Orpheus Nine by Chris Flynn

An unputdownable supernatural thriller about a mysterious global event, set in an Australian rural town.

It began in every town and city at the same time, in every dark and twisted corner of our world. One third of the earth's citizens were asleep at the time. Their awakening was marked by horror and confusion. Just about everyone else had their routine interrupted as they witnessed the event with eyes wide open. They prayed it was a dream.

In the small, sleepy town of Gattan, population 7448, it happened at eleven o'clock on a Saturday morning. At the local soccer field, only one boy, aged ten years and one week, remained standing as the brothers, sisters and parents of his teammates realised the horror they were witnessing. Their screams split the sky.

One hundred and thirty million died that first day.

Every day since, on the morning of a child's ninth birthday, it happens again. No one knows why. The ongoing horror becomes known as Orpheus Nine and bereft parents cruelly labelled Orpheans. Global leaders have no answers as chaos takes hold. Conspiracy theories and violence spread as scientists wrestle with the ongoing toll and anxious citizens and militant Orpheans try to take matters into their own hands.

In Gattan, the chasm between life before and after grows wider for three old friends, now parents. They struggle with waves of grief at the loss of one child, guilt at one child's survival and anger as another child edges closer to their birthday. No matter the cost, each of the friends attempt to fight the unfathomable in their own way. But the reality is, the clock keeps ticking, the world order is crumbling and the gods are watching ...

From the bestselling author of Mammoth comes a propulsive and spine-chilling thriller that prompts the question: is this the end of days or the start of something new?

'mysterious, comedic, terrifying and unexpectedly moving' ELIZABETH GILBERT

'Chris Flynn is the fifth horseman of the apocalypse. He'll decimate us with his words and we'll thank him for it.' SIANG LU

Born in Belfast, Chris Flynn now lives in a small town in regional Victoria. He is the author of Mammoth, The Glass Kingdom and A Tiger in Eden, the story collection Here Be Leviathans, and three books for children in association with Museums Victoria, Horridus and the Hidden Valley, Horridus and the Night Forest and The Quest for Kool.

His work has appeared in Spinning Around: The Kylie Playlist, Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings, Monster Children, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Meanjin, The Guardian, The Age, The Australian, The Big Issue, Australian Book Review and many other publications.

Chris's books have been shortlisted for and won prizes such as the Indie Book Award, Commonwealth Book Prize, Russell Prize for Humour, Queensland Premier's Literary Award and Aurealis Award. His mum and dad were foster parents. He grew up with more than 100 brothers and sisters, all aged under nine.