Ally Wilkes |
All the White SpacesIn the wake of the First World War, Jonathan Morgan stows away on an Antarctic expedition, determined to find his rightful place in the world of men. Aboard the expeditionary ship of his hero, the world-famous explorer James “Australis” Randall, Jonathan may live as his true self—and true gender—and have the adventures he has always been denied. But not all is smooth sailing: the war casts its long shadow over them all, and grief, guilt, and mistrust skulk among the explorers.
When disaster strikes in Antarctica’s frozen Weddell Sea, the men must take to the land and overwinter somewhere which immediately seems both eerie and wrong; a place not marked on any of their part-drawn maps of the vast white continent. Now completely isolated, Randall’s expedition has no ability to contact the outside world. And no one is coming to rescue them. In the freezing darkness of the Polar night, where the aurora creeps across the sky, something terrible has been waiting to lure them out into its deadly landscape… As the harsh Antarctic winter descends, this supernatural force will prey on their deepest desires and deepest fears to pick them off one by one. It is up to Jonathan to overcome his own ghosts before he and the expedition are utterly destroyed. All the White Spaces is a heady and haunting mix of historical fiction, polar survival horror, and a meditation on gender, identity, and the enduring mysteries of the self. You won't soon forget Jonathan Morgan and his trial by ice. - Paul Tremblay, author of A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS
A journey into winter, a growing sense of isolation, a battle with the elements and facing down the ghosts of the past – Ally Wilkes has taken some of my very favourite ingredients and bound them into a deliciously spooky and compulsive tale. Ideal for a dark evening, though you might want to draw a little closer to the fire . . . - AJ Elwood, author of THE COTTINGLEY CUCKOO An intricately described story of loss, self-discovery and belonging in the last gasps of empire. It was wonderfully immersive; I heard every creak and was bitten by the freezing fog. All the White Spaces is a ghost story of the heart that becomes a harrowing battle for survival in malicious barrens. It reads like The Terror meets The Thing in Antarctica - Louis Greenberg, author of EXPOSURE All the White Spaces is a sly and unsettling gem of a book that makes for an immersive read. The storytelling is as taut as the setting is stark, and rife with creeping dread. Despite the blazing summer heat, I was chilled to the bone while reading it, and could not put it down. I loved every frostbitten word! - Camilla Bruce, author of YOU LET ME IN Available for order:
Ally Wilkes grew up in a succession of isolated—possibly haunted—country houses and boarding schools. After studying law at Oxford, she went on to spend eleven years as a criminal barrister. Ally now lives in Greenwich, London, with an anatomical human skeleton and far too many books about Polar exploration.
Tags: Adult, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQIA+, Thriller
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