'Combines a cold war spy novel with lurking horrors beneath the sea . . . a creepy, disorientating journey into fear.' Lisa Tuttle, GUARDIAN
'Feels like an underwater version of Event Horizon, with a little bit of Solaris mixed in . . . a sunken treasure chest of delights.' SFX
'An impressive and unnerving debut from Anning.'
James Lovegrove, FINANCIAL TIMES
December 1984. SIS field asset Heidi Sperling [codename Thistle] exfiltrates from East Berlin with the sole copy of a critical intelligence leak: a naval log containing a solitary message received from a previously unidentified Soviet submarine.
Incredulously - impossibly - it seems the vessel, known only as TK-15, has been sitting motionless and undetected in the waters between Scotland and Iceland for three whole years. And now this latest message reads: ACTIVE.
Picked up by the Royal Navy's submarine HMS Viking, Heidi is thrust into a 'black ops' mission: find TK15 and neutralise it at any cost. But as her only ally on board the Viking falls sick, she realises this modified vessel is far more than a Soviet experiment to gain an upper hand in the nuclear arms race. Here, in the crushing depths of the North Atlantic, it seems something darker has awoken - something that cannot be contained by any superpower.
As Heidi's own reality twists around her, an unknowable force cripples the Viking's defences and drives its crew to madness. Trapped in the deep, Heidi has no choice but to find a way to save the remaining crew and stop TK-15 for good, before it steals what's left of her mind . . .
| ISBN: | 9780857508881 |
| Publication date: | 25th June 2026 |
| Author: | Benedict Anning |
| Publisher: | Bantam Press an imprint of Transworld |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 320 pages |
| Genres: |
Horror and Supernatural Fiction Cold wars and proxy conflicts Espionage and spy thriller Psychological thriller Historical Fiction |
'Combines a cold war spy novel with lurking horrors beneath the sea . . . a creepy, disorientating journey into fear.' Lisa Tuttle, GUARDIAN
'Feels like an underwater version of Event Horizon, with a little bit of Solaris mixed in . . . a sunken treasure chest of delights.' SFX
'An impressive and unnerving debut from Anning.'
James Lovegrove, FINANCIAL TIMES
December 1984. SIS field asset Heidi Sperling [codename Thistle] exfiltrates from East Berlin with the sole copy of a critical intelligence leak: a naval log containing a solitary message received from a previously unidentified Soviet submarine.
Incredulously - impossibly - it seems the vessel, known only as TK-15, has been sitting motionless and undetected in the waters between Scotland and Iceland for three whole years. And now this latest message reads: ACTIVE.
Picked up by the Royal Navy's submarine HMS Viking, Heidi is thrust into a 'black ops' mission: find TK15 and neutralise it at any cost. But as her only ally on board the Viking falls sick, she realises this modified vessel is far more than a Soviet experiment to gain an upper hand in the nuclear arms race. Here, in the crushing depths of the North Atlantic, it seems something darker has awoken - something that cannot be contained by any superpower.
As Heidi's own reality twists around her, an unknowable force cripples the Viking's defences and drives its crew to madness. Trapped in the deep, Heidi has no choice but to find a way to save the remaining crew and stop TK-15 for good, before it steals what's left of her mind . . .
Atomic Coffin features in the following genres: Horror and Supernatural Fiction, Cold wars and proxy conflicts, Espionage and spy thriller, Psychological thriller, Historical Fiction
Atomic Coffin is available in Hardback, Paperback
Atomic Coffin was written by Benedict Anning and published by Bantam Press an imprint of Transworld
Atomic Coffin has 320 pages
£18.00