Eutopia
A Novel of Terrible Optimism
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This debut horror novel by the author of acclaimed short story collection Monstrous Affections “establishes him as a worthy heir to the mantle of Stephen King” (National Post).
Set in 1911, Eutopia “mixes utopian vision, rustic Americana, and pure creepiness. . . . Nickle blends Little House on the Prairie with distillates of Rosemary’s Baby and The X-Files to create a chilling survival-of-the-fittest story” (Publishers Weekly).
Situated on the edge of the woods and mountains of northern Idaho, the tiny settlement of Eliada is an industrialist’s attempt to create heaven on earth. But its secrets are soon to be unveiled, as Jason Thistledown, the sole survivor of a mysterious plague in Montana, and Andrew Waggoner, a black doctor nearly lynched by the KKK, delve beneath the façade of the utopian mill town. What they discover is science warped by ideology—and an unearthly monster that preys on the faith of its own true believers . . .
“A story of piano-wire suspense, grotesque horrors, and, above all, visceral insight into the race politics of American horror, and how they are bound up with the American project itself.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
Praise for David Nickle
“His stories are dark, wildly imaginative, and deeply compassionate—even when they’re laced with righteous anger.” —Nathan Ballingrud, author of Wounds
“David Nickle is Canada’s answer to Stephen King. His writing charms even as it slices like a blade between the ribs: sharp, subtle, and never less than devastating.” —Helen Marshall, author of Gifts for the One Who Comes After
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nickle's bleak debut novel mixes utopian vision, rustic Americana, and pure creepiness. It's 1911 and the future is bright in remote Eliada, Idaho, with its thriving timber business and a free hospital funded by forward-thinking philanthropist Garrison Harper. But Harper and Dr. Nils Bergstrom are disciples of eugenicist Charles Davenport, and their plan to create "a paradise for workers and owners alike" is anything but healthy. The evidence lies within bizarrely made Mister Juke, who heralds the imminent "perfectibility of mankind." Black doctor Andrew Waggoner, whose outsider status and Hippocratic oath make him unwilling to cooperate, and Jason Thistledown, lone survivor of an engineered plague that destroyed Cracked Wheel, Mont., are Eliada's only hope as Mister Juke's alien tribe begins to make terrible plans of its own. Nickle (Monstrous Affections) blends Little House on the Prairie with distillates of Rosemary's Baby and The X-Files to create a chilling survival-of-the-fittest story.
