The Lighthouse at the End of the World - by Philip A Suggars (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Enter a London like no other in this fast-paced, captivating fantasy novel filled with warring gods, alternate realities and a working class kid caught in the middle of it all, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Genevieve Cogman.

Oyster McLellen has spent his life causing mischief. Running with a small-time gang and fleecing money from tourists in Hyde Park to support his struggling family in the absence of his father, who abandoned them years ago.

When a simple money drop for his boss, Big Mickey, goes wrong, Oyster's future looks bleak. His only chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Mickey is to get the money back, but as he pursues the thieves across South London he suddenly finds himself washed up on a beach, surrounded by broken phones and shattered office furniture.

His new world: Greater London. A city built on the detritus of our own, where leviathans crafted from broken skyscrapers roam the seas, where ink beetles nestle beneath the skin of its residents and where Oyster's father, Lucas, may well have escaped to all those years ago.

But there are bigger things at stake. Oyster's allegiances are torn between the enigmatic Nonesuch, the eccentric escapist Marya Petrovna, and the terrifying Mr Primrose - and he will have to choose who to align himself with quickly. Because plans are afoot: something ancient is brewing, and a choice needs to be made, the consequences of which will determine the fate of Londons, and life, everywhere.

Review Quotes

A neo-Dickensian interdimensional occult adventure, smartly paced and compellingly written. I couldn't put it down!--Alex de Campi, Eisner award-nominated writer of Bad Girls

A vivid and boisterous portal fantasy with a bold, playful voice. I loved the inventive and daringly weird world, mixing dangerous London gangs with 17th century slang and pagan folklore with body horror that made me squirm-- but never losing sight of the personal story at its core about found family and lost fathers. More, please!--GV Anderson, World Fantasy award-winning author

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a charming portal-esque fantasy with gritty wit, taking its readers on a twisty adventure that is both mythic and mystic, at times violent, with dashes of whimsy, exploring familial trauma, wayfinding and learning to navigate the world, reclaiming control of a life that has always been dictated by others, finding courage, and discovering the power and strength of found families.--Ai Jiang

Inventive, immersive worldbuilding--Caitlin Rozakis, bestselling author of Dreadful

The Lighthouse at the End of the World is gloriously unhinged in all the best ways, with Oyster McLellen as the kind of scrappy, street-smart protagonist you can't help but root for, even as he cons his way across realities. If you've ever wanted China Miéville and Scott Lynch to get into a bar fight over a manuscript, this is the book that crawls out of the wreckage. --Helen Marshall, award-winning author of The Lady, The Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death

A quirky riot of a debut that will leave you in stitches. Suggars's delightful voice brings to life Dickensian characters in a magical London. Stunning and startling in equal measure.--T. L. Huchu, Nommo award-winning author of The Library of the Dead

Do you like steam-punk beetles? Old gods? And scamming tourists? You can find it all in a single hallucinogenic book. This debut has cemented Suggars as an author to watch out for.--Greer Stothers, author of Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die

Fantastical other realities, great characters - a glorious world to dive into." Marie O'Regan, ed. of In These Hallowed Halls, These Dreaming Spires, author of Celeste and The Last Ghost and Other Stories.

The creativity and imagination on display is breathtaking. The language employed by the characters is unique and complex, while the story immerses you in murky microcosms that will leave you astounded.--Charlotte Bond, author of The Watcher in the Woods

A collision of the razor-sharp, grounded and urban, with the hugely imaginative and fantastical. A fish out of water genre tale with flashes of Burroughs, Ballard and Barker. You'll never look at a beetle the same way again.--Paul Kane - award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell and The Storm.

About the Author

Philip A. Suggars' work has appeared in Strange Horizons, The Guardian and Interzone. He has won the Ilkley short story prize, been long-listed for the BSFA short story award and been included in The Best of British Science Fiction. When not writing words, he records music as one half of the post-punk electronica outfit, we are concrete. Born in South London, he currently lives on the south coast with his family.