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Eat the Light: A Horror Novel
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26An unputdownable new psychological horror and suspense novel from bestselling author Andrew Najberg!
The world fell to darkness while they were locked away. They survived.
The day Elissa and Tabitha’s father came home from work brandishing a shotgun, the sisters found themselves locked in a secret fallout shelter beneath their home.
With no one else to teach them to survive and signs of the apocalypse occurring around them, the girls learn to navigate their new reality while facing a question that threatens to devastate everything they thought they understood...
How did their father know to shut them in when he did?
When they finally emerge into the outside world, they find their neighborhood deserted buildings decay, rain corrodes and poisons, and mysterious, glowing beings the girls call shimmer people stalk the streets.
Uncertain who among the few remaining people they can trust, the girls set out on an odyssey across their city as Elissa feels a mysterious compulsion to lead her sister up the mountain on the edge of town.
Faced with horror of survival no child should ever have to imagine, join two final girls who must rely on each other to face a terrifying world that is no longer meant for them. From Andrew Najberg, the bestselling author of The Mobius Door.
The world fell to darkness while they were locked away. They survived.
The day Elissa and Tabitha’s father came home from work brandishing a shotgun, the sisters found themselves locked in a secret fallout shelter beneath their home.
With no one else to teach them to survive and signs of the apocalypse occurring around them, the girls learn to navigate their new reality while facing a question that threatens to devastate everything they thought they understood...
How did their father know to shut them in when he did?
When they finally emerge into the outside world, they find their neighborhood deserted buildings decay, rain corrodes and poisons, and mysterious, glowing beings the girls call shimmer people stalk the streets.
Uncertain who among the few remaining people they can trust, the girls set out on an odyssey across their city as Elissa feels a mysterious compulsion to lead her sister up the mountain on the edge of town.
Faced with horror of survival no child should ever have to imagine, join two final girls who must rely on each other to face a terrifying world that is no longer meant for them. From Andrew Najberg, the bestselling author of The Mobius Door.
- GenresHorror
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 14, 2026
1 person is currently reading
2604 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Najberg
28 books149 followersAndrew Najberg is the author of the novel The Mobius Door (Wicked House Publications, 2023) and the forthcoming novels Gollitok (Wicked House Publishing, 2023) and The Neverborn Thief (Olive-Ridley Press, 2024), as well as the collection of poems The Goats Have Taken Over the Barracks (Finishing Line Press, 2021). In addition, his collection of short fiction, In Those Fading Stars, is due out through Crystal Lake Publishing in November 2024 and his novel Extinction Dream comes out in September 2025 through Wicked House Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in Prose Online, Psychopomp Review, Bookends Review, The Colored Lens, Utopia Science Fiction, The Gateway Review, Dark Death Things, Creepy Podcast, and is forthcoming in Fusion Fragment, Translunar Travelers Lounge, and the Gods And Globes III anthology. Currently, he teaches for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is serving as a senior editor for Symposeum magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 18, 2026
Eat the Light is a harrowing tale of post apocalyptic survival, made all the more grim by the age of its protagonists. Young sisters Tabby and Elissa are forced to confront a world they no longer recognize, filled with supernatural dangers, and only their stuffed toys and their love for each other to protect them. The mountain is waiting to give them answers, but how can they possibly be prepared to face the truth?
Review of advance copy received from Author
Eat The Light is a heart-breaking and scary look at the aftermath of an apocalypse. A thrilling post-apocalyptic horror that will have you questioning what you would do, what you would sacrifice, just to stay alive. But how far would you go to save humanity if you had the chance?
The story follows two sisters, thirteen-year-old Elissa and eight-year-old Tabitha (Tabby), who are thrown into a situation and location that brings them even closer together. Dumped and abandoned by their parents into a shelter under their house that they didn’t even know existed, the sisters wonder when their parents will return. But, as time passes, they begin to ask themselves, “How did Daddy know it was time to lock us in the shelter?“
Their family and life structure has collapsed. Left to fend for themselves, dealing with illness and lack of food, the sisters’ bond grows stronger than ever. Elissa soothes her younger sister with stories and tales to take her mind off the harsh reality of their enforced situation. Stories that are told to Elissa by her taxidermy ferret, Pom Pom, and allow Tabby to free her mind of the worries that are encircling like the dark shadows in the shelter.
