The Book of the Dead
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Pub Date 8 Oct 2026 | Archive Date 29 Oct 2026
HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager
Description
Award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan collects brand-new stories of murder, myth, and misadventure including contributions from international bestsellers Garth Nix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Tamsyn Muir, and featuring stunning illustrations from Galen Dara.
We are all going to die. But how? Will it hurt? Where will we go? What will we find there? What will happen to the people we leave behind?
From our earliest myths to our most advanced scientific theories, humanity has grappled with the nature of dying, and what, if anything, comes after. The Book of the Dead confronts our terrible mortality with unflinching honesty and breathtaking imagination, taking us on a journey from the dusty plains of the Australian Outback where wives mysteriously vanish, to the fog-shrouded interstates of a man’s regret, to the deep, dark tombs of Martian queens, and to the somber shores of a world where the dead refuse to stay buried.
Bringing together some of the most iconic and compelling voices in speculative fiction today, The Book of the Dead features stories from Indrapramit Das, Paolo Bacigalupi, Daryl Gregory, Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Kelly Robson, Cadwell Turnbull, Elizabeth Bear, K J Parker, Cassandra Khaw, Samantha Mills, Premee Mohamed, Darcie Little Badger, Garth Nix, Paul Tremblay, Wole Talabi, Tobi Ogundiran, Silvia Park, Isabel J Kim, Vajra Chandrasekera, Priya Sharma, Angela Slatter, Stephen Graham Jones, Catherynne Valente, Tamsyn Muir, Nghi Vo, E. Lily Yu, and Kaaron Warren, all of whom look unflinchingly at death in stories that will terrify, fascinate, and resonate with readers long after the final page.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780008809584 |
| PRICE | £8.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 384 |
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Buy on Bookshop.org Buy on Kobo Buy on WaterstonesAverage rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
"From our earliest myths to our most advanced scientific theories, humanity has grappled with the nature of dying... A beautiful collection of stories of murder, myth, and misadventure.
Reviewer 1422803
A phenomenally curated, mortality-confronting anthology that brings together some of the most compelling voices in modern speculative fiction.
Tackling the heavy, universal theme of what happens when we die, this collection spans everything from dark fantasy and sci-fi to eerie horror. With heavy-hitting contributors like Garth Nix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, and Tamsyn Muir, the sheer star power in these pages is incredible. The standout feature is how wildly diverse the interpretations are, shifting seamlessly from an Old Kingdom tale by Nix to haunting sci-fi visions of Martian tombs.
Beautifully accompanied by Galen Dara’s striking illustrations, it is a visually and emotionally arresting collection that manages to make a bleak subject feel breathtakingly imaginative.
The only downside, which is typical for an anthology of this massive scale, is that the tone and pacing can feel a bit uneven as you jump between vastly different writing styles. A few of the more experimental, slow-burn stories don't hit quite as hard as the punchy, terrifying thriller pieces, occasionally breaking the reading momentum.
However, the hits far outweigh the misses, making this an absolute treasure trove for speculative fiction lovers who enjoy deep, thought-provoking stories.
Thank you very much for the ARC, cannot wait for this to join my collection!
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