 First edition | |
| Author | Michelle Paver |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Speculative fiction Horror Ghost story |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Group |
| Publication date | 21 October 2010 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 256 (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4091-2378-1 |
| Preceded by | Chronicles of Ancient Darkness |
Dark Matter is a speculative fiction novel by Michelle Paver. Part horror, part ghost story, it was published in the United Kingdom by the Orion Publishing Group on 21 October 2010.
Plot introduction
In London in 1937, 28-year-old Jack Miller is stuck in a dead-end job and jumps at the chance to be a wireless operator on a year-long Arctic expedition to Gruhuken on the northeast coast of Svalbard, though he has reservations about the class divide separating him from the other, Oxford University-educated, members of the team. Bad luck seems to dog the expedition and when they arrive at Longyearbyen for the last leg of their journey they are warned to choose another destination as their base, but the vague rumours about Gruhuken fail to dissuade them.
Critical reception
Eric Brown of The Guardian described the book as "a spellbinding read" and "the kind of subtly unsettling, understated ghost story MR James might have written had he visited the Arctic."
Dark Matter was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award for best novel.
Paver includes a number of references to the author Robert Louis Stevenson. Firstly, the Stevenson screen is an instrument designed by Robert Louis Stevenson's father. Secondly, the character Gus Balfour's namesake comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's mother's maiden name, Balfour. This name is also shared by Stevenson's protagonist of his novel Kidnapped.
References
- "DARK MATTER is Published". michellepaver.com. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- "Orion Publishing Group: Dark Matter". Orion Publishing Group. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- Brown, Eric (9 October 2010). "Dark Matter, Clowns at Midnight, Damage Time and Version 43 - reviews". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- "2010 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Shirley Jackson Awards. July 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
Novel ... Finalists: Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (Orion) ...
- "Family | Robert Louis Stevenson". Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- "Kidnapped, 1886 | Robert Louis Stevenson". Retrieved 2 October 2024.