When the girls finally leave the shelter and return to the post-apocalyptic world, food is scarcer than ever, and strange beings seem to roam the lands. Beings that shimmer in your peripheral vision and burn everything they touch. But it is not just the shimmer people that they need to worry about, it’s the surviving humans. Can they trust any of them?
Elissa has to be brave and strong, adult-like, for Tabby, but it’s hard to do that when your absent mother’s voice is in your head every waking moment belittling your every move; your every decision. The girl’s fight for survival is a hard one, especially when they split up, and the horror that they face will make your heart shudder with fear and love in equal measures, as you will them to survive this nightmare. The characters, scenes, and imagery that Andrew portrays is sublime, and you can’t help but route for the girl’s survival.
The story started slowly, for me anyway, as the author built the character’s world, but then it built to a crescendo and left you with an ending that you did not want to come. The twist within a twist at the end left me speechless, and it is probably one of the most unique story endings that I’ve ever read. Sequel, please!
I highly recommend this book.
The story follows two sisters, thirteen-year-old Elissa and eight-year-old Tabitha (Tabby), who are thrown into a situation and location that brings them even closer together. Dumped and abandoned by their parents into a shelter under their house that they didn’t even know existed, the sisters wonder when their parents will return. But, as time passes, they begin to ask themselves, “How did Daddy know it was time to lock us in the shelter?“
Their family and life structure has collapsed. Left to fend for themselves, dealing with illness and lack of food, the sisters’ bond grows stronger than ever. Elissa soothes her younger sister with stories and tales to take her mind off the harsh reality of their enforced situation. Stories that are told to Elissa by her taxidermy ferret, Pom Pom, and allow Tabby to free her mind of the worries that are encircling like the dark shadows in the shelter.
When the girls finally leave the shelter and return to the post-apocalyptic world, food is scarcer than ever, and strange beings seem to roam the lands. Beings that shimmer in your peripheral vision and burn everything they touch. But it is not just the shimmer people that they need to worry about, it’s the surviving humans. Can they trust any of them?
Elissa has to be brave and strong, adult-like, for Tabby, but it’s hard to do that when your absent mother’s voice is in your head every waking moment belittling your every move; your every decision. The girl’s fight for survival is a hard one, especially when they split up, and the horror that they face will make your heart shudder with fear and love in equal measures, as you will them to survive this nightmare. The characters, scenes, and imagery that Andrew portrays is sublime, and you can’t help but route for the girl’s survival.
The story started slowly, for me anyway, as the author built the character’s world, but then it built to a crescendo and left you with an ending that you did not want to come. The twist within a twist at the end left me speechless, and it is probably one of the most unique story endings that I’ve ever read. Sequel, please!
I highly recommend this book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Eat the Light" is an extraordinary tale of resilience, sisterhood, the power of imagination, and the horrifying cost of second chances! This is post-apocalyptic survival horror at its most compassionate and lyrical, an intimate - and occasionally brutal - ode to the enduring love bonding young siblings when everything they thought they knew and everything they counted on - parents, society, perhaps even reality itself - has collapsed. Written with great restraint, always from the point of view of the two children, the story unfolds as a series of violent confrontations with what's real and what's not, with the mystery and the pressure of a newfound independence, all the while under a strong feeling of imminent danger.
With the odds stacked against them, thirteen-year-old Lissa and her eight-year-old sister Tabby have to make their own way in the new situation they've been thrown in by their own parents: they've been locked in an underground shelter they didn't even know existed, right underneath their house. Is it the end of the world? Apparently so. Reality outside burns, people are no longer people, and there is the call of the Mountain - Lissa feels it in her bones, she must take her sister there. Spectral appearances of her mom undermine her confidence, food is getting scarce, she hears the voice of her taxidermy ferret inside her mind, and there's a bunch of sinister beings, the Shimmer People circulating freely, ready to pounce on the survivors. Will Lissa succeed in her self-imposed mission? And what happens if she gets separated from Tabby? Well, guess what: she does.
