Part of Southern Reach
First published 2024
Old Jim, a washed-up Central operative, discovers files about the Forgotten Coast that reveal decades of government interference with incomprehensible forces. The records trace back to a doomed science expedition that ended mysteriously before Area X even existed. As Jim pulls at loose threads in the documentation, Central agents start dying at the hands of an unknown rogue entity. Partnered with an inexperienced young agent, Jim returns to fieldwork despite his personal demons. His investigation leads to the formation of the first official Central expedition into the newly designated Area X. A border has materialized, and Jim joins an eccentric but well-trained team searching for an off switch in terrain that defies mapping or control. The landscape consumes everyone who enters it, one way or another. Jim must confront both the mystery of Area X and the government's long history of meddling with forces beyond human understanding.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, horror, speculative-fiction, mystery-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, mysterious, suspenseful, thought-provoking, unsettling
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family, mystery-unraveling, unreliable-reality
Setting: Forgotten Coast, Area X, Central
464 pages · Hardcover · MCD
Content warnings: death, violence