chthonic entity the Church names as source of an unnatural blight ravaging Hathur and beyond, year after year.
Cassius has known since he could speak that he was destined to destroy the great evil poisoning his home. His inevitable confrontation with the Dweller on his holy descent changes him inside and out and puts him on a collision course with the Pale King he once worshipped. With his world and body crumbling around him, Cassius must choose between loyalty and honor, family and humanity, not to save his home. But to destroy it.
The sequel to The Mystery of the Pale King and conclusion of the Deadlights Duology, Dweller in Darkness traverses a doomed empire polluted by corruption to ask if the world was ending, what would you save? And what would you leave behind?
Blurbs & Reviews:
“Dweller in Darkness is an excellent, fast-paced follow-up to The Mystery of the Pale King. It explores themes of blind belief and betrayal against a backdrop of cosmic horrors even more chilling than those seen in the previous novella. I can’t wait to see what Sam Flynn does next.” – Nicole Willson, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Tidepool
“It’s a difficult task to write a sequel, and even more so to write one that’s even better than the first. But Dweller in Darkness accomplished that. It’s one of the best novellas I’ve read in a very long time.” – A.J. Calvin, FanFiAddict (full review)
“Five stars…The book trusts formal risk, political anger, pulp horror and moral ambiguity to occupy the same cramped tunnel without one strangling the others. It makes its supernatural machinery carry the weight of its argument, then makes the argument frightening enough to justify the machinery. Yorgos sends its young men underground because every empire needs them looking in the wrong direction. Dweller in Darkness turns their heads around.” – Jim Mcleod, Ginger Nuts of Horror (full review)
“Dweller in Darkness calls to mind Souls games–especially Bloodborne–with its bleak world clinging to the last vestiges of life. But the book itself is anything but dead. Like its predecessor, it covers a small space, but you can tell how much Flynn has thought about the characters, this world, and what’s going on beyond the page. You won’t be able to resist looking into the lights.” – TT Madden, author of The Neon Revelation
“A triumphant follow-on from Pale King and adds another twisting layer of story to an already well realised world. Flynn continues to deliver with strong characters and wonderful prose. The writing is masterful, bringing doubt about the narrators and fast-paced events that make you pay attention to every detail. This is an author more people should be watching!” – Donna Morgan, author of Ember & Steel
“Another banger from Sam Flynn – a great continuation of a haunting, eerie series.” – Paul G. Zareith, author of The Wraith Returns (full review)
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