Description

---

A page-turning literary fantasy filled with terror and wonder, set in a sun-baked Southern Italy, for fans of The Girls by Emma Cline, The Magus by John Fowles and The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.

It’s been labelled a doomsday cult, but the Bastion might be humanity’s last hope. Amidst all the lies and chaos, come hear their true story, in their own words.

On the rural coast of Puglia, Italy, Becca and Ric run the Bastion, offering solace and a home for lost souls. Each year they welcome new members to join the Open Feast, where they teach them to release their burdens and create a better world, in a journey of self-discovery and spiritual teachings.

But the Bastion has secrets. The Bastion has a destiny. Deep in the Inner Pinewood, a place of real magic and beauty, they are all that stands against the dark forces that would tear the sky wide open

And what of those who call Becca and Ric liars? Cult leaders and con artists? What of those who tried to leave the Bastion? As it becomes increasingly difficult to tell truth from fiction, who can you trust to save us all?

About the Author

---

Francesco Dimitri is an Italian author and speaker living in London. He is on the Faculty of the School of Life. He is considered one of the foremost fantasy writers in Italy, and his works have been widely appreciated by non-genre readers too. A film has been made from his first novel, La Ragazza dei miei Sogni (The Girl of My Dreams). The Book of Hidden Things is his debut novel in English.

Praise For…

---

"Blurring the line between fantasy and fanaticism, this is a story to be savored."— Publishers Weekly


"THE DARK SIDE OF THE SKY swept me out to sea - and it wasn't until I finished the book that I realised how far from the safety of shore I'd come. Dimitri's new work is subtle, chilling, and utterly inexorable."— Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces


"Enchanting, mysterious and thought-provoking, this book expands the author’s vision of a Puglia which offers glimpses of something fantastical beyond the edges of this world. In short, it’s amazing, and I’m beginning to suspect that Francesco Dmitri might just be a magician. Definitely not to be missed" —Alison Littlewood, author of The Hidden People


"Absolutely compelling, the way he dissolves the boundaries between the real and the magical so incrementally that you almost don't realise it's happening, before the darkness seeps in at the edges and you realise that what you're reading is enchantment in the old fashioned sense of something that is simultaneously transporting and terrifying". —James Brogden, author of Hekla's Children


"Another smash-hit by Francesco Dimitri, The Dark Side of the Sky is a thrilling combination of esoteric thriller and literary fantasy. The book drew me in from the first, and kept me turning the pages all the way to the end. The characters are rounded, believable and full, the plot is perfectly paced, and the occult references are masterfully written without guile or sneering, a rare trait in a novel. Is it wrong that the details of rural Italy made me want to book a flight to Puglia tomorrow?
- Dr. Rebecca Beattie, author of The Wheel of the Year: A Nurturing Guide to Rediscovering Nature's Seasons and Cycles


"A thought-provoking, profound and enjoyable voyage into mystery and magic by the renowned author of The Book of Hidden Things and Never the Wind. The Dark Side of the Sky takes its characters, and the reader, between the worlds of reality and fantasy and challenges us to distinguish which is which, while all the time, just at the threshold of consciousness, a menacing presence lurks". 
- Vivianne Crowley




PRAISE FOR FRANCESCO DIMITRI


"Susanna Clarke meets Robert Aickman in this heady, melancholic, nuanced coming of age story. I was utterly entranced by Never the Wind."— Paul Tremblay


"A coming-of-age story, a tale of old family rivalries and grudges, a supernatural mystery that the blind Luca might be more equipped to unravel than others; Never the Wind is a beguiling thing, that draws you irresistibly into its labyrinth of secrets." — Will MacLean, author of Apparition Phase


"What a terrific book... I'm truly moved to see such a faithful depiction of real-life blindness in a piece of literature. But Francesco Dimitri has also painted the most wonderful, three-dimensional image of the Italian countryside on my mind's eye, and constructed a masterful tale that is at times chilling and at others cosily poignant in its sublime evocations of youth and summertimes past." — Maud Rowell, author of Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness


"A intricately detailed an subtly fantastical coming of age story that unfolds slowly into a larger, darker world." A. C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and Hooked


"This book is so good that I am speechless. Staggeringly good! An extraordinarily powerful work. Dimitri casts his net into the sea of myth, and brings up a remarkable catch. Family, friendship, horror, humor, wit and deception—I have seldom read a book so powerful."— Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint


