What do you think?
Rate this book
The Deadsoul Project: The Night House Files Book 1
Master of sci-fi horror Dan Smith delivers an action-packed adventure as secret organisation The Night House exposes the terrifying truth behind the Alpine Heights disaster.
Kyle and Lauren Dempsey believe their soldier stepdad is dead, killed in action in Northern Ireland. But then he turns up at their flat in the Alpine Heights tower block, terrifying changed.
One day later, a mysterious virus seems to be running rampant through the building and many residents are dead.
Nobody has ever discovered what really happened – until now …
Kyle and Lauren Dempsey believe their soldier stepdad is dead, killed in action in Northern Ireland. But then he turns up at their flat in the Alpine Heights tower block, terrifying changed.
One day later, a mysterious virus seems to be running rampant through the building and many residents are dead.
Nobody has ever discovered what really happened – until now …
120 pages, Paperback
Published July 8, 2025
About the author
Dan Smith
317 books17 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 6, 2025
4,5*
What a fantastic book. I received an arc for this book at YALC and I was super excited to read it. When I was younger I was a big XFiles fan so anything that can give me that feeling back is more than welcome in my life.
The book tells the story of the strange happenings that took place in 1977 in a tower block of flats called Alpine Heights. The story is told through the survivors as well as people that were involved in the investigation back in the 70s.
The book includes mixed media which makes it so much better. Through reports and interviews, we get to understand a lot better the magnitude of what happened.
This book is such a great sci fi horror that will have you at the edge of your seat up to the very end. It is unexpected, violent, creepy and it felt like a real story.
Even though this book was not very long and that makes writing a compelling story with great characters all the more challenging, the author definitely achieved all that and more. I was really taken aback by how good this book was.
Each book will be a different classified case and I think this is such a great idea for a book series. The second book is already coming out in 2025 and I definitely want to read it.
What a fantastic book. I received an arc for this book at YALC and I was super excited to read it. When I was younger I was a big XFiles fan so anything that can give me that feeling back is more than welcome in my life.
The book tells the story of the strange happenings that took place in 1977 in a tower block of flats called Alpine Heights. The story is told through the survivors as well as people that were involved in the investigation back in the 70s.
The book includes mixed media which makes it so much better. Through reports and interviews, we get to understand a lot better the magnitude of what happened.
This book is such a great sci fi horror that will have you at the edge of your seat up to the very end. It is unexpected, violent, creepy and it felt like a real story.
Even though this book was not very long and that makes writing a compelling story with great characters all the more challenging, the author definitely achieved all that and more. I was really taken aback by how good this book was.
Each book will be a different classified case and I think this is such a great idea for a book series. The second book is already coming out in 2025 and I definitely want to read it.
January 28, 2026
1.75⭐️
it was pretty dull… LMFAO. i’m reading a few books for this reading challenge at school and then i go on a trip to meet the authors
anyway, it was confusing….
it was pretty dull… LMFAO. i’m reading a few books for this reading challenge at school and then i go on a trip to meet the authors
anyway, it was confusing….
May 15, 2026
It’s soo creepy with all the pictures and details
February 22, 2026
Alpine Heights is noisy, shabby, and the lift smells like pee, but it's home to 13 year old Kyle and his 11 year old sister Lauren. Sure, they have to run the gauntlet of the gangs that hang around the entrance and their step-father is a menacing creep, but they get by okay, sticking together.
Their mum seems to love her new husband, but there's no way they will call him Da like she asks. It's much better at home when he's away during the week with his job as an army private. When news of his death comes after a mission in Northern Ireland, Mum is devastated, her kids not so much.
But when they find him sitting at the kitchen table, they are surprised and shocked. It's Connor, but not him at the same time. He looks weird, and is acting even stranger. Avoiding him as usual, suddenly he is gone again. But not through the front door.
When an elderly neighbour is taken away in an ambulance, then others too, the siblings know something odd is happening at Alpine Heights, and it's not just a virus.
Soon they are running, hiding and fighting for their lives as screams ring out through the tower block.
This dyslexic friendly novel is positively terrifying, and gave me the most delicious creepy vibes I'd had in ages!
Split between story, and Classified/Top Secret Interview file transcripts, The Deadsoul Project is part of a series, perfect for reluctant readers. The font is clear and widely spaced, and not on coloured paper which makes it easier for some readers, but sometimes puts other off.
The young main characters are believable, brave and facing a nightmare within their home. With no help from emergency services and then armed forces just as likely to shoot them as save them, the tension is high throughout the novel.
This rachets up to a horrifying ending, and one final eye witness interview of the incident at Alpine Heights Tower Block.
With illustrations throughout and a snippet of the next book in the series at the end of the book, this series is going to hook young horror fans.
Age - 11+
Publisher – Barrington Stoke / Collins UK
Set in – Tower Block UK
Viewpoint –
Orphan? – Lost Dad / Have step father
Violence – Yes
Real Life – Initially yes
Fantasy – Yes
Sex - No
Blend – Dyslexic / Reluctant Read / Sci Fi / Real Life
Their mum seems to love her new husband, but there's no way they will call him Da like she asks. It's much better at home when he's away during the week with his job as an army private. When news of his death comes after a mission in Northern Ireland, Mum is devastated, her kids not so much.
But when they find him sitting at the kitchen table, they are surprised and shocked. It's Connor, but not him at the same time. He looks weird, and is acting even stranger. Avoiding him as usual, suddenly he is gone again. But not through the front door.
When an elderly neighbour is taken away in an ambulance, then others too, the siblings know something odd is happening at Alpine Heights, and it's not just a virus.
Soon they are running, hiding and fighting for their lives as screams ring out through the tower block.
This dyslexic friendly novel is positively terrifying, and gave me the most delicious creepy vibes I'd had in ages!
Split between story, and Classified/Top Secret Interview file transcripts, The Deadsoul Project is part of a series, perfect for reluctant readers. The font is clear and widely spaced, and not on coloured paper which makes it easier for some readers, but sometimes puts other off.
The young main characters are believable, brave and facing a nightmare within their home. With no help from emergency services and then armed forces just as likely to shoot them as save them, the tension is high throughout the novel.
This rachets up to a horrifying ending, and one final eye witness interview of the incident at Alpine Heights Tower Block.
With illustrations throughout and a snippet of the next book in the series at the end of the book, this series is going to hook young horror fans.
Age - 11+
Publisher – Barrington Stoke / Collins UK
Set in – Tower Block UK
Viewpoint –
Orphan? – Lost Dad / Have step father
Violence – Yes
Real Life – Initially yes
Fantasy – Yes
Sex - No
Blend – Dyslexic / Reluctant Read / Sci Fi / Real Life
March 9, 2025
Wow! What a brilliant read! I loved the story and its X File vibes. This is the story of strange happenings that took place in 1977 in a tower block of flats called Alpine Heights as told by witnesses many years later. Through top secret case files sent to a secret society known as The Night House Files, we learn the story of young Kyle and Lauren who return home one afternoon find their step father Connor, who they've been told by the military was dead, is very much alive and sitting in their kitchen, although not himself. Thus begins a strange sequence of events involving neighbours being turned into blood sucking creatures who can teleport. All the result of a top secret military project and directly related to Connor's return.
This book had ne on the edge of my seat, as Key land Lauren fought for their very survival. Dan has a great talent for writing books that surprise and have creepy vibes. The action flows smoothly and quickly, holding the reader's attention from the very first page. I loved how the case files and the story were interwoven to create a dual timeline and to give a more complete picture. I can't wait for the next book in this fabulous series. I highly recommend this book for all middle grade readers.
This book had ne on the edge of my seat, as Key land Lauren fought for their very survival. Dan has a great talent for writing books that surprise and have creepy vibes. The action flows smoothly and quickly, holding the reader's attention from the very first page. I loved how the case files and the story were interwoven to create a dual timeline and to give a more complete picture. I can't wait for the next book in this fabulous series. I highly recommend this book for all middle grade readers.
February 19, 2025
It's a tricky job to write a good short story. You don't have the luxury of lengthy setups to introduce your characters or for world building. This can mean that my students who are only willing or able to read short books don't get to experience really good stories.
Not so with Dan Smith books. We quickly get a decent understanding of the characters and their circumstances. The extracts/interviews from 'The Night House Files' are an effective way of giving more information, keeping reader interest, and building tension. Plenty of action and some gore for those who enjoy that sort of thing. Plus it's a Barrington Stoke book so it's in a dyslexic-friendly format.
I'm looking forward to getting this book into the hands of my students, and the next in the series once it is released.
Not so with Dan Smith books. We quickly get a decent understanding of the characters and their circumstances. The extracts/interviews from 'The Night House Files' are an effective way of giving more information, keeping reader interest, and building tension. Plenty of action and some gore for those who enjoy that sort of thing. Plus it's a Barrington Stoke book so it's in a dyslexic-friendly format.
I'm looking forward to getting this book into the hands of my students, and the next in the series once it is released.
May 27, 2025
Amazing story amazing plot amazing characters, did feel like the writing was a bit off couldn’t quite pin point what I didn’t like about the writing it just didn’t feel right. All in all an amazing book I will complete re my forgot I e read and come back to in years to come and reread like it’s the first time I’m seeing it
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews