Dark Matter

By: Michelle Paver

Narrated by: Jeremy Northam

January 1937. Jack Miller has just about run out of options. His shoes have worn through, he can't afford to heat his rented room in Tooting, and he longs to use his training as a specialist wireless operator instead of working in his dead-end job. When he is given the chance to join an arctic expedition, as communications expert, by a group of elite Oxbridge graduates, he brushes off his apprehensions and convinces himself to join them.

As the young men set sail from a gloomy Britain on the verge of war, Jack feels the overwhelming excitement of not knowing what lies ahead. Little can he imagine the horrors that await him in their destination, Gruhuken, a place that cannot escape the savage echo of its past.

©2010 Michelle Paver (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Critic reviews

Dark Matter is brilliant. Imagine Jack London meets Stephen King. The novel virtually defines a new genre: literary creepy. I loved it (Jeffrey Deaver)

It's an elegantly told tale with a vivid sense of place - and it's deeply scary (Lesley Glaister)

Ghost stories don't frighten me much but this one did. Quite a lot, actually ... Chilling in every respect (Richard Madeley)

'From the first page Dark Matter gripped me with a quiet relentless intensity - every word is perfectly placed, every silence heavy with dread... absolutely unmissable' (Simon Pegg)

Ehh

It was super slow for me. The narration was great, but the story was just not grabbing me, I almost stopped listening to it several times. It was just ok, definitely not scary or spooky at all FOR ME.

Well Told Creepy Short Story

Excellent narration. The story is engaging and sufficiently creepy. I liked the characters and the location.

Fear, Beauty, Death

This is a gorgeously written tale of horror, love, and survival in a ferocious, untamed landscape. Like Bly Manor, the descriptions were lush and characters fully-formed, leaving you little choice but to become invested in them.
I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

A wonderful morsel of a book!

Finished in one day and loved every second of it. If you liked The Terror, you'll enjoy it too

An Incredibly Haunting Story, But Too Short

I love this story. I think its one of the best ghost stories I have ever heard, and the narration is absolutely amazing. I just didn't like its shortness- it could have definitely dived deeper into itself and its history, but its curtness also follows the soul of the tale quite nicely.

Pitch perfect reading

This is a great reading. He adds color to the different characters without going overboard.

The story itself is a slow burn ghost story that twists into a love story. Very atmospheric.

Good

On the same line as the ship TERROR.
Written well and narration was perfect for this story.

Good short horror story

I loved listening to this during the dark, rainy nights of a Pacific Northwest winter.

Simple. Terrifying.

Incredibly well-written with an amazing narration. The story is simple yet does a great job in capturing and conveying its terror. Strongly recommend

Very spooky!

Slow build up which heightens anticipation, then ramps up. I was washing my hair during the highest point of terror, so I had to keep my eyes closed to keep the soap out of my eyes. Not fun! Or very fun if you like being scared! Hearing his journal and his paranoia, you feel how claustrophobic it is, and get a sense of how much he's losing it.