The book is epic, brimming with spellbinding twists, stellar world-building, and incredible imagery. The attention to detail is simply stunning: a fever dream of colors, animals, angel-like figures, a phantasmagoria of vividly described, nightmarish situations (the story could easily be imagined as a graphic novel with brilliant color palates) - so much makes up this terrific novel that it's a wonder how Najberg's mind kept it all together to the finish line: in a nutshell, get ready to have your mind blown!
And I haven't even mentioned the ending: a double twist, a twist organically growing out of another twist, a real kicker. This is devastating, spectacular post-apocalyptic horror by an author who knows how to explore what makes humanity tick! Highly recommend!
With the odds stacked against them, thirteen-year-old Lissa and her eight-year-old sister Tabby have to make their own way in the new situation they've been thrown in by their own parents: they've been locked in an underground shelter they didn't even know existed, right underneath their house. Is it the end of the world? Apparently so. Reality outside burns, people are no longer people, and there is the call of the Mountain - Lissa feels it in her bones, she must take her sister there. Spectral appearances of her mom undermine her confidence, food is getting scarce, she hears the voice of her taxidermy ferret inside her mind, and there's a bunch of sinister beings, the Shimmer People circulating freely, ready to pounce on the survivors. Will Lissa succeed in her self-imposed mission? And what happens if she gets separated from Tabby? Well, guess what: she does.
The book is epic, brimming with spellbinding twists, stellar world-building, and incredible imagery. The attention to detail is simply stunning: a fever dream of colors, animals, angel-like figures, a phantasmagoria of vividly described, nightmarish situations (the story could easily be imagined as a graphic novel with brilliant color palates) - so much makes up this terrific novel that it's a wonder how Najberg's mind kept it all together to the finish line: in a nutshell, get ready to have your mind blown!
And I haven't even mentioned the ending: a double twist, a twist organically growing out of another twist, a real kicker. This is devastating, spectacular post-apocalyptic horror by an author who knows how to explore what makes humanity tick! Highly recommend!
March 11, 2026
Here we are with another excellent book by Andrew Najberg. I’ve read every book and collection he’s put out and it’s very evident he’s only improving his craft. And he finally heard the pleas of the people (and by people I mean me, solely 😂) and set this book in our shared city of Chattanooga. Granted, he blew the entire municipality off the map in some sort of apocalyptic destruction but it’s a step in the right direction, right? But yes, I loved the setting. So many references I knew which always helps ground me with a book.
In Eat the Light we follow sisters, Tabitha (8) and Elissa (13). Very abruptly their parents locked them into a fallout shelter the girls weren’t even aware was inside their home. Elissa is immediately thrust into this protective caregiver role over her sister while having no access to help or information. The shelter is stocked with the basic supplies, but considering I *also* have an 8 and 13yo I recognize that this feat is near impossible. My kids would be totally feral within a week.
We’re given glimpses into their life in the shelter and also experiences they have above ground. Things are nuclear winter level bad on the surface and Najberg skillfully weaves alternating timelines into one comprehensible tale. I imagine some readers may have questions but just stay the course and all will be revealed. The cast of characters is short which only allows for incredible dimension to be built into each girl. Also, Bramble and Pom Pom 💜. There’s psychological horror in this one which is incredible, but also excruciatingly visceral imagery with the Shimmer People and life above ground. This was such a dope read and I can’t wait for Najberg’s next book. Highly recommend.
In Eat the Light we follow sisters, Tabitha (8) and Elissa (13). Very abruptly their parents locked them into a fallout shelter the girls weren’t even aware was inside their home. Elissa is immediately thrust into this protective caregiver role over her sister while having no access to help or information. The shelter is stocked with the basic supplies, but considering I *also* have an 8 and 13yo I recognize that this feat is near impossible. My kids would be totally feral within a week.
We’re given glimpses into their life in the shelter and also experiences they have above ground. Things are nuclear winter level bad on the surface and Najberg skillfully weaves alternating timelines into one comprehensible tale. I imagine some readers may have questions but just stay the course and all will be revealed. The cast of characters is short which only allows for incredible dimension to be built into each girl. Also, Bramble and Pom Pom 💜. There’s psychological horror in this one which is incredible, but also excruciatingly visceral imagery with the Shimmer People and life above ground. This was such a dope read and I can’t wait for Najberg’s next book. Highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A truly haunting and heartbreaking story about two young sisters surviving in a world that is barely habitable. Visceral, emotional, raw, and utterly devastating—Eat The Light feels like a slow burn if you were to start at an 8 and work up to 20. Out the gate, Andrew Najberg demonstrates his incredible ability to paint a scene like Tolkien or Herbert. Such incredibly precise details make it impossible not to become fully immersed in Elissa and Tabby’s world, as painful as that is.
