Announcing The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett!

Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett, a dual timeline tale of English Civil War soldiers and a group of researchers who discover all is not as it seems when they venture into Moresby Wood…

World English Rights were acquired by Michael Rowley from Anne Perry at Ki Agency Ltd.

The Dark Between the Trees will be released on 11 October 2022 in the US and 13 October 2022 in the UK.

We’re thrilled to share the stunning cover with you today, designed by Dominic Forbes:

1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood… unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight…

Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will… and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry.

Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover, once and for all, what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. They’re led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area (which is nearly 50 years old), Dr Christopher’s group enters the wood ready for anything.

Or so they think.

Author Fiona Barnett on the book:

“This story is a mashup of so many of my favourite things: campfire stories, ordinary foot-soldiers in one of the most exciting parts of British history, the things that come slithering out of the darkest part of the woods, and competent women yelling at each other. I’m thrilled that the folks at Rebellion have come with me into the mists of this particular deep forest, and I can’t wait to see The Dark Between the Trees out in the world!”

Acquiring Editor Michael Rowley:

“I love The Dark Between the Trees. It’s a wonderful blend of atmosphere, suspense and pace. The team are all very excited about it, and we’re thrilled to be publishing it.”

Fiona Barnett lives in Edinburgh, but grew up by the New Forest with stories of Roundheads and Cavaliers, and ancient secrets in the heart of the woods. She has podcasted on the British Civil Wars, and her short fiction has appeared in Haunted Voices: An Anthology of Scottish Gothic Storytelling.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.