Fox Bites

by Lloyd Markham

'a new original voice' – Joanne Harris'A unique voice... in Markham those who feel that they are voiceless or trapped have found a distinct champion.' – Wales Arts ReviewWhen Taban wishes for the world to end something out there . . . hears him.Soon the young boy is being stalked by a fox whose salivating jaws drag him into strange dreams. Dreams where he is a revolutionary with ancient psychic powers fighting against a tyrannical regime.He awakes with glowing scars that only he can see and the lingering embers of telekinetic abilities. Honing this flicker of power over years he plots revenge on the bullies who've abused him. In exchange he will become the conduit for the world's end. But what if he changes his mind? Surely we can all come back from the edge? Can we?Set in Zimbabwe during the early 2000s, amidst a backdrop of political turmoil, Fox Bites is a dark coming-of-age horror fantasy about pain, loneliness, and stepping back from the abyss.

300 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2024

About the author

Lloyd Markham was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He spent his childhood in Zimbabwe before moving to and settling in south Wales when he was thirteen.

His first novel Bad Ideas\Chemicals was published by Parthian Books in 2017. It was nominated for Wales Book of The Year 2018 and won a Betty Trask award for first time author under 35.

In 2019 he was awarded a bursary from Literature Wales to develop his second novel Fox Bites which is due to release in 2024.

That same year an extract from Bad Ideas\Chemicals ‘Mercy’ was included in the anthology of young Welsh and European authors 'Zero Hours on the Boulevard: Tales of Independence and Belonging (Parthian Books, 2019)'.

Following this he was selected to take part in the Ulysses Shelter residency programme where he contributed a number of creative works and took part in residencies in both Slovenia and Greece.

Reviews

[Tt10 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the "real world" decription of Zimbabwe during inflation and political upheaval yet really couldn't stomach the supernatural elements of the novel.