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No Ghosts
After being reunited at Annie's memorial, Kieran and Harlow begin separate searches for their lost friend, all while trying to repair their friendship. Harlow, recently retired from the CGI company she helped found, discovers fragments of the dead - faces, gestures, glances - in AI generated videos; meanwhile Kieran, aimless and isolated, stumbles into an occult community of those dedicated to finding the missing ghosts. The friends' journeys will lead them through a world at once recognisable and strangely removed. A subterranean world of endless tunnels filled with ominous arrangements of consumer goods; a world of seances where attendees are haunted by the empty spaces where ghosts used to be. As Harlow and Kieran are drawn deeper into the circumstances behind Annie's - and the ghosts' - disappearance, a terrifying, singular pattern breaks the surface. No Ghosts is a startling debut which plumbs the undercurrents of feeling that pool beneath our use of emergent technologies, to ask what new forms haunting might take. Told with a sinister precision, it dramatizes the abstraction and unreality that increasingly define our everyday lives, and marks the arrival of a major new literary novelist.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 7, 2026
lrlrlrll;lrrlrlll;lrrlrllr;lrrrllrr;llrlllll;lrrrlrrr;lrrllllr;lrrrllrr;llrllllr;lrrlrrrl;lrrllrlr;
Man cooked AI so bad it doesn’t have a token to stand on.
Awesome debut, It tackles grief, loneliness, capitalism and modern technology with a ‘ghost’ story that is unlike any you’ve ever heard.
In this book the ghosts have gone. It’s their absence that’s terrifying. There’s a sort of eldritch watcher across the whole thing that’s so goddamn creepy without ever being explicitly acknowledged.
The fact people just disappear and the characters search through endless corridors of thought to locate them. It makes you feel like you’re going a bit mad with them.
Idk how Lury even got to this narrative it’s so complex and winding but told in a way that makes its surrealities less of a confusion and more of a fact.
Man cooked AI so bad it doesn’t have a token to stand on.
Awesome debut, It tackles grief, loneliness, capitalism and modern technology with a ‘ghost’ story that is unlike any you’ve ever heard.
In this book the ghosts have gone. It’s their absence that’s terrifying. There’s a sort of eldritch watcher across the whole thing that’s so goddamn creepy without ever being explicitly acknowledged.
The fact people just disappear and the characters search through endless corridors of thought to locate them. It makes you feel like you’re going a bit mad with them.
Idk how Lury even got to this narrative it’s so complex and winding but told in a way that makes its surrealities less of a confusion and more of a fact.
April 12, 2026
Remarkably insightful on technology, people and the current ‘moment’ — the kaleidoscopic scramble of selfhood we’re all living through. The author perfectly captures artificial intelligence in its mundane unreality of images, its penetrating incursion into people’s memories, their grief, their mad attendant delusions.
And what perfect timing! Clearly, autonomous intelligence and occult superstition have become very well acquainted lately. As I was reading this, Charlie Kirk’s face was starting to appear in AI generated slop all over TikTok - not in its entirety, but in unmistakable smears (or what the author calls ‘fragments’) of semi-resemblance — that dorky fratboy face with its gummy, self-satisfied sneer.
hysterical attempts by the tech right to plug the torrent of self-replicated faces, to censor and finalise his death, didn’t seem to matter one bit. the singularity had swallowed him whole. He’d been consumed by the digital subconscious and he continued to reemerge — a half-digested, half-dreamt regurgitation, a torrid semi-living parody of a dead man. A sneering face in a garbled crowd. Some might say a ghost!
What really makes this such a special novel, however, is its sentimentality — I do not mean this in the traditionally dismissive, negative sense. Far, far from it. It’s a book about what it means to truly love your friends, to mourn them even as you get to know them. How exactly does it feel to pore over an old disposable from a festival? To see a friend pull out a well-worn anecdote for yet another fresh audience at the pub? To grow up and to grow apart? To see someone waywardly recede into themselves, coming to terms with how temporary and infinite it all seems to feel. All the vicissitudes of grief, unspoken understanding, even jealousy - those ebbs and flows of philial love. He absolutely nails it.
Read it read it read it read it!!!!!!!!
