‘The ultimate gated community is a human being with a closed mind.’ JG Ballard
In Dubai there’s a new world of high-luxury resorts emerging for the super-rich—but at what price to everyone else? Lea, Roy and their 15 year-old daughter Cara live in a gated community reserved for foreign workers. Roy has been hired to deal with teething problems at Dream World, a futuristic beach complex. In the oppressive heat, the wives appear happy to follow behind their husbands, cooking and arranging tea parties, but Lea finds herself a virtual prisoner in a land where Western women are regarded with indifference and suspicion. At least there are a few friendly outsiders who don’t enjoy the conformity of the ex-pat community—until one night, when the most outspoken one dies in a suspicious accident. It’s the first in a string of terrible occurrences that divide the foreign workers. Lea’s neighbours start to blame migrants, locals and even each other. Lea is convinced that deliberate acts of cruelty are being committed—but is there a real threat to her life, or is she becoming paranoid? And what if what she fears most is really happening? What happens in a world where only the rich are important? Welcome to a future that’s five minutes away, where rebellion against conformity can lead to the unthinkable…
‘Fowler demonstrates that [supernatural stories] can both chill the blood and be a repository for truly elegant writing.’ The Independent on Nyctophobia
‘A deeply uneasy atmosphere, and assured, witty prose. ****’ SFX on Nyctophobia
‘A useful message, couched in thriller guise: only by empathizing with demons can we conquer them.’ Locus Magazine on Nyctophobia **
From Publishers Weekly
Fowler (Nyctophobia) tackles corporate greed and conspicuous consumption in this suspenseful, unusual story set in and around a luxury Dubai resort. Lea Brook, teen daughter Cara, and husband Roy trade their lives in London for the sterile, landscaped gated community Dream Ranches. It houses top-tier employees of Dream World, which is only months away from opening its opulent doors. At first, the new surroundings are exciting, but Roy works around the clock, Cara is withdrawing, and Lea isn't content to be a good little housewife. When Lea finds out that daughters of Dream World employees have gone missing, and their fathers are killed in workplace "accidents," she starts to dig; but Dubai is a man's world, and no one wants to hear speculation from a "bored" housewife. People suspicious of Dream World start to die, and Lea fears that their delicate, carefully constructed world will soon fall apart. Lea's determination to find out the truth about the missing girls in the face of some very powerful men makes for a harrowing read, and palpable tension builds steadily throughout, all the way to the oddly hopeful, surprising conclusion. (Oct.)
About the Author
Born in Greenwich, London, Christopher Fowler is the multi-award winning author of the lauded Bryant & May Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery novels. His Solaris novels include Hell Train in 2012, Plastic in 2013, and Nyctophobia in 2014. He is a regular columnist for both The Independent on Sunday and The Financial Times.
Description:
‘The ultimate gated community is a human being with a closed mind.’
JG Ballard
In Dubai there’s a new world of high-luxury resorts emerging for the super-rich—but at what price to everyone else?
Lea, Roy and their 15 year-old daughter Cara live in a gated community reserved for foreign workers. Roy has been hired to deal with teething problems at Dream World, a futuristic beach complex. In the oppressive heat, the wives appear happy to follow behind their husbands, cooking and arranging tea parties, but Lea finds herself a virtual prisoner in a land where Western women are regarded with indifference and suspicion.
At least there are a few friendly outsiders who don’t enjoy the conformity of the ex-pat community—until one night, when the most outspoken one dies in a suspicious accident. It’s the first in a string of terrible occurrences that divide the foreign workers. Lea’s neighbours start to blame migrants, locals and even each other.
Lea is convinced that deliberate acts of cruelty are being committed—but is there a real threat to her life, or is she becoming paranoid? And what if what she fears most is really happening? What happens in a world where only the rich are important? Welcome to a future that’s five minutes away, where rebellion against conformity can lead to the unthinkable…
‘Fowler demonstrates that [supernatural stories] can both chill the blood and be a repository for truly elegant writing.’
The Independent on Nyctophobia
‘A deeply uneasy atmosphere, and assured, witty prose. ****’
SFX on Nyctophobia
‘A useful message, couched in thriller guise: only by empathizing with demons can we conquer them.’
Locus Magazine on Nyctophobia **
From Publishers Weekly
Fowler (Nyctophobia) tackles corporate greed and conspicuous consumption in this suspenseful, unusual story set in and around a luxury Dubai resort. Lea Brook, teen daughter Cara, and husband Roy trade their lives in London for the sterile, landscaped gated community Dream Ranches. It houses top-tier employees of Dream World, which is only months away from opening its opulent doors. At first, the new surroundings are exciting, but Roy works around the clock, Cara is withdrawing, and Lea isn't content to be a good little housewife. When Lea finds out that daughters of Dream World employees have gone missing, and their fathers are killed in workplace "accidents," she starts to dig; but Dubai is a man's world, and no one wants to hear speculation from a "bored" housewife. People suspicious of Dream World start to die, and Lea fears that their delicate, carefully constructed world will soon fall apart. Lea's determination to find out the truth about the missing girls in the face of some very powerful men makes for a harrowing read, and palpable tension builds steadily throughout, all the way to the oddly hopeful, surprising conclusion. (Oct.)
About the Author
Born in Greenwich, London, Christopher Fowler is the multi-award winning author of the lauded Bryant & May Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery novels. His Solaris novels include Hell Train in 2012, Plastic in 2013, and Nyctophobia in 2014. He is a regular columnist for both The Independent on Sunday and The Financial Times.