Adam L.G. Nevill - Banquet for the Damned

PRAISE FOR BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED

'From the half-glimpsed manifestations that haunt the entire book to the pure visceralhorror of the climax, from the understated menace that lurks under passages of dialogueto the lyrical terror we experience elsewhere, Nevill the novelist displays an impressiverange of skills and effects. For example, chapter thirty-seven offers a house possessed byevil, a condition so powerfully characterised that I would class the passage among thegreat sustained scenes of modern supernatural horror.' Ramsey Campbell

'an impressive piece of work... full of marvellous things.' Colin Wilson

'Pregnant with horror both visceral and suggestive, Nevill's novel-length study ofmounting dread, malignant forces and personalities whose very flaws invite occult interferencestands as one of the few supernatural novels capable of maintaining the atmosphereof menace and authenticity of setting most often successfully invoked in the shortstory.' William P Simmons, Cemetery Dance

'it's that rare beast: a novel which is by turns readable, well written, compelling andwith a great plot. Incredibly accomplished and with a really neat and original monsterat the heart of the story. It's a feast worth savouring.' David Howe, Shivers

'With Banquet for the Damned, Adam L G Nevill has written one of the most superblygripping and creepy books I'll be watching for more by this hugely talented author.'John Berlyne, SFRevu

'Nevill holds the reader's attention effortlessly and makes us believe the unthinkable,then wraps it up with a show-stopper finale in which all hell literally breaks loose...this is a novel in the tradition of M R James, complete with a chilling atmosphere andever mounting sense of dread, the occasional bloody set-piece to make the terror evenmore real, and the subtle use of occult texts and academic papers to provide credencefor all that takes place.' Peter Tenant, The Third Alternative

'The Brown Man and his witch followers stealing peaceful sleep and rendering their victimsvulnerable to attack worked horrifically well. I'd recommend this book to anyonewho enjoys horror. It has a haunting mystery that flows throughout the entire book.'Donna Jones, computercrowsnest.com

'The characterisations are well done; the atmosphere and setting (St Andrews, Scotland'soldest university town) are well evoked; the plot runs along at a good, fast pace, withjust enough twists and surprises, to a suitably apocalyptic climax.' Rosemary Pardoe,Ghosts and Scholars

'Banquet for the Damned is a first-rate read: one which contains a great deal for theenthusiast of the Jamesian manner to savour, and also offers as much to those whoprefer a more obviously contemporary approach to supernatural horror.' John Howard,All Hallows

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam L G Nevill was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 andgrew up in England and New Zealand. A graduate of the Universityof St Andrews Creative Writing Masters programme, he is the authorof nine novels under a pseudonym for Virgin Books. His most recentshort story appearance was featured in The Year's Best Fantasy andHorror 2006, edited by Ellen Datlow, and The Mammoth Book ofBest New Horror 17, edited by Stephen Jones. Besides eight yearsspent as a librarian and researcher for several British television companies,he has endured a variety of occupations, including temporaryoffice worker, night-club doorman, night watchman and porter. Hecurrently lives in London and works in publishing.

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ISBN 9780753516713

Version 1.0

www.randomhouse.co.uk

This paperback edition first published in Great Britain in
2008 by
Virgin Books Ltd
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Rainville Road
London
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First published in hardback in Great Britain in 2004
by PS Publishing Ltd.

Copyright Adam L G Nevill 2004, 2008

The right of Adam L G Nevill to be identified as the Author
of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the
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ISBN: 9780753516713

Version 1.0

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For Clive Nevill

From castles built of bones comes unknown music.
Arthur Rimbaud