And what perfect timing! Clearly, autonomous intelligence and occult superstition have become very well acquainted lately. As I was reading this, Charlie Kirk’s face was starting to appear in AI generated slop all over TikTok - not in its entirety, but in unmistakable smears (or what the author calls ‘fragments’) of semi-resemblance — that dorky fratboy face with its gummy, self-satisfied sneer.
hysterical attempts by the tech right to plug the torrent of self-replicated faces, to censor and finalise his death, didn’t seem to matter one bit. the singularity had swallowed him whole. He’d been consumed by the digital subconscious and he continued to reemerge — a half-digested, half-dreamt regurgitation, a torrid semi-living parody of a dead man. A sneering face in a garbled crowd. Some might say a ghost!
What really makes this such a special novel, however, is its sentimentality — I do not mean this in the traditionally dismissive, negative sense. Far, far from it. It’s a book about what it means to truly love your friends, to mourn them even as you get to know them. How exactly does it feel to pore over an old disposable from a festival? To see a friend pull out a well-worn anecdote for yet another fresh audience at the pub? To grow up and to grow apart? To see someone waywardly recede into themselves, coming to terms with how temporary and infinite it all seems to feel. All the vicissitudes of grief, unspoken understanding, even jealousy - those ebbs and flows of philial love. He absolutely nails it.
Read it read it read it read it!!!!!!!!
May 24, 2026
probably the most accurate description of modern british life ive ever seen put to paper. also completely bonkers and unsettling
May 2, 2026
good GRIEF! (quite literally)
June 21, 2026
"The man was not listening and kept talking and said, they sing and they read from old books and they hold hands and sometimes when I come late at night I can see them in my headlights, walking about, doing nothing really, just walking about, hands out, like they are lost or have forgotten something important. Harlow nodded like she understood. And it's funny, he said, because they spend their whole time just walking about and saying strange things and they knock on my window and when I roll it down they have nothing to say, they just look at me a long time like I might be someone they know."
What a bloody marvelous way to debut. You always know you've found something magical when an authors debut novel feels like the work of an author who is at least 4 or 5 books into their career. No Ghosts could easily be described as grief and isolation, the novel, it's an extremely, horrifically, brutally lonely experience. This is a horror novel, but, it's horror-lite. The horror is rooted in the mundane, but, somehow, Max Lury has written about loneliness in such a grotesque way, that he's made the mundane feel like the most frigthening thing in the world. No Ghosts is quite a unique take on a ghost story, rather than focusing on the presence of ghosts, their absence is what fuels the narrative.
As well as being a surrealist, unsettling, hallucinogenic freakshow of a novel - No Ghosts is also an insightful and introspective deep dive into AI, isoatlion, and loss. It explores what it truly means to be alive, something that Max Lury has done so wonderfully here is how accurately he's managed to capture what AI means in our current lifetime, and, it's a tricky thing to describe, but when you read it, it sort of just... Clicks. There's a real sentimental and intimate quality to this novel, too, it feels all too much like witnessing a deeply private moment, it's almost akin to that sinking feeling you get when you sift through old photographs and realize that you no longer know anyone in them. No Ghosts is, exactly what it feels like to mourn a friendship.
So, that all sounds so very brilliant, doesn't it? So, why exactly have I given No Ghosts 3 stars and not 4, or higher? Well, No Ghosts is pitched as being some sort of weird internet horror that focuses on AI images and annoymous message boards, but... Most of the novel actually isn't rooted in this at all. The parts of the novel that shine the brightest are the weird, freaky, internet horror, the rest of it feels a little dim in comparrison. I feel that, personally, rather than focusing on a character study and the quiet moments where nothing really happens, No Ghosts should have fully commited to the bit - I enjoyed No Ghosts, I really did, I was just hoping for something a little weirder.
"They were silent while these short clips played. Neither of them looked away. Road accidents in Russia and India and China. hooded figures kneeling for cartel executions. Matted hair around their wounds. A woman cut to pieces with a machete, trying to move util the very end, her hand reaching for something that was not there. The smooth steel of a ball peen hammer taken once, twice, to the soft temple of an old man."
What a bloody marvelous way to debut. You always know you've found something magical when an authors debut novel feels like the work of an author who is at least 4 or 5 books into their career. No Ghosts could easily be described as grief and isolation, the novel, it's an extremely, horrifically, brutally lonely experience. This is a horror novel, but, it's horror-lite. The horror is rooted in the mundane, but, somehow, Max Lury has written about loneliness in such a grotesque way, that he's made the mundane feel like the most frigthening thing in the world. No Ghosts is quite a unique take on a ghost story, rather than focusing on the presence of ghosts, their absence is what fuels the narrative.
