Orion has snapped up world rights to an adult novel by bestselling children's author Michelle Paver.
Malcolm Edwards, deputy chief executive of the Orion group, and deputy publisher Jon Wood struck the deal for Dark Matter from Peter Cox at Redhammer for an undisclosed sum. The team will publish in hardback on 21st October.
The novel is set in 1937 on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen, now known as Svalbard. The story focuses on a group of hopeful young Englishmen who set off with ambitions of scientific discovery, only to find there is something sinister lurking in the snow.
Paver explained: "I've always loved ghost stories and for the past decade, I've had Dark Matter at the back of my mind. Dark Matter is my attempt to capture the beauty and menace of the Arctic, in a ghost story that will scare the hell out of you."
Wood said: "If you've ever woken up in the dark and blindly searched for the light switch, convinced there is something in the room with you, then you will know exactly how this novel makes you feel. When you add in an intensely powerful personal story and the wonderful atmosphere of the Arctic, you have something pretty special."
Edwards added: "Quite simply, Dark Matter is brilliant. I just couldn't put it down. We fully expect it to be a remarkable worldwide success for Michelle."
So excited about this! So very very very excited! (And although it says adult novel, her agent told me and the rest of the moderation team that it's 16+).
