Nothingland

Deadlands #3

by Katherine Silva

Nothingland: a dream-like theme park where the dregs of society have gone to languish and remember the by-gone world. Janet has heard the whispers about it through her time surviving in the Deadlands and now, she's arrived at its doorstep. She seeks the blood of Steele: the man responsible for killing her father and tearing her dad away to do his horrible bidding.

With the assistance of the mysterious Junco and conjured spirits of her lost parents, Janet prepares to delve into the darkest heart of this weeping land and sew the seeds of vengeance any which way she can.

Coming December 20th, 2024.

Genres: Horror

Paperback

Published December 20, 2024

About the author

Katherine Silva is an ace Maine horror author, a connoisseur of coffee, and victim of cat shenanigans. Her favorite flavors of the genre mix grief and existentialism which she combines with her love of the New England wilderness in her works. She is a three-time Maine Literary Award finalist for speculative fiction. Katherine is also editor-in-chief of Strange Wilds Press. You can find out all about her work at katherinesilvaauthor.com.

For event booking or questions, please email Katherine at kasilva@katherinesilvaauthor.com

Reviews

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothingland continues Janet’s saga for revenge in a desolate dystopian world.
Full of magic, undead creatures, bloody fights, and a mix of desolate/beautiful settings.

I recommend reading the first two books in the Deadlands series before you start this one. You’ll understand the characters, their backstories, motivations, and have context for where the story is heading.

I always find a couple moments in Katherine’s tales where I feel all the feelings (Nothingland was no exception); the tears come, the rage enters, the dismal depression rears its head. Yet, after these emotions come and go and the story progresses, I still always hold out hope for the characters. They’re so well written, especially Janet- I just want her to find peace, maybe happiness if it’s possible. I did find the whole “shadow” being a bit confusing? What ended up happening with that creature?

“Black and white flashed as the tunnel narrowed... Death arrived for everyone eventually. Janet found herself wondering which of the two colors she should move toward when her time came.”

This is another fantastic entry in the series and will not disappoint!

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of reminded me of Mad Max and Gotham City. Nothing against that, just not for me.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely ending to the trilogy. The more I read Silva, the more I love her work. Highly recommend this series.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the afterward the author almost seems to apologize for making three novellas when it could have been a novel. But I think each of these novellas has a distinct tone. I enjoyed reading each, going and reading something else, then coming to the next one separately. There is an earthy paganism and two fisted action combination going on here not unlike Laird Barron, but with a tone more akin to...reading?...a dungeon synth album.

[Matt M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this series and Nothingland, the concluding novella of the trilogy, might be my favorite of the three. Silva combines gorgeous imagery, laments on grief, and weird dark magic in an action-filled revenge story. Check these out.

[Trisha Tropiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Deadlands series - I have been looking forward to reading this for months! If you’ve read the first two, Undead Folk and Dead Folk, then you’re familiar with Janet’s story, and I can tell you that the third book does not disappoint! And if you haven’t read them, what are you waiting for?

The series follows Janet through a post apocalyptic world as she seeks revenge for the death of her father. She also has the ability to bring both of her fathers back in various dead animals that she finds along the way. In this third book, she is hot on the trail of Steele which brings her to Nothingland for her final attempt at killing him.

Each novella is a quick read, full of emotion as Janet relives her grief and shows us a tremendous amount of strength. Highly recommend!

[Ven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big question for trilogies is always will they stick the landing.
I am glad to say that Silva certainly does, with the final novella having less action and more human moments, capping off a very enjoyable horror trilogy with the promise of more to come from these character in the future.
I do recommend reading the series consecutively rather than leaving a gap between like I did, and in some ways almost treating it like a novel rather than 3 novellas, but that's just from my personal preference.

Regardless, this is a good dystopian horror with some fantastical leanings, that's well worth checking out.

[Sophie Ingley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t seen the local foxes for a few days.
Plenty of crows that caw loudly and fly away, but no foxes.

Nothingland is everything I hoped the end of this trilogy would be.
My journey with Janet is coming to an end, and that saddens me.
All good things have to end though, right?

The thing is, will I find more beauty in this desolate dystopian tale?
Will it twist and turn along paths I didn’t expect?
Will it be both magical and brutal?
Will it break my heart?

Yes, it will

I need to see foxes again, and soon.
I also want strawberries and pancakes.

This trilogy of books is just the best.
I adore it very.
🖤🖤🖤

[Kevin Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The journey has come to an end.

This final book of the Deadlands trilogy ended things perfectly and I'm going to miss Janet.

[Micah Castle]

A solid, melancholy end to one of the best trilogies that's come out in recent years.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DEADLANDS trilogy is a minimalist apocalypse, letting your imagination cultivate the setting of desolation and decay for itself. For our protagonist, Janet, a world that was once filled with light and life is now bleak and empty.
NOTHINGLAND is a story of perseverance. Janet has something that she intends to do and nothing will stand in her way.
In this world that is so harsh, I find comfort here. Mostly due to Katherine’s writing style, but also because it reminds me of Stephen King’s Midworld. There are pockets of life, helpful guides, and no matter how hard Janet has made her outer shell, cracks form and every once in awhile a smile leaks out…similar to Roland.
Wonderful characters are dotted throughout the book, we meet new friends, questionable Allie’s, mysterious followers, and some downright evil beings. Two of the best characters are sadly dead before the trilogy even begins; Janet’s two dads, Hugh and Amos. For Hugh I can only picture Hugh Jackman and, to me, it fits perfectly. He is strong and stoic, but also warm and kind. Poor Amos has Alzheimer’s disease and it is heart wrenching to watch. Which begs the question- what is worse? struggling with your memory and forgetting those you love OR the horror of living through an apocalypse with nothing but the memories of how things used to be. Katherine makes a pretty good case for each.
Honestly, I don’t know how Katherine packs so much story, tension, depth and emotion into her books.

“She scoffed and scrubbed at her wet eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. ‘Missed you too, Dad.’”

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothingland by Katherine Silva is a grief horror tale of a woman and her quest for revenge and the heavy despair that hits time and time again.

Ugh! Kat has done it again! It had been a minute since I read book two, Dead Folk, but right from the first paragraph, I was sucked right back in. There was so much action, tension, terror, and grief here, and the combination of those was intense!

Grief horror fans, if you haven’t started this collection of tales yet, you gotta change that!

Check out my full review here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/nothi...

[Jacy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of a cool trilogy is always bittersweet, and Nothingland fits the bill. As Silva's world opens up, it somehow becomes even more mysterious. The heart of the story really comes to shine here, and Silva does an amazing job of wrapping up the tale in surprising and oftentimes brutal ways, but always staying true to the series' core themes, which made us all fall in love with the first book, and the second, and now this one. A great read, and a solid finish to the trilogy... though I suspect we'll see more of it down the road. I'm not mad at that.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third installment did not disappoint!!! This book gave me the feels, excitement, suspense, and most of all a sense of love of family. Janet’s journey to finding her way back to herself is one a lot of us go through in very different ways. Katherine Silva has such talent for bringing these characters to life. I can’t wait to see them again in the future. 🦊