When the Forest Whispers
On sale
20th April 2027
Price: £10.99
Genre
Fantasy / Horror & Ghost Stories / Romance / Science Fiction
‘Richly imagined, thrillingly plotted and deeply felt, When the Forest Whispers spins a tale of an apocalypse you’ll not see coming with characters you’ll want to hold on to forever. A stunning debut’ Jennifer Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Diavola
Even before the apocalypse, Remembrance Kingston didn’t have an ordinary life, raised by doomsday preppers deep in the woods. Then ninety-nine percent of the world’s population dropped dead, strange creatures started whispering in the forest, and the rules her father had drilled into her became even more important if she wanted to survive.
Now, Remy lives on alone with only her faithful dog, Clementine, and the decaying ghosts of her family for company, Waiting. Always waiting, for her childhood friend Hunter to come back to her, like he promised he would. But when a strange, savage girl called Rabbit turns up on her doorstep, with news of his whereabouts, Remy will discover that she is stronger and more powerful than she ever knew. And for the people she loves, she will take on the whole damned world.
Both horrifying and heartwarming, this unputdownable, genre-defying tale of trauma, survival, found family, love and hope at the end of the world is perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, The Girl With All the Gifts and The Last of Us.
‘A unique post-apocalyptic fable full of vivid characters and compelling mysteries’ M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts
‘A benchmark example of found family done beautifully, brilliantly right. In Flynn’s post-apocalypse, the world is dangerous, hungry, and unforgiving – but the warmth that suffuses the narrative is undeniable . . . An unrelentingly tense story, but one that breaks and mends your heart over, and over, and over again’ Megan Bontrager, author of The Sea Hides its Dead
‘Hits all the emotional sweet spots of post-apocalyptic fiction in a dazzlingly fresh way . . . Brim-full of love, loss, magic and surprises, laced with lurking horrors . . . It also has a big, complex heart and a great dog, both of which you can trust to guide you through the darkness to a deeply satisfying and unexpected end’ Charlie Fletcher, author of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
‘This nuanced and resonant debut . . . is a rich tapestry of grief, loneliness and healing, set against a fantastical and frightening version of our own world’ Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters
Even before the apocalypse, Remembrance Kingston didn’t have an ordinary life, raised by doomsday preppers deep in the woods. Then ninety-nine percent of the world’s population dropped dead, strange creatures started whispering in the forest, and the rules her father had drilled into her became even more important if she wanted to survive.
Now, Remy lives on alone with only her faithful dog, Clementine, and the decaying ghosts of her family for company, Waiting. Always waiting, for her childhood friend Hunter to come back to her, like he promised he would. But when a strange, savage girl called Rabbit turns up on her doorstep, with news of his whereabouts, Remy will discover that she is stronger and more powerful than she ever knew. And for the people she loves, she will take on the whole damned world.
Both horrifying and heartwarming, this unputdownable, genre-defying tale of trauma, survival, found family, love and hope at the end of the world is perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, The Girl With All the Gifts and The Last of Us.
‘A unique post-apocalyptic fable full of vivid characters and compelling mysteries’ M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts
‘A benchmark example of found family done beautifully, brilliantly right. In Flynn’s post-apocalypse, the world is dangerous, hungry, and unforgiving – but the warmth that suffuses the narrative is undeniable . . . An unrelentingly tense story, but one that breaks and mends your heart over, and over, and over again’ Megan Bontrager, author of The Sea Hides its Dead
‘Hits all the emotional sweet spots of post-apocalyptic fiction in a dazzlingly fresh way . . . Brim-full of love, loss, magic and surprises, laced with lurking horrors . . . It also has a big, complex heart and a great dog, both of which you can trust to guide you through the darkness to a deeply satisfying and unexpected end’ Charlie Fletcher, author of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
‘This nuanced and resonant debut . . . is a rich tapestry of grief, loneliness and healing, set against a fantastical and frightening version of our own world’ Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters
Reviews
An unputdownable debut that interweaves darkness and light into a sparkling story that will both scare and delight you
In this nuanced and resonant debut, Megan Flynn depicts how controlling and abusive dynamics shape us in different ways as adults, all told through unique speculative elements and an experimental structure . . . The resulting novel is a rich tapestry of grief, loneliness and healing, set against a fantastical and frightening version of our own world
Reading When the Forest Whispers is like putting together a nightmarish puzzle and watching it come perfectly together piece by piece. But however horrifying the pieces are, the end result is poignant and hopeful. I loved it!
Richly imagined, thrillingly plotted and deeply felt, When the Forest Whispers spins a tale of an apocalypse you'll not see coming with characters you'll want to hold on to forever. A stunning debut
A unique post-apocalyptic fable full of vivid characters and compelling mysteries
When the Forest Whispers hits all the emotional sweet-spots of post-apocalyptic fiction in a dazzlingly fresh way. Comparisons are odious, but if you put Stephen King and Emily St John Mandel in a blender . . . well, you'd obviously be a monster and everyone would be rightly begging you not to throw the switch . . . but you wouldn't be wrong. This story is brimful of love, loss, magic and surprises, laced with lurking horrors that are clearly the product of a great, twisty imagination. It also has a big, complex heart and a great dog, both of which you can trust to guide you through the darkness to a deeply satisfying and unexpected end.
When the Forest Whispers is a gripping story about more than just the end of civilization as we know it. Remy is a protagonist to cheer for, as she battles literal and figurative monsters. Along the way, she learns that she's capable of bigger changes than she ever imagined. Although the world may be a terrifying place outside of her borders, hope shines through the pages. Family, both biological and found, including one very good dog, make Megan Flynn's novel an unforgettable and essential read
When the Forest Whispers is a benchmark example of found family done beautifully, brilliantly right. In Flynn's post-apocalypse, the world is dangerous, hungry, and unforgiving - but the warmth that suffuses the narrative is undeniable. Flynn shows us that the best way to survive the unsurvivable is love, and kindness, and family in all its forms. This is the kind of dystopian fiction that we need; moreover, this is the kind of story that we need in general, regardless of genre. An unrelentingly tense story, but one that breaks and mends your heart over, and over, and over again