'A gothic road novel . . . the pace is well-handled throughout . . . This is the territory of Jungian archetypes, or the Seven Basic Plots, but the old ones are the good ones' GUARDIAN 'A tale of adventure, a love story, an unveiling of quiet phantasmagoria and horrors and a coming of age story, this grips and enchants and you never want it to end. A seductive new voice.' MAXIM JAKUBOWSKI Arthur Hallingham is the youngest son of an English earl. He's on the run from his former life - from a family where painful, half-understood secrets lurk. Arthur travels on a slave ship to America, hoping to lose himself amidst the teeming squalor and vaulting ambitions of the New World. Before long he meets Flora, the tough daughter of an outlaw, and Shelo, a native medicine man with mysterious powers who seems to have a plan for him. The three set off on a journey through the thick forests and along the wide rivers of the lush southern wilderness. As they near their destination, Shelo's terrible and destructive purpose is gradually revealed. Hideous Creatures is a rich, beautiful and compelling novel that will appeal to readers of Audrey Niffenegger and Neil Gaiman, by a young debut author destined for literary stardom.