The Death House - Softcover

Pinborough, Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1789091837 ISBN 13: 9781789091830

Publisher: Titan Books, 2019

Synopsis

Lord of the Flies meets Never Let Me Go in this compelling and heart-breaking dystopian novel from British Fantasy Award winner Sarah Pinborough.

In the near future, children are tested for the defective gene. Those who possess it are taken from their homes, torn from their families and sent to the Death House.

Standing alone on a remote island, it looks like a 1940s boarding school. But a school prepares children for life, and these children are destined to die. Idling their time away in pointless classes, supervised by cold matrons, their days have no purpose, because neither do their futures.

When the sickness hits, death comes quickly. Children are taken from their dormitories in the night and never seen again. Forced to confront his own mortality, 16-year-old Toby tries to block out his past, and the terrifying unknown that is his future. Until a van arrives with a group of new kids, and everything changes.

Death may be certain, but Toby discovers that his fate is up to him.

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed horror, thriller and YA author. She has written for New Tricks on the BBC and has an original horror film in development. Sarah was the 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and has three times been short-listed for Best Novel. She has also been short-listed for a World Fantasy Award. She lives in London.

Review

"When I reached the end, I was devastated and sad. Sad because it was over, devastated because the ending was perfect." - Word Gurgle 

"The ending was powerful and just another sign that Sarah Pinborough is one of the best we got." - Dying World News 

"Pinborough delivers an irresistible cast here, from our main couple and their friends to antagonist Jake and his goons, to the mysterious Matron and her nurses who treat the children with little to no emotion. It has the feel of GIRL, INTERRUPTED mixed with OUTBREAK, and while the horror is latent in each scene, at its core THE DEATH HOUSE is a dark love story with a heart-wrenching finale that showcases Toby's integrity." - The Horror Fiction Review

"Dark and touching, you’ll grow to care about these captives and share their desperation as they search for answers." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Pinborough’s The Death House provides a compelling celebration of hope in the direstof worlds" -  Blog Critics

"The best young adult book I have ever read” -  SF Reader

"An amazing, heart-rending novel of love, loss, and hope." - Fandom Post 

"The Death House is bleak yet beautiful, dark yet full of warmth, compassion, and understanding. Sarah Pinborough deserves all the acclaim and accolades that have been coming her way." - Dirge Magazine

"The perfect bittersweet mixture of suspense and first-love romance” - Pop Kernal 

"The story flows effortlessly from the first page toward the achingly touching and beautifully written ending. It has been written so well that it immediately grabs hold of the reader and doesn't let go (it'll be almost impossible for the reader to put this novel down). In my opinion, Sarah Pinborough's The Death House is an amazing achievement." - Rising Shadow 

"Comes in quietly and leaves with the emotional impact of a wrecking ball." - Barnes & Noble 

"Recommended, for those who want a dash of The Girl with All the Gifts with their The Fault in Our Stars." - Kirkus

"There’s more than enough to keep readers going through to the end." - Entertainment Buddha

“I loved THE DEATH HOUSE. It's moving and totally involving. Pinborough writes with vividness and emotional resonance. I couldn't put it down.” STEPHEN KING

"A marvelously creepy and engaging novel" - Count Gore

"You turn the pages begging for the story to continue ever further and not reach its poetic but terrible conclusion so fast. It will leave you in tears." - Love Reading 

"There are curveballs and plot twists galore, and more than a handful of tear-jerkers as the story progresses, but all of it is crafted with a care and attention to detail that defines what a good narrative and cracking tale it really is." - British Fantasy Society 

"Pinborough layers a beautiful account of that first, maddening, youthful love, alongside the friendship and brotherhood only found in those doomed to die together. It's poignant and tear-jerking: the ending is stunning, and I haven't cried this much at a book in a long time." - Strange Horizons 

"Sarah Pinborough has created an incredible book with The Death House. Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances highlighting the power of humanity....The writer's deft touch leaves the reader emotional. You might feel like your heart has been stomped on." - Geek Syndicate 

"The Death House is sad, stealthily creepy, emotionally haunting and quite brilliant." - SFF World

"Unsettling, frightening and in the end uplifting, The Death House has stayed with me" - Jenny Colgan

 “Sarah Pinborough’s writing is flawless, and in this one she’s got a mastery of mood that wraps around the psyche with dark little tendrils to burrow in and squeeze. Brilliant work, truly top-notch.” - Horror Fiction

“a bleak and beautiful climax”  Barnes & Noble SFF blog

About this edition

• Publisher: Titan Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1789091837
• ISBN 13: 9781789091830
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288