by Nick Setchfield

Titan Books, out now

Europe in 1963 may be a dark, seething mess of politics and espionage, but to Christopher Winters, his role within it is simple: assassin for British Intelligence by day, loving husband by night. His neat little world shatters around him when an unremarkable assignment catapults him into the ancient underbelly of the occult, and the true mechanisms driving Europe are slowly unveiled to him. Caught in the mystical crossfire of the hunt for forbidden knowledge, he realises that – more than ever before – he can trust nothing and no one, especially himself.

The War in the Dark is a masterful blending of two genres, incorporating the gritty, noir realism of the Cold War with the infinite magical realms of fantasy in a novel that is both utterly extraordinary and horrifically plausible. Richly detailed, Setchfield’s occult veneer on 60s Europe enthrals the reader in the frantic chase across the continent and beyond, and they follow Christopher on his shadowy journey from illusion to enlightenment. The novel remains true to both its genres: one could easily reimagine the object of the quest as nuclear launch codes, or the setting as a fantastical medieval realm.

Verdict: Electrifying and intricately crafted, The War in the Dark is a breath of fresh air with the potential to inspire a new species of historical fantasy. 8/10

Sophie Simpson