An ancient evil arises. An ancient power awakens. Nineteen-year-old Megan Howatt lives in a house on the edge of a crumbling sea cliff, waiting for her life to fall into the North Sea. Her mother is dead, and her father has lost his mind, obsessively hoarding the junk that he salvages from the shoreline. Her only friends are Lou, the eccentric owner of a beach-side cafe, and Kelpy, the large black dog that she rescued from the sea as a puppy. Desperate to escape, but unwilling to abandon her father, she scratches a living working at the Dry Dog Inn in the nearby village of Salwick. A violent storm hits the village, and the killings begin. A flock of sheep is torn apart, and suspicious eyes turn towards Kelpy. The owner of a local antiques shop goes missing. Something prowls the village streets at night-something that smells of rot and endless hunger. Megan finds herself drawn to the story of Mad Annie, a local woman accused of witchcraft who died on the island of Nine Mothers. With Lou's help, Megan must reckon with the occult powers awakening in her, face the ghosts of her childhood, and save her home from a shape-shifting horror of the ancient world. Before 1 - After the Storm 2 - The Hole in the Sea 3 - Happy Families 4 - Night Terrors 5 - Buried Treasure 6 - Cleaning Up 7 - Brain of Britain 8 - The Handsome Mr Pellar 9 - Village Meeting 10 - The Snipe 11 - Sheep 12 - Herbal Tea 13 - The Tale of Mad Annie 14 - Mrs Mackenzie 15 - Of Bones and Blackberries 16 - Digging 17 - Play Fetch 18 - Those in Peril 19 - Red Lights 20 - Tracking 21 - Sunday Service 22 - Sympathetic Poisoning 23 - Blame 24 - Intrusion 25 - The Hoard 26 - Shoring Up 27 - The Moat 28 - Across the Bight 29 - The Cunning Woman 30 - Annie 31 - Trev 32 - Pat 33 - Harry 34 - Simon 35 - First Aid 36 - The Siege of the Dry Dog 37 - Lou and the Nuck 38 - In the Cellar 39 - The Nine Mothers 40 - The Wild Hunt After "Solid, meaty characters, crackling dialogue, vivid imagination, and high-stakes horror make The Strandling a riveting and immersive read." "Brogden creates compelling, complex characters and haunting, thrilling stories, and his tales stay with you for a long time. The Strandling is his best yet." "A very human story pervaded by a sense of dread and enchantment. A magnificent book."
