James Lovegrove

Stand-alone novels and story collections by James Lovegrove

The Hope — (1990) Publisher: The Hope is five miles long, one mile high. A ship launched on a voyage to a new utopia — a philanthropist's dream. But there has been no landfall and the ship's purpose has been forgotten and between decks life is decaying into a phantasmogoric nightmare as the passengers descend into madness or simply revert to instinct. The Hope was reviewed ecstatically everywhere from the TLS, Spectator and Interzone and is shown to be even more relevant now than it was in 1990.

Escardy Gap — (1996) With Peter Crowther. Publisher: Escardy Gap is a small town in the American midwest. When a train pulls in one day and Jeremiah Rackstraw and The Company alight from it, the townsfolk — brilliantly drawn and differentiated by the authors — have little idea what to expect. But one thing soon becomes clear: their lives will never be the same again. Only two people — a young boy and the town Mayor — understand the true nature of the "show" that has arrived in their midst. They alone can save Escardy Gap from the destructive forces of evil. Together they set out to find help, which comes from a totally unexpected source... A must for all readers of Clive Barker, Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, Escardy Gap moves as fast and unstoppably as the train which delivers the town's doom. The authors have woven a tale of dark fantasy which will haunt your dreams — by night and day.

Days — (1997) Publisher: Originally published to unprecedented and widespread praise ('exceptional brilliance' INTERZONE, 'sharp funny and brutal' THE TIMES) DAYS has been described as a cross between JG Ballard and even Jonathan Swift. It describes one day in the life of the Days gigastore, a massive shop seven storeys high and 2.5 kilometres on a side. Within its walls you can buy anything and everything. But there is a price to be paid. A savagely funny satire on a society obsessed with consumption DAYS paints a picture of a future that is just around the corner. It is a remarkable feat of visionary writing; blackly funny, lyrical and tightly plotted. It has affirmed James Lovegrove's position as one of the key writers of fantastic fiction in the UK today.

The Hand That Feeds — (1999) Publisher: "The Hand That Feeds" is a concise horror fantasy in chapbook form. Set in San Francisco in the immediate post-war period it begins with the death of one of 'The Six'; powerful human sentinels in the everlasting fight against darkness. The remaining guardians must find out who or what is stalking them and why — and obviously stop the killing.

The Foreigners — (2000) Publisher: It was a bizarre and beautiful invasion. Suddenly the Foreigners were everywhere: walking the streets of 21st century earth as if they had been there all along; their inscrutable golden masks floating above the crowds on top of their seven foot robe clad bodies. They brought with them the technological marvel of Crystech at once a power source and a building material; it banished all our worries and heralded a new utopia. All they asked of us was that we sing to them. All they threatened was that one day they might leave and take Crystech with them throwing us back into the dark ages. And now, in a hotel room on one of the gleaming white streets of New Venice, one of the Foreigners has been murdered. And if we cannot find out who killed it before another dies then the Foreigners will go giving us back disharmony and, perhaps, freedom.

Imagined Slights — (2002) Publisher: A combination of previously unseen stories, favourites from Interzone and contributions to numerous anthologies IMAGINED SLIGHTS showcases one of the most versatile and elegant writers on the genre scene today. Whether taking you through a Britain turned into a theme park, imagining a parallel London existing at the margins or exploring the mysteries of our own pasts James Lovegrove is incapable of writing a dull sentence.

Untied Kingdom — (2003) Publisher: After a series of disasterous political decisions the United Kingdom has finally fallen foul of the International Coummunity. Ostracized and bombed at random, the country has fallen apart. With the infrastructure in ruins, tiny communities struggle on relying on ancient traditions and myth for their structure and identity. In the village of Downbourne the mayor has styled himself the Green Man. But even he is powerless to stop a raid on the village by a London based gang who kidnap a number of the village's women. One of them is the schoolmaster's wife. Their marriage was an arid disaster, but the schoolmaster feels bound to do the right thing and sets off on a journey through an England at once terrifying and magical to get her back. But does this particular damsel even want to be rescued?

The House of Lazarus — (2003) Publisher: Joey's mum didn't want to die, so he rented her a place at the House of Lazarus, where you can keep people alive for ever. But Joey struggles to afford it and a strange dream makes him wonder if he's done the right thing. This book is suitable for reluctant readers of 12 plus, with a reading age of eight years and above. It is printed on cream paper, which is proven to be more restful on the eye. The font is specially designed to encourage a smooth and easy read. There are frequent page breaks, short, headed chapters and illustrations on almost every page. A wide range of specialists, including children themselves, have read and commented on the book prior to publication.

Worldstorm — (2004) Publisher: An extraordinary new fantasy of a world where everyone has supra-normal powers, from one of the UK's most exciting authors. James Lovegrove says "Worldstorm is a big fantasy novel, something I could never have envisaged myself writing, but then never say never when it comes to envisaging your own future. The setting is a world much like ours was about two centuries ago but with one crucial difference: everyone in it is born with some form of super power, latent till the onset of puberty."

Ant God — (2005) Publisher: When Dan's friend Jason makes the Revelation Glasses, which reveal things the human eye can't see, neither of them begins to imagine the consequences. This is a chilling tale from a master of the sci-fi genre.

Provender Gleed — (2005) Publisher: The Families. Insanely rich and richly insane. They are monarchs, Mafia, and movie stars rolled into one. Since the Borgias and the Medicis united in the 17th century, the Families have transfixed, transformed, and ruled the world. The Gleeds, the top British family, are hosting their annual ball. The perfect opportunity for Provender — the young, disaffected Gleed heir — to finally find a wife. And, as it turns out, the perfect opportunity for anti-familial revolutionaries to kidnap him. The future of the Gleeds, and of Europe, depends on the skills of two Anagrammatic detectives — while Provender's own future depends on the dark eyes and dark wit of a girl called Is.

Cold Keep — (2006) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Yana faces the most important test of her life. She must defeat the Shadow Trolls and prove herself as a warrior. Can she survive the night and find out their secret? This is an atmospheric sci-fi fantasy.

Kill Swap — (2007) What reason would someone have to kill a person they’d never met?

Dead Brigade — (2007) Publisher: Corporal Jonah Hammond commands the soldiers of the future: dead men, reanimated by nanobots. His zombie squad are the perfect fighting force... until they start to think for themselves. This is nerve-shredding future horror by an award-winning sci-fi author.

Redlaw — (2011) Publisher: They live among us, abhorred, marginalised, despised. They are vampires, known politely as Sunless. The job of policing their community falls to the men and women of the Sunless Housing and Disclosure Executive — SHADE. Captain John Redlaw is London’s most feared and respected SHADE officer. But when the vampires start rioting in their ghettoes, and angry humans respond with violence of their own, even Redlaw may not be able to keep the peace. Especially when political forces are aligning to introduce a radical answer to the Sunless problem, one that will resolve the situation once and for all... Redlaw is New York Times best selling author James Lovegrove at his very best.

Dust — (forthcoming)