A combination of Agatha Christie, Groundhog Day, Inception and Black Mirror”. This is the way the publishing house Ático de los Libros defined British writer Stuart Turton’s début novel when publishing The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in Spanish as Las siete muertes de Evelyn Hardcastle. Before turning to writing, he’d lived previous lives as a technology journalist and a travel journalist, which helps to understand this author’s narrative power and the international acclaim in terms of sales and awards received thanks to the diabolically twisty architecture of the plot. Another murder, the devil and a doomed sea voyage were soon to become his focus in a second book, The Devil and the Dark Water (translated into Spanish as El diablo y el mar oscuro). While the former is being adapted for the screen by Netflix, and the rights for the latter have already been sold (two more lives for each of these works), Turton will be travelling to Festival 42 to reveal some of the secrets behind his mixture of fantasy and mystery; on this occasion the person charged with unveiling them is London-based journalist Borja Bilbao. Given the author’s mastery, our prediction is that this will be one of the most surprising, original and satisfying events of the Festival. And there’s still one more life to be revealed.

Taking part:

Stuart Turton is a British writer and journalist whose first novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, is an international bestseller that’s soon to be screened on Netflix. The Devil and the Dark Water has also been published in Spanish as El diablo y el mar oscuro. 

Moderated by:

Borja Bilbao is a regular contributor to science fiction and fantasy websites and publications, including Windumanoth. He is also a founder member of the podcast Tryperion. Bilbao lives in London, where he has interviewed numerous writers working in fantasy genres.