Good things don’t happen in this story… it is a tale of grief at its very core. Abandonment, growing up too fast, surviving a world that you weren’t meant to live in and that wasn’t meant for you to survive… but the biggest theme that carried me through to the end was the unrelenting hopefulness of love.
No matter what happened, Tabby and Elissa remained a testament to the concept of true and unconditional love and there are few things more inspiring than that.
I wish I could say more without spoiling anything, but this book is packed with nonstop action, emotion, and most of all—horror. Absolutely going to be one of the top ten of the year.
A truly haunting and heartbreaking story about two young sisters surviving in a world that is barely habitable. Visceral, emotional, raw, and utterly devastating—Eat The Light feels like a slow burn if you were to start at an 8 and work up to 20. Out the gate, Andrew Najberg demonstrates his incredible ability to paint a scene like Tolkien or Herbert. Such incredibly precise details make it impossible not to become fully immersed in Elissa and Tabby’s world, as painful as that is.
Good things don’t happen in this story… it is a tale of grief at its very core. Abandonment, growing up too fast, surviving a world that you weren’t meant to live in and that wasn’t meant for you to survive… but the biggest theme that carried me through to the end was the unrelenting hopefulness of love.
No matter what happened, Tabby and Elissa remained a testament to the concept of true and unconditional love and there are few things more inspiring than that.
I wish I could say more without spoiling anything, but this book is packed with nonstop action, emotion, and most of all—horror. Absolutely going to be one of the top ten of the year.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a very unsettling story of two girls ages eight and about 12 who are locked up in a bunker underground by their parents because Of some event that is about to happen. Exactly what happened is something that is somewhat of a mystery and that the reader is left frustrated wondering about. The girls struggle in the bunker to survive fighting illness and a flood and trying desperately to escape the bunker. The timeline jumps back-and-forth a Good bit and is sometimes kind of hard to follow. The characters are very well developed even the ones that only have a small part in the story. Overall this book kept you interested because you were always wondering what was going to happen next to these little girls and you honestly worried about them and thought about them when you were not reading. This to me is a hallmark of a very good book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Eat the Light by Andrew Najberg is an unforgettable journey of two young sisters left alone in a terrifyingly lethal post-apocalyptic world. Your heart will ache for these girls and their resilience in the face of loss in this cosmic tale of despair that plunges you into an alien landscape filled with unseen threats and luminous beings.
As a dad with kids about the age of the girls in the story, this book left me picturing them in the same situations, making the girls’ ordeal all the more terrifying.
With this novel, Najberg delivers a beautifully bleak story of survival unlike any other.
As a dad with kids about the age of the girls in the story, this book left me picturing them in the same situations, making the girls’ ordeal all the more terrifying.
With this novel, Najberg delivers a beautifully bleak story of survival unlike any other.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
One thing that I can say about Andrew Najberg's books is that they consistently surprise me. Just when you think you have a handle on what's going on, no, you absolutely don't. For someone who reads as much horror as I do, this is absolutely delightful. The writing is top-notch, with scenes of this new world painted vividly. The relationship between the sisters as rendered beautifully, and it feels believable. I was so invested in the story that I had to force myself to stop reading at night and go to bed. And holy hell, that ending is a doozy. 5 stars
One thing that I can say about Andrew Najberg's books is that they consistently surprise me. Just when you think you have a handle on what's going on, no, you absolutely don't. For someone who reads as much horror as I do, this is absolutely delightful. The writing is top-notch, with scenes of this new world painted vividly. The relationship between the sisters as rendered beautifully, and it feels believable. I was so invested in the story that I had to force myself to stop reading at night and go to bed. And holy hell, that ending is a doozy. 5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Author
Elissa and Tabby are siblings. One day their life takes a turn when their father places them in a safe room. There is something happening outside. What are the shimmer people? Where is everyone? Heart touching tension filled.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews