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Cities of the Drift #1
The Lighthouse at the End of the World
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26Enter a London like no other in this fast-paced, captivating fantasy novel, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Genevieve Cogman.
Oyster McLellen has spent his life causing mischief. Running with a small-time gang and fleecing money from tourists in Hyde Park to support his struggling family in the absence of his father, who abandoned them years ago.
When a simple money drop for his boss, Big Mickey, goes wrong, Oyster's future looks bleak. His only chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Mickey is to get the money back, but as he pursues the thieves across South London he suddenly finds himself washed up on a beach, surrounded by broken phones and shattered office furniture.
His new world: Greater London. A city built on the detritus of our own, where leviathans crafted from broken skyscrapers roam the seas, where ink beetles nestle beneath the skin of its residents and where Oyster's father, Lucas, may well have escaped to all those years ago.
But there are bigger things at stake. Oyster's allegiances are torn between the enigmatic Nonesuch, the eccentric escapist Marya Petrovna, and the terrifying Mr Primrose - and he will have to choose who to align himself with quickly. Because plans are afoot: something ancient is brewing, and a choice needs to be made, the consequences of which will determine the fate of Londons, and life, everywhere.
Oyster McLellen has spent his life causing mischief. Running with a small-time gang and fleecing money from tourists in Hyde Park to support his struggling family in the absence of his father, who abandoned them years ago.
When a simple money drop for his boss, Big Mickey, goes wrong, Oyster's future looks bleak. His only chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Mickey is to get the money back, but as he pursues the thieves across South London he suddenly finds himself washed up on a beach, surrounded by broken phones and shattered office furniture.
His new world: Greater London. A city built on the detritus of our own, where leviathans crafted from broken skyscrapers roam the seas, where ink beetles nestle beneath the skin of its residents and where Oyster's father, Lucas, may well have escaped to all those years ago.
But there are bigger things at stake. Oyster's allegiances are torn between the enigmatic Nonesuch, the eccentric escapist Marya Petrovna, and the terrifying Mr Primrose - and he will have to choose who to align himself with quickly. Because plans are afoot: something ancient is brewing, and a choice needs to be made, the consequences of which will determine the fate of Londons, and life, everywhere.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 7, 2026
346 people want to read
About the author
Philip Suggars
3 books4 followersPhilip A. Suggars has a single yellow eye in the middle of his forehead and a collection of vintage binoculars. His work has appeared in Strange Horizons, The Guardian and Interzone as well as being featured on many short-form podcasts. His previous work has won the Ilkley short story prize, been long-listed for the BSFA short story award and been included in The Best of British Science Fiction Anthology series. When not writing words, he records music as one half of the post-punk electronica outfit, we are concrete. Born and raised in South London, he currently lives on the south coast with his family. His debut novel, The Lighthouse at the End of the World will be published by Titan Books in 2026.
Rep: Sam Edenborough at Greyhound Literary
Rep: Sam Edenborough at Greyhound Literary
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
partly-read
January 25, 2026I don't enjoy grey, gritty, grimy worlds in which criminal protagonists are doing their best(ish) with the odds stacked against them, but I'm willing to put up with one for a while if it's as well-written as this is.
Unfortunately, at 30% we get animal cruelty, and I'm out.
It's good, and it deserves an audience, but I am not that audience.
Unfortunately, at 30% we get animal cruelty, and I'm out.
It's good, and it deserves an audience, but I am not that audience.
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November 4, 2025A big thank you to the editor and publisher for an ARC!!
THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a charming portal-esque fantasy with gritty wit, taking its readers on a twisty adventure that is both mythic and mystic, at times violent, with dashes of whimsy, exploring familial trauma, wayfinding and learning to navigate the world, reclaiming control of a life that has always been dictated by others, finding courage, and discovering the power and strength of found families.
THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a charming portal-esque fantasy with gritty wit, taking its readers on a twisty adventure that is both mythic and mystic, at times violent, with dashes of whimsy, exploring familial trauma, wayfinding and learning to navigate the world, reclaiming control of a life that has always been dictated by others, finding courage, and discovering the power and strength of found families.
Want to read
May 7, 2025"Enter a London like no other in this fast-paced, captivating fantasy novel, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Genevieve Cogman."
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book is weird. Gloriously, unapologetically weird. And honestly? That’s half the fun.
