by Matt Cahill
—Nominated for the 2016 Sunburst Awards—
When his father—a distinguished writer—unexpectedly passes away, Derrick van der Lem’s insulated world implodes, leaving a much stranger and crueler place than the one he knew. In the midst of his downward spiral, the mysterious Society of Experience asks him to take part in a baffling science experiment involving time travel, with the possibility of changing his life and pulling him out of his rut. When the experiment begins to untangle, Derrick finds himself out of his depth and in the middle of a nightmare, with only the company of a beautiful stranger to steer him from chaos to heartbreak. Meanwhile, who are the Society, and what are their true intentions for Derrick? Is time travel real, or is it yet another contrivance the Society has invented?
Part Philip K. Dick, part mystery, The Society of Experience is an inventive, fast-paced story of a man’s journey through streets, alleyways, and deserted buildings, for a better future.
Publication: October 2015
Publisher:
Wolsak & Wynn/Buckrider Books
Rights sold:
- North America: Wolsak & Wynn/Buckrider Books
“The Society of Experience is a psychological journey through the abandoned corridors of the
human spirit.” –Harper’s Bazaar, 15 Best Books of Fall 2015
“A swirling confident debut, supported by crisp prose without misstep, and containing many
more original ideas than books three times its slender size. Sly and slippery fun — I thought
of Ben Marcus and J. G. Ballard … writers who say don’t worry I know what I’m doing as they
break from the pack.”
–Tony Burgess, author of Pontypool Changes Everything and The n-Body Problem
“Matt Cahill’s debut novel, The Society of Experience, explores the dangers of magical thinking
in a most entertaining way. Both thoughtful and humorous, twisty and fun, this is transporting
storytelling (in more ways than one).”
–Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist and The Damned