Chilling, unsettling and original: the novels of Aliya Whiteley
Published on 22 February, 2021
Authored by Titan Books
Have you read Aliya Whiteley yet? Her genre-defying fiction is often chilling, frequently unsettling and always satisfyingly original, cementing her place at the forefront of weird fiction. Her latest US release is a strange and gripping story of shedding skins that was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke, John W. Campbell, British Fantasy and the Brave New Words Awards so there's never been a better time to get involved!
Rose Allington suffers from a rare disease, Extreme Moult Syndrome, in a world where people shed their skin. Superstar actor Max Black, relies on a new wonderdrug to prevents the moult. Max knows moulting could cost him his career. When one of his skins is stolen, Max needs the best he ever worked with - but she’s not the same person.
Somewhere away from the cities and towns, in the Valley of the Rocks, a society of men and boys gather around the fire each night to listen to their history recounted by Nate, the storyteller. Requested most often by the group is the tale of the death of all women.
They are the last generation.
One night, Nate brings back new secrets from the woods; peculiar mushrooms are growing from the ground where the women’s bodies lie buried. These are the first signs of a strange and insidious presence unlike anything ever known before…
Discover the Beauty.
In the aftermath of the Great War, Shirley Fearn dreams of challenging the conventions of rural England, where life is as predictable as the changing of the seasons. The scarred veteran Mr. Tiller, left disfigured by an impossible accident on the battlefields of France, brings with him a message: part prophecy, part warning. Will it prevent her mastering her own destiny? As the village prepares for the annual May Day celebrations, where a new queen will be crowned and the future will be reborn again, Shirley must choose: change or renewal?
Skein Island, since 1945 a private refuge for women, lies in turbulent waters twelve miles off the coast of Devon. Visitors are only allowed by invitation from the reclusive Lady Amelia Worthington. Women stay for one week, paying for their stay with a story from their past: a Declaration for the Island’s vast library.
Marianne’s invitation arrives shortly before her quiet life at the library is violently interrupted, the aftermath leaving her husband David feeling helpless. Now, just like her mother did seventeen years ago, she must discover what her story is. Secrets are buried deep on Skein Island. The monsters of Ancient Greece and the atrocities of World War II, heroes and villains with their seers and sidekicks, and the stories of a thousand lifetimes all threaten to break free.
But every story needs an ending, whatever the cost.