We start with Oyster McLellen. A petty criminal, professional troublemaker, and all round disaster magnet running scams in Hyde Park to help his struggling family. Standard London chaos… until a botched money drop yeets him into another London.
One made of broken office furniture, dead phones, urban debris, and nightmares with excellent architectural vibes. Welcome to Greater London, where skyscrapers become sea monsters and bugs crawl under your skin (politely ignoring my personal fear threshold).
The concept? Absolutely bonkers in the best way. A city built from the leftovers of ours? Leviathans made of buildings? A mysterious maybe dead dad? I was IN.
The imagination here is wild, creative, and clearly having the time of its life.
That said, this is where my 3 stars come in…sometimes the story felt like it was sprinting past moments I wanted to linger in. There’s a lot happening, a lot of factions, and a lot of big ideas being thrown at you very quickly. I occasionally felt like I’d missed a memo… or three. Slow down, sir, I’m still processing the ink beetles.
The Lighthouse at the End of the World is inventive, fast paced, and brimming with strange magic and big stakes. If you like your fantasy surreal, slightly chaotic, and dripping with alternate London vibes, this is worth the trip even if you might feel a bit disoriented when you arrive.
Would I read more in this world? Yes. Did I understand everything? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy the ride anyway? Also yes.
We start with Oyster McLellen. A petty criminal, professional troublemaker, and all round disaster magnet running scams in Hyde Park to help his struggling family. Standard London chaos… until a botched money drop yeets him into another London.
One made of broken office furniture, dead phones, urban debris, and nightmares with excellent architectural vibes. Welcome to Greater London, where skyscrapers become sea monsters and bugs crawl under your skin (politely ignoring my personal fear threshold).
The concept? Absolutely bonkers in the best way. A city built from the leftovers of ours? Leviathans made of buildings? A mysterious maybe dead dad? I was IN.
The imagination here is wild, creative, and clearly having the time of its life.
That said, this is where my 3 stars come in…sometimes the story felt like it was sprinting past moments I wanted to linger in. There’s a lot happening, a lot of factions, and a lot of big ideas being thrown at you very quickly. I occasionally felt like I’d missed a memo… or three. Slow down, sir, I’m still processing the ink beetles.
The Lighthouse at the End of the World is inventive, fast paced, and brimming with strange magic and big stakes. If you like your fantasy surreal, slightly chaotic, and dripping with alternate London vibes, this is worth the trip even if you might feel a bit disoriented when you arrive.
Would I read more in this world? Yes. Did I understand everything? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy the ride anyway? Also yes.
November 7, 2025
Philip Suggars delivers a haunting and profoundly intelligent debut with The Lighthouse at the End of the World, a novel that fuses speculative science fiction with literary depth and emotional precision. At its surface, the book tells the story of an isolated outpost built to guard the boundaries of a dying Earth, but beneath that premise lies a rich meditation on memory, solitude, and the fragility of civilization. Suggars's prose is remarkably assured for a first-time authorpoetic yet disciplined, cinematic yet intimate. Every image feels carved out of silence and starlight.
There's a quiet brilliance in the way Suggars handles time and perception. His world-building is subtle, almost invisible, relying less on exposition and more on atmosphere. You feel the erosion of light, the slow disintegration of hope, the ache of humanity watching itself fade.Few debuts mamage to be both conceptually ambitious and emotionally devastating; The Lighthouse at the End of the World is one of them. It reads like the meeting point between Emily St. John Mandel's melancholic beauty and the cosmic dread of Jeff VanderMeer, yet unmistakably bears Suggars's own voice. This is not just a science fiction novel; it's an elegy for the persistence of lifht in an ever-darkening universean extraordinary debut that deserves serious critical attention.
There's a quiet brilliance in the way Suggars handles time and perception. His world-building is subtle, almost invisible, relying less on exposition and more on atmosphere. You feel the erosion of light, the slow disintegration of hope, the ache of humanity watching itself fade.Few debuts mamage to be both conceptually ambitious and emotionally devastating; The Lighthouse at the End of the World is one of them. It reads like the meeting point between Emily St. John Mandel's melancholic beauty and the cosmic dread of Jeff VanderMeer, yet unmistakably bears Suggars's own voice. This is not just a science fiction novel; it's an elegy for the persistence of lifht in an ever-darkening universean extraordinary debut that deserves serious critical attention.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews