THE WILDING, Ian McDonald‘s highly-anticipated new novel (a stand-alone) is out today in the UK! Published by Gollancz, here’s the synopsis…

Five kids are on a sleepover in a restored wilderness project in Ireland. With them, three teachers and one Ranger: Lisa. She is 26, longing to leave her job, out of her depth and soon to find herself mired in a nightmare.

Strange things have been happening at Lough Carrow, a vast rewilding project on the site of a former commercial peat-bog. Livestock mutilations. Rumours, myths from the neighbouring villages. Strange, unidentifiable tracks. On the trek in to the sleepover site they sight animals that have not yet been introduced to the park – wolves, wolverines, things older. Things thought long extinct.

As they near the centre of the wilding a boy realises he’s forgotten his meds. A teacher volunteers to take him back to the visitor centre. Sure, what could go wrong?

That night the camp is attacked. A teacher is dragged away. Lisa’s group is marooned in the wild. It is night, the four remaining kids are terrified, they need to get back to the ARK, but the wilderness seems to be playing with time and distance and something is out there. Something hungry and hunting…

THE WILDING was recently reviewed by the Irish Times, called ‘a sharp thriller with a healthy dose of folk horror… With strong characterisation, a deep sense of place and real wit… entertaining and often surprising.’

Ian McDonald is the author of a great many acclaimed and award-winning novels and series. His most recent works are the stand-alone novel HOPELAND, and the Luna series — both published by Gollancz in the UK, and Tor Books in North America.