"An absolutely extraordinary book. Highly, highly recommended."— Terri Windling


"It's a ghost story and a love story, full of life and passion, and knowledge. It's a wonderful book." — Aliya Whiteley, award-winning author of The Beauty, The Loosening Skin and Skyward Inn


"Never the Wind is a tender and magical take on all the potential – and horrors – of adolescence. Dimitri’s writing is full of wonder at the natural world, beautifully mediated through Luca’s heart-rending personal circumstances, and a narrative voice full of pathos and wisdom. An utterly fresh take on the coming-of-age tale, with something deliciously awful and folkloric – in the darkest possible way – about the story’s triumphant climax." — Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces


"Francesco Dimitri has set himself what would be a daunting challenge for any writer, and he has risen to that challenge with aplomb. The result is beautiful and life-affirming and profound, and I am more than a little in awe. Dimitri is a phenomenon. Read this book. Read it now!" — A. J. Elwood, author of The Cottingley Cuckoo


"A sensory treat! Never the Wind is richly realised, and Francesco Dimitri is a marvel."—Oliver K. Langmead, author of Birds of Paradise and Glitterati


Enchanting, mysterious and thought-provoking, this book expands the author’s vision of a Puglia which offers glimpses of something fantastical beyond the edges of this world. In short, it’s amazing, and I’m beginning to suspect that Francesco Dmitri might just be a magician. Definitely not to be missed.  - Alison Littlewood


"Damn, this is good. This is the kind of fantasy that I wish I could write, and I am awestruck."—James Brogden, author of Hekla's Children


"Francesco Dimitri is a true visionary in contemporary fantasy fiction. His masterful storytelling has echoes of Alan Garner in its invocation of the landscape of the author’s native Puglia and the ancient magic that throbs just beneath the surface. Fiercely intelligent, achingly heart-felt, Never the Wind will live on in your dreams long after the last page has been read."—Mark Chadbourn, author of Age of Misrule


"Heavenly Creatures meets Mary Stewart’s lushly scenic gothic thrillers in Dimitri’s eerie sophomore work of religious horror...truly spooky...plenty here to fascinate fans of cerebral horror."—Publishers Weekly


PRAISE FOR THE BOOK OF HIDDEN THINGS


A thrilling spectacle that also manages to point poignantly at the way the landscapes we grow up in shape us in ways even beyond our understanding. A deeply felt look at the idea of home, clothed as a popcornworthy page-turner. – Kirkus, starred review


What a joy to have this in English. Francesco Dimitri's fantastic fantasy novel has everything I like. A sensation of damp shadows moving just out of sight, and a slow, joyful, and mysterious unravelling of events. I can't recommend it too highly. – Joe R. Lansdale, author of The Thicket


The Book of Hidden Things shows us that memories are stories that refuse to belong only to the past. Such stories can create places that are both wonderful and dangerous; whether we believe in them or not is up to us. – Aliya Whiteley, author of The Beauty


What a glorious read! This sun-drenched fantasy is a feast for the senses, reflecting on the value of friendship and what it means to finally grow up. If you loved the Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane, this book is for you. – Helen Marshall, author of Gifts for the One Who Comes After


The Book of Hidden Things is both a mystery and a map. Follow the clues along the trail in Francesco Dimtri’s dazzling debut and you’ll be ushered into a hidden world of magic, not only within these pages, but also within your own life. Be prepared to be transformed. – Mark Chadbourn, author of Age of Misrule


Francesco Dimitri's first novel in English is a wonder and a revelation. Hidden within this gripping, frightening story about an arcane manuscript is a deep, clear-eyed, and compassionate meditation on friendship as it evolves over time. The Book of Hidden Things is fantasy at its best: using magical tropes to illuminate real life. – Terri Windling, author of The Wood Wife


As soon as I read the first lines of The Book of Hidden Things, I felt at home. It is an immersive book, that draws you in and never lets you go. Gripping, ruthless in the way it describes the age of reason, dominated by a mysterious, magical Salento landscape very far from the chocolate box images we are used to. In a word, unmissable. – Licia Troisi, author of Nihal From The Land Of Wind


Francesco Dimitri is one of the most significant figures of the last generation of fantasy. – Alan D. Altieri