Debut horror story released by Pickering author

David Turton, 38, wrote the story after leaving Pickering for the North East.

The novel follows Professor Mike Pilkington, a lecturer at the fictitious Windermere University, who survives a mysterious, violent event, where the world’s population turn on each other, wiping out the majority of the population within hours.

The character’s journey leads him and a band of survivors on a journey across the North Pennines to the Sage, Gateshead, and to London, where they come face-to-face with the chilling force behind the apocalypse.

At just over 300 pages The Malaise is shorter than a lot of traditional post-apocalyptic books, but he hopes that will appeal to readers.

David said: “I love those stories, but I didn’t really want to write a house brick of a novel! There is a huge shift in location and setting in the book, but you can read it a few days, and hopefully enjoy it.”

Mr Turton, an ex-Lady Lumley’s School pupil, has successfully published more than 30 short stories in various websites and magazines, including two self-published anthologies.

He was long-listed for the Sunderland Short Story Award in May 2018 and is currently writing the sequel to The Malaise.

The Malaise is published by Cosmic Egg Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Malaise-David-Turton/dp/1785359029