Dark Matter

The bestselling Richard & Judy book club pick

By: Michelle Paver

Narrated by: Jeremy Northam

January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year. Gruhuken.

But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice. Stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return - when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible.

And Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark...

Read by Jeremy Northam

(p) 2010 Orion Publishing Group©2010 Michelle Paver

Critic reviews

Dark Matter is a spellbinding read - the kind of subtly unsettling, understated ghost story MR James might have written had he visited the Arctic

Told in the increasingly fearful words of Jack as he writes in his journal, this is a blood-curdling ghost story, evocative not just of icy northern wastes but of a mind as, trapped, it turns in on itself

'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)

Paver has created a tale of terror and beauty and wonder. Mission accomplished: at last, a story that makes you check you've locked all the doors, and leaves you very thankful indeed for the electric light. In a world of CGI-induced chills, a good old-fashioned ghost story can still clutch at the heart

Paver is the mistress of suspense, and the strangeness that humans can suffer from when exposed to the Arctic wilderness is brilliantly exploited in this period piece

Deeply affecting tale of mental and physical isolation

The ultimate test of a good ghost story is, surely, whether you feel panicked reading it in bed at midnight; two-thirds through, I found myself suddenly afraid to look out of the windows, so I'll call it a success

Dark Matter is terrific....(a) wild beast that grabs you by the neck

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

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

Disquieting and poIgnant in equal measure, Paver's novel reminds us that fear of the dark is the oldest fear of all. An ideal read for long winter evenings

This gripping ghost story has moments of horror and beauty

An atmospheric ghost story that would give Susan Hill a run for her money

More than just a ghost story, this is an exquisitely told psychological thriller. Unputdownable!

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

Very Good Winter Book

Very nice book to relax with on a winter's evening. Very well written and keeps you going along with the story.

A True Creeping Horror Story

Jeremy Northam's measured pace is perfect for the unidentified, but slowly encompassing sense of terror. Sparse on gruesome description, but huge in atmosphere. Possibly the best horror story I've ever read.

Meh

Meh, it was ok I guess. Not my favorite book. The narrator was the best part about it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Very well told story but graphic violence

This is a very well written story and effective. Performance is flawless. Dropped a star due to the graphic violence against humans and animals alike. Perhaps my own mistake-I took the “A Ghost Story” to imply more of a haunting and not so much violence. Outside of those moments this was very well done. Do not pursue if triggered by graphic descriptions of torture etc.

Moody, atmospheric ghost story

Dark Matter is a moody, atmospheric ghost story reminiscent of James or Poe. There is little obvious gore; the horror lies in the claustrophobic struggles of the protagonist who is tormented by his inability to decide whether he is hallucinating or really being haunted by a ghost. He is temporarily alone at a pre-World War I arctic research site. The cold and the dark close him in. He is constantly counting off the days until his companions return and that return repeatedly gets delayed. His only companion (apart from a brief visit from a trapper) is an Inuit husky. How he goes from being a dog hater to having his sanity saved by a dog is one of the more interesting subplots (if you like dogs, I do). The narrator is excellent and makes the most of a good story. Recommended if you like ghost stories without a dead body every ten steps...not for action junkies.