The Deading - by Nicholas Belardes

About the Book

"... [a] harrowing dystopian novel about the downward spiral of a seaside town that becomes infected by a mysterious ocean-borne contagion."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Dystopian eco-horror that perfectly balances social critique, lyricism and ghastliness. It's a claustrophobic mosaic of a novel, and an outstanding debut." --New York Times Book Review

Stephen King's Under the Dome meets The Last of Us in this harrowing dystopian novel about the downward spiral of a seaside town that becomes infected by a mysterious ocean-borne contagion.

If you want to stay, you have to die.

In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.

Once infected, residents of Baywood start "deading" collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.

Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.

At points claustrophobic and haunting, soulful and melancholic, The Deading lyrically explores the disintegration of society, the horror of survival and adaptation, and the unexpected solace found through connections in nature and between humans.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Deading

"A small California town is cut off from the rest of the country by a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions . . . This patchwork of familiar horror plot motifs offers some fun scares." --Publishers Weekly

"At once grim and gripping, horrifying and revelatory, Nicholas Belardes's eco-horror, dystopian novel The Deading conjures a world that exists as a dark mirror the reader's own." --Shelf Awareness

"Unfolding via multiple perspectives, the novel switches between first and third person, a choice that effectively disorients the reader by offering a heightened you-are-there sense of urgency to the story, and Belardes' thought-provoking exploration of societal collapse feels completely of the moment."--Booklist

"Do not eat fish from these waters. Or oysters. Really, just stay inland. Except that, in The Deading, that doesn't necessarily mean you're safe." --Stephen Graham Jones, bestselling author of The Only Good Indians

"With prose as precise and dazzling as a diamond, The Deading is a masterwork." --Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

"Belardes is a fine writer. The Deading hits hard out of the gate and keeps escalating. A delightfully gruesome combination of science fiction and eco-horror." --Shirley Jackson Award winner Laird Barron, author of Not a Speck of Light (Stories)

"The Deading is a stellar novel: superb prose and a compelling mix of horror, ecology, and social commentary. Darkly beautiful and chilling, The Deading will linger long after the read ends."--Lucy A. Snyder, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Sister, Maiden, Monster

"A lyrical meditation on nature and mortality." --Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse

"The Deading is a gorgeous and grotesque nightmare-vision of the inescapable connections between human beings and the natural world they so often exploit: a must-read for fans of eco-weird, cosmic horror, and dystopia." --Kay Chronister, author of Desert Creatures

"With his standout novel The Deading, Nicholas Belardes delivers his own unique blend of smart, stylish, dark and deadly, ecological fiction. Belardes delivers thought-provoking horrors steeped in reverence for the natural world. A masterful debut, The Deading is the herald of a powerful new voice in genre fiction. Read it now and rejoice in the mind-bending and dark places it will bring to your summer reading and beyond!" --Daniel Braum, author of Serpent's Shadow

"The Deading is, simply put, a masterful eco-horror tale. Featuring vivid characters, compelling science, and a unique and engaging premise, this book will pull you down into the murky depths and never let go. This book is a winner." --Pedro Iniguez, Rhysling Award finalist, Pushcart Prize nominee and author of Synthetic Dawns & Crimson Dusks

About the Author

Nicholas Belardes's fiction combines elements of literary fantastic, fantasy, eco-horror, and science fiction. His obsession with nature, history, and the world's ongoing climate disasters, blended with a daily birdwatching habit, fills his prose with not just warblers and flycatchers but also other obscurities from the natural world. He earned his MFA at University of California Riverside's Palm Desert Low Residency where he received the Founder's Award. The Deading is his debut horror novel. He lives on the Central California coast. You can find him online at nicholasbelardes.com.