Way Down Dark

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD

Imagine a nightmare from which there is no escape. Seventeen-year-old Chan's ancestors left a dying Earth hundreds of years ago, in search of a new home. They never found one.

This is a hell where no one can hide. The only life that Chan's ever known is one of violence, of fighting. Of trying to survive.

This is a ship of death, of murderers and cults and gangs. But there might be a way to escape. In order to find it, Chan must head way down into the darkness - a place of buried secrets, long-forgotten lies, and the abandoned bodies of the dead.

This is Australia. Seventeen-year-old Chan, fiercely independent and self-sufficient, keeps her head down and lives quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself amidst the violence and disorder. Until the day she makes an extraordinary discovery - a way to return the Australia to Earth. But doing so would bring her to the attention of the fanatics and the murderers who control life aboard the ship, putting her and everyone she loves in terrible danger.

And a safe return to Earth is by no means certain.

Short-listed for Arthur C. Clarke Award 2016

“Hard-hitting, lightning-paced and beautifully written, Way Down Dark delivers a thrilling fight for survival in a world where death lurks around every corner. Fans of The Hunger Games will devour it, although they might not want to read it after dark...A dark and brutal new YA trilogy with a heroine who could whup Katniss any day of the week.When the stars align, I feel like I won a small lottery. Such is the case with James Smythe. - WiredA young writer with a preternaturally powerful and distinctive voice. - GuardianSavage, intimate, inexorable.As if Philip K Dick and David Mitchell collaborated on an episode of The West Wing . Unsettling, gripping and hugely thought-provoking.”

Hard-hitting, lightning-paced and beautifully written, Way Down Dark delivers a thrilling fight for survival in a world where death lurks around every corner. Fans of The Hunger Games will devour it, although they might not want to read it after dark...

A dark and brutal new YA trilogy with a heroine who could whup Katniss any day of the week.

When the stars align, I feel like I won a small lottery. Such is the case with James Smythe. - Wired

A young writer with a preternaturally powerful and distinctive voice. - Guardian

Savage, intimate, inexorable.

As if Philip K Dick and David Mitchell collaborated on an episode of The West Wing. Unsettling, gripping and hugely thought-provoking.

James Smythe is the author of the Wales Book Of The Year Fiction Award winner THE TESTIMONY (2012); THE EXPLORER (2013); THE MACHINE (2013) and THE ECHO (2014).

He has been shortlisted for and won any number of prizes, including The Kitschies Red Tentacles and the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

He currently writes a continuing series of articles for The Guardian called Rereading Stephen King and teaches Creative Writing in London. He can be found on twitter @jpsmythe and Facebook.

Imagine a nightmare from which there is no escape. Seventeen-year-old Chan's ancestors left a dying Earth hundreds of years ago, in search of a new home. They never found one. This is a hell where no one can hide. The only life that Chan's ever known is one of violence, of fighting. Of trying to survive. This is a ship of death, of murderers and cults and gangs. But there might be a way to escape. In order to find it, Chan must head way down into the darkness - a place of buried secrets, long-forgotten lies, and the abandoned bodies of the dead. This is Australia. Seventeen-year-old Chan, fiercely independent and self-sufficient, keeps her head down and lives quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself amidst the violence and disorder. Until the day she makes an extraordinary discovery - a way to return the Australia to Earth. But doing so would bring her to the attention of the fanatics and the murderers who control life aboard the ship, putting her and everyone she loves in terrible danger. And a safe return to Earth is by no means certain. 'Darker than Divergent , more brutal than The Hunger Games ... Way Down Dark introduces readers to a heroine to root for in a compelling, explosive new YA trilogy' James Dawson, author of Say Her Name

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD Imagine a nightmare from which there is no escape. Seventeen-year-old Chan's ancestors left a dying Earth hundreds of years ago, in search of a new home. They never found one.This is a hell where no one can hide. The only life that Chan's ever known is one of violence, of fighting. Of trying to survive.This is a ship of death, of murderers and cults and gangs. But there might be a way to escape. In order to find it, Chan must head way down into the darkness - a place of buried secrets, long-forgotten lies, and the abandoned bodies of the dead.This is Australia. Seventeen-year-old Chan, fiercely independent and self-sufficient, keeps her head down and lives quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself amidst the violence and disorder. Until the day she makes an extraordinary discovery - a way to return the Australia to Earth. But doing so would bring her to the attention of the fanatics and the murderers who control life aboard the ship, putting her and everyone she loves in terrible danger. And a safe return to Earth is by no means certain.

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