As well as being a surrealist, unsettling, hallucinogenic freakshow of a novel - No Ghosts is also an insightful and introspective deep dive into AI, isoatlion, and loss. It explores what it truly means to be alive, something that Max Lury has done so wonderfully here is how accurately he's managed to capture what AI means in our current lifetime, and, it's a tricky thing to describe, but when you read it, it sort of just... Clicks. There's a real sentimental and intimate quality to this novel, too, it feels all too much like witnessing a deeply private moment, it's almost akin to that sinking feeling you get when you sift through old photographs and realize that you no longer know anyone in them. No Ghosts is, exactly what it feels like to mourn a friendship.
"The text underneath each video grew a little more unhinged with each new post. At first, it was a note saying the poster couldn't provide the source, and that the link would die after ten hours, the file would corrupt if downloaded. All rendered in perfect English. And then, as the posts went on, the tone became more apologetic. Almost pathetically so. The spelling got worse, as did the grammar. 03:49: am sorry about this one...longer than usual. 2mins 7seconds. any of you trying to find me? someone tried to open my car. someone outside my flat this morning."
So, that all sounds so very brilliant, doesn't it? So, why exactly have I given No Ghosts 3 stars and not 4, or higher? Well, No Ghosts is pitched as being some sort of weird internet horror that focuses on AI images and annoymous message boards, but... Most of the novel actually isn't rooted in this at all. The parts of the novel that shine the brightest are the weird, freaky, internet horror, the rest of it feels a little dim in comparrison. I feel that, personally, rather than focusing on a character study and the quiet moments where nothing really happens, No Ghosts should have fully commited to the bit - I enjoyed No Ghosts, I really did, I was just hoping for something a little weirder.
"They were silent while these short clips played. Neither of them looked away. Road accidents in Russia and India and China. hooded figures kneeling for cartel executions. Matted hair around their wounds. A woman cut to pieces with a machete, trying to move util the very end, her hand reaching for something that was not there. The smooth steel of a ball peen hammer taken once, twice, to the soft temple of an old man."
May 26, 2026
I enjoyed this. I did enjoy it. But wow these were some big topics to try and digest. It was a bit of a challenging read, in that it wasn’t straightforward and it asked more of the reader than most books. Many times, it left you to fill in the gaps, posed questions around morality, friendship, the human experience, AI, and within this, it also illustrated a deep connection we all have to mortality. Both on an individual level and a more widespread understanding of where it fits in today’s modern world.
All that being said, if you asked me to explain what actually happened? I don’t know. Like I know the black-and-white, words-on-a-page happenings (she walked to the door, etc), but in terms of the large scale consequences - not a clue. The really juicy bits were so goddamn interesting, but they just didn’t seem to knit together. And I really wanted them to. I don’t need a definite answer on things, and I like an open ending, but there were so many titbits that just didn’t seem to go anywhere.
Enjoyable, well written and very ambitious, but I think it succeeded in its overall message. My score would’ve been higher if it didn’t also feel a bit like being stuck in a conversation with a stranger that takes a turn into a deeper topic.
All that being said, if you asked me to explain what actually happened? I don’t know. Like I know the black-and-white, words-on-a-page happenings (she walked to the door, etc), but in terms of the large scale consequences - not a clue. The really juicy bits were so goddamn interesting, but they just didn’t seem to knit together. And I really wanted them to. I don’t need a definite answer on things, and I like an open ending, but there were so many titbits that just didn’t seem to go anywhere.
Enjoyable, well written and very ambitious, but I think it succeeded in its overall message. My score would’ve been higher if it didn’t also feel a bit like being stuck in a conversation with a stranger that takes a turn into a deeper topic.
March 10, 2026
(received arc from publisher) what a great debut novel! it was moody, it was intense, it was thought provoking. full review on instagram soon!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is a hard book to put into words. Upon finishing, you feel as lost and meandering as the main characters. Navigating a life steeped in AI until we fade into the abyss. (Nice positive read this one 🤣)
We follow Harlow and Kieran as they reunite at a memorial for their friend Annie, who went missing a year previous. Then they both veer off on their own tangents in hopes of finding what has happened to their friend, but also asking why are the ghosts gone?!
No Ghosts is something completely different, but mirrors some of my favourite media, Severance and Kubrick, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer, in how to portrays the uncanny in the mundanity. I felt so so unsettled throughout this whole thing, it is not for the faint hearted but it is pretty brilliant.
