Simon Bestwick Books In Order

Publication Order of Black Road Books

Publication Order of Dark Minds Books

Publication Order of Tomes of the Dead Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Chapter Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of The Black Books of Horror Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Simon Bestwick is an English author of horror novels. Acknowledged as one of the best modern British horror authors by Ramsey Campbell, his works include; The Faceless, Tide of Souls, Pictures of the Dark, A Hazy Shade of Winter, Angels of the Silences, and Let Drink to the Dead.

Hell’s Ditch (2015)

The first title introduces Helen the heroine of the story. She is continuously haunted by the ghosts of her family massacred by the regional commander of the Reapers, Tereus Winterborn. In her journey, she gathers alliances, Darrow, Danny, Gevaudan Shoal and Alanah. Winterborn is a man determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that he becomes the Reaper’s Supreme Commander. To Winterborn, Dr. Mordake Project Tindalos is what he needs to acquire the ultimate power while to Mordake; the project is a way to restore the devastation caused by the war and restore his wife to the living. Unfortunately, neither Mordake nor Winterborn knows the true nature of the forces they are about to unleash into the face of the Earth, forces that could ultimately destroy everything that survived the war unless Helen and her true alliance can find a way to stop the project in time.

Hell’s Ditch is the first book in Black Road Series by Simon Bestwick. Doomsday, as we know it is not a fancy affair and Bestwick, does not sugarcoat anything in Hell’s Ditch. As the narrative kicks off, Britain has already had its share of the Holocaust. Twenty years after the war that saw many lives lost, what remains is a scattered population across the country. In the nearby cities, the survivors barely exist; the society turns into a man eat man society, people living in refugee camps, shanty towns while the population is controlled by fascists like the police force known as the reapers.

Elsewhere, radioactive and biological attacks have left vast areas of the country no-go zones. Various tribes and gangs have started to evolve into something that cannot be related to humans. A generation of babies are born and raised ignorant of how beautiful the world used to be. To them, sickness, death, and violence are normal- an interesting juxtaposition. On the other hand, the older adults, those who know how beautiful the world mourned the loss of humanity while their younger generations are far more accepting. To the young people, the world is just what it is- they seemed knowledgeable and equipped to take things in their stride, for they cannot mourn what they do not know.

Then there is Helen Damnation, who explores the wastelands of the United Kingdom always haunted by the ghosts of her beloved family. Fuelled by the need for vengeance against The Reapers and their leader, there is a strong resolve within herself that keeps her moving despite the obstacles that she encounters along the way. Her self-determination is noticeable, and whenever she falls, she is always willing to pick herself up, dust off and embark on the task at hand.

Then there is Danny, a man who exists in that weird space between childhood and the adult man he is destined to become. The transformation he undergoes as he learns how to become a better soldier and then a good leader is exciting to watch.

Then there is Commander Tereus Winterborn, a man who is convinced that he is righteous, and every action that he undertakes is a measured response, specially designed to wipe out his opposition and ensure that he is in total control. According to him, he is ever right, and everyone else is wrong, and to save those willing to follow his lead, Winterborn places his faith in science.

Dr. Mordake, the man behind Project Tindalos, is trying to collect the powers of an ancient civilization in an attempt to reverse the damage that has already been done. Unfortunately for him and everyone else, his research does not evolve into what he had hoped. Another character in Hell’s Ditch by Simon Bestwick is Gevaudan Shoal, an experienced man but without any prior knowledge.

Overall the characters in Hell’s Ditch are all broken in one way or another. They crave for something that they are highly unlikely ever to achieve. For instance, Winterborn wants total domination, Danny wants a world different from that he grew up in, and Helen wants peace while Mordake and Shoal all want a chance to be with people they can no longer be with. Everyone in the narrative is experiencing their version of Hell. Could that be exactly what the end of the world will be, experienced uniquely and differently by everyone?

For the avid readers of The Black Dawn books by Joseph D’Lacey, Hell’s Ditch is a brilliant and ideal match. The two novels pick apart the terrifying effects of apocalyptic events; they also give a detailed analysis into the nature of humanity and lastly provide an in-depth exploration of the fears that drive the society to its destruction.

The Faceless

The Faceless is a chilling collision of supernatural horror and police procedural featuring a cast of contemporary characters who find themselves entangled into a complex web of mystery and fear. The story is set in a fictional town of Kempforth where people are continually disappearing while masked men with evil connections to the past roam and haunt the streets.

However, when a two-year-old girl vanishes, DCI Renwick vows that he will never stop at anything until she finds her and bring the person responsible for her disappearance to justice. On the other side of the town in Manchester, shocking visions summon television psychic Allen and his sister Vera to a town they swore never to return. Then there is Anna Mason, a local historian piecing together a history of exploitation and cruelty almost beyond belief. In the meantime, behind the decaying closed doors and lightless rooms of an abandoned hospital, something lethal is waiting for them.

The Faceless is an intriguing story, the plot and the main characters are quite engaging. Simon Bestwick does a brilliant job of ensuring that all his characters are distinct, flawed where possible and with unique and different motivations.