Silver Nitrate (preorder)

(preorder—to be published in March)

Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Kelley McMorris.

We're pleased to announce our edition of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, with two-color printing, as well as a printed endsheets, and a number of full-color interior illustrations. The dust jacket will have runes printed in phosphorescent ink for a glow-in-the-dark effect.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Polygon, CrimeReads, BookPage, Book Riot

In 1990s Mexico City, in a film industry in transition, two long-time friends are caught up in searching for whatever magic the movies might still have left—and trying to make a living. Montserrat is a brilliant but underappreciated sound editor, excluded from the behind-the-scenes boys’ club, an expert in classic film technique, and a horror aficionado. Tristán is a disgraced actor, blamed for the death of a well-connected actress in a drug-fueled car crash, who finds himself desperately looking for work as the tenth anniversary of the accident approaches.

Enter cult director Abel Urueta, who lives in Tristán’s new building and strikes up a bargain with the two. The end of Urueta’s career, and all his bad luck since, he insists, was the result of his uncompleted last film, Beyond the Yellow Door.

Urueta spins them a tale of working with a Nazi occultist who believed he had a way to infuse magic into the unstable silver nitrate film stock used at the time. With both film and spell left incomplete, Urueta claims he and the others involved in the production were cursed. And the filmmaker believes if the three of them finish the project now, all their fortunes will change for the better. Montserrat and Tristán reluctantly agree, and descend into a world of dark knowledge and darker secrets…

Silver Nitrate is New York Times’ bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau Silvia Moreno-Garcia at her best, conjuring a thrilling story about the dangers and possibilities inherent in seeking lost things.

Lettered: 26 signed, specially bound copies, housed in a custom traycase

Limited: 500 signed numbered hardcover copies

From Publishers Weekly (Starred Review):

“Bestseller Moreno-Garcia (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) takes readers behind the scenes of 1993 Mexico City’s horror movie industry in this powerful and chilling thrill ride. Combining real history with unsettling magic, Moreno-Garcia effortlessly ties explorations of misogyny, addiction, antisemitism, and racism into a plot that never falters from its breakneck pace. The narrative shifts effortlessly between fantasy, horror, and romance, helmed by a well-shaded cast. The complex female characters are particular standouts.”

From Booklist:

“The intricate plot is supported by a fully realized setting and seamlessly integrated information about the detailed work of sound editing.”

From Kirkus:

“An engaging, inventive story of moviemaking and the occult for film geeks and genre buffs.”

From Library Journal:

“A love letter to Mexico City’s film industry and an excellent entry into the popular horror subgenre of occult films.”

From Kali Fajardo-Anstine:

“Hip as hell, Silver Nitrate delivers a cinematic and exhilarating punch. Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again with this creepy and unforgettable occult thriller, teeming with the decadence of old horror movies. I felt cooler just reading it.”