I think a lot of you weirdos are going to enjoy this as much as me, maybe even more so and then the rest of you are going to be like wtf is this. To me thats the sign of a great novel.
(AD-PR Product) Thank you to Peninsula Press for the gifted copy, keep your eyes out for this one on your local shelves mid April 💃
We follow Harlow and Kieran as they reunite at a memorial for their friend Annie, who went missing a year previous. Then they both veer off on their own tangents in hopes of finding what has happened to their friend, but also asking why are the ghosts gone?!
No Ghosts is something completely different, but mirrors some of my favourite media, Severance and Kubrick, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer, in how to portrays the uncanny in the mundanity. I felt so so unsettled throughout this whole thing, it is not for the faint hearted but it is pretty brilliant.
I think a lot of you weirdos are going to enjoy this as much as me, maybe even more so and then the rest of you are going to be like wtf is this. To me thats the sign of a great novel.
(AD-PR Product) Thank you to Peninsula Press for the gifted copy, keep your eyes out for this one on your local shelves mid April 💃
May 19, 2026
I found out about this book through Lisa Tuttle's short review in the Guardian and was sold immediately. How could I not with this premise, title and the cover?! I was gripped from the start and quickly got into the writing style where there was no clear indication of the dialogue, no inverted commas, etc., but, Lury's writing was so good, it didn't really matter or affected my reading experience. Kieran and Harlow were such well written characters, the London setting was so vivid and familiar, plus the mystery and Annie's disappearance were really intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed 2/3 of the book, but unfortunately after that it went downhill for me, the story became frantic and convoluted and the author completely lost me. I also could only deal so much with the nasty death scenes and executions that appeared in 'the Fragments' that Harlow worked on. I felt as though the stakes were high at the very beginning, but I ended up with no resolution, no explanation, just confusion.
June 1, 2026
[ 3.5 ★ ] Arrives at just the right cultural moment, accompanied by the creep of the Backrooms, the disconcerting rise of AI psychosis, the uncanny comfort of liminal spaces and the decontextualized fragments of post-ironic corecore memes all over your feed.
I like where this debut lands and how the surreal elements are slowwwly dialed up across its length. It begins in a relatively grounded place — for a while, I was lulled into thinking the entire novel might be about messy grief, drug use and cliché hazy parties for lost souls — but thankfully the narrative rights itself and delves into more fringe, creepy, and outré themes by the midpoint.
A bit bleak throughout, we follow characters who tragically seem to be siloing deeper into their own isolation, despite being on parallel quests for the same answers. The tone can feel heavy, but the novel's familir themes are tackled with such a contemporary framework that it makes the spiralling descent feel relevant and worthwhile.
I like where this debut lands and how the surreal elements are slowwwly dialed up across its length. It begins in a relatively grounded place — for a while, I was lulled into thinking the entire novel might be about messy grief, drug use and cliché hazy parties for lost souls — but thankfully the narrative rights itself and delves into more fringe, creepy, and outré themes by the midpoint.
A bit bleak throughout, we follow characters who tragically seem to be siloing deeper into their own isolation, despite being on parallel quests for the same answers. The tone can feel heavy, but the novel's familir themes are tackled with such a contemporary framework that it makes the spiralling descent feel relevant and worthwhile.
Review of advance copy received from Author
gripping & surreal, eerily incisive about new (or current) technologies while remaining grounded & human throughout. absurdist & astute in a way that isn't smug or pretentious, but warm & thought-provoking.
feels totally unique, but if it had to be packaged into a bite-size vibe-guide: think Severance X Sally Rooney !
feels totally unique, but if it had to be packaged into a bite-size vibe-guide: think Severance X Sally Rooney !
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you so much for the e-proof!!
3.75 confused stars??? rounded up to 4
this was a trip and I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed the ride or not looool
this was confusing and almost disorientating in the sense of dread that lingers but I also felt some need for it to pick up in some places??
3.75 confused stars??? rounded up to 4
this was a trip and I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed the ride or not looool
this was confusing and almost disorientating in the sense of dread that lingers but I also felt some need for it to pick up in some places??
Review of advance copy received from Author
What an unbelievable first book. A total achievement!
April 26, 2026
A strange but compelling story. I feel like im going to be mulling this over for days.
May 7, 2026
just the right side of spooky!
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