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Murphy's Lore: A Sci-Fi Horror Novella
Some things are darker than space...
The crew of the Reggie are exhausted from a double tour maintaining the defence net — the last thing standing between Earth and Agoul space, from which no ship has ever returned.
Then a coffin from the Palatine drifts across the border. The infamous vessel. The first mission into that benighted star system. The one that never came back.
What the crew find inside defies rational explanation. Bringing it aboard may be the last mistake they ever make. Because what haunts Agoul space never lets anything leave.
For fans of Alien, The Thing, Event Horizon, and Outland
Praise for Murphy's Lore
“Murphy’s Law is the second John Carpenter movie set in space—the one we never got. Tightly plotted, tense as hell, full of compelling characters and deep mythology. This novella has Dan Soule’s trademark humour with pathos, horror with humanity, and a killer ending. Do not miss!” Joseph Sale, author of From Black Fires Rise
"Pure claustrophobic dread. Blue-collar horror at its most effective and emotionally brutal. Dan Soule has written something that feels like a lost transmission from a forgotten corner of space." Jim McLeod Gingernuts of Horror
"Murphy’s Lore is a STELLAR sci-fi horror story. Briming with mystery, unease, action, and characters you won’t soon forget, this is a book fans of Alien and Event Horizon can’t afford to miss." Lee Mountford, author of the Haunted series.
This books is a 100% human creation. Please support biological creators.
The crew of the Reggie are exhausted from a double tour maintaining the defence net — the last thing standing between Earth and Agoul space, from which no ship has ever returned.
Then a coffin from the Palatine drifts across the border. The infamous vessel. The first mission into that benighted star system. The one that never came back.
What the crew find inside defies rational explanation. Bringing it aboard may be the last mistake they ever make. Because what haunts Agoul space never lets anything leave.
For fans of Alien, The Thing, Event Horizon, and Outland
Praise for Murphy's Lore
“Murphy’s Law is the second John Carpenter movie set in space—the one we never got. Tightly plotted, tense as hell, full of compelling characters and deep mythology. This novella has Dan Soule’s trademark humour with pathos, horror with humanity, and a killer ending. Do not miss!” Joseph Sale, author of From Black Fires Rise
"Pure claustrophobic dread. Blue-collar horror at its most effective and emotionally brutal. Dan Soule has written something that feels like a lost transmission from a forgotten corner of space." Jim McLeod Gingernuts of Horror
"Murphy’s Lore is a STELLAR sci-fi horror story. Briming with mystery, unease, action, and characters you won’t soon forget, this is a book fans of Alien and Event Horizon can’t afford to miss." Lee Mountford, author of the Haunted series.
This books is a 100% human creation. Please support biological creators.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 22, 2026
About the author
Dan Soule
25 books58 followersDan is a horror author, who was born and raised in Nottinghamshire, England, growing up in a small cathedral town called Southwell. He moved to Glasgow, Scotland aged 19 and met his now wife, a Northern Irish girl. Hence, Dan now lives in Northern Ireland on the beautiful Antrim Coast, with his wife and two children, Cassie the cat and Jessie the dog. His author website with a bonus book is www.dansoule.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 11, 2026
I think it was back in 2020 that Dan reached out to me to see about if I would be interested in reading his novel ‘Witchopper’ and potentially blurbing it. Since then, Dan’s churned out a run of novels and novellas that have created one of the most solid bibliography’s out there. ‘The Jam,’ ‘Neolithic,’ ‘Savage,’ ‘Witchopper’ and jaw-droppingly amazing ‘The Ash’ are all must-reads and have all solidified two things for me. The first is that Soule knows how to craft a tale that’ll have me ripping through it with a grin on my face. The second is that his books are sorely overlooked. Much like his friend (and mine), Joseph Sale, I wish more folks would find his books and eat them up, because they’re phenomenal and always equal parts action and emotion.
Having previously loved what he did with his sci-fi/horror release ‘The Ash,’ I was really curious about what he’d crafted here. Sci-fi/horror is always a favorite subgenre of mine and so, when he announced this, I grabbed a copy right away and couldn’t wait to dive in. Once I did, I knew I was in for a treat. Funny enough, I didn’t realize until the afterword that I already owned this one, as it originally appeared in a Crystal Lake three-author release alongside Lee Mountford and Joseph Sale!
What I liked: The book opens up on a ship christened Reggie, where the crew are working to maintain a space defense system that protects earth from deeper space known as Agoul Space. Murphy is the rookie of the crew, and though technically she’s more the medic, every member is sort of a Jack-of-all-trades onboard, ensuring things run smoothly. A retrieval vessel will be coming to pick them up soon, swapping out new crew with them, so it’s just a case of waiting until their ride arrives.
Things take a turn when something’s detected nearby. When they discover that it’s coffin from an infamous research vessel, the decision to bring it onto the ship and see what it contains is met with mixed reactions, but because it’s from the vessel known as the Palantine, one of the first research ships sent to Agoul Space, only to never be heard from again, they decide to get the coffin.
Soule does a great job of giving us just enough information about the characters and banter between them, that we’re able to make some connections and understand their inner workings. One crew member has gone a bit insane, Ito having raved about a spy on board and because of that, they’ve been sedated, but once the coffin is opened, Murphy begins to wonder if there’s more going on than they think and that maybe Ito was onto something. A relic is discovered, strange sounds are heard and when the greatest enemy known to mankind suddenly appears, this becomes a story about survival and the horrifying claustrophobia of being sucked out of the vessel to be sent adrift through deep space.
I really enjoyed the pacing throughout. Soule starts us off easy and jovial before the story turning suspicious and tension-filled. Then, it finishes with a pedal-to-the-metal joyride of explosions, hallucinations and every-second-might-be-your-last.
The ending was a lot of fun. While reading this, I felt like I was back in my bedroom as a teenager, watching one of the sci-fi/horror VHS tapes I’d rent every weekend. This felt like a glorious ode – and wonderful update – to the late 80s and early 90s movies that were equal parts amazing and bat-shit crazy. It was great to see Dan mention that was what inspired him to write this in the afterword.
What I didn’t like: The main thing that jumped out at me is ultimately discussed in the afterword, but I’m still going to mention it here. While reading the book and having the Agoul space and Agol (I might be spelling this wrong) extraterrestrials introduced, I felt like I was missing something. I didn’t remember it from ‘The Ash,’ which I was wondering if that novel was connected to this one, but I just felt like I was expected to know what they were, so at first I was a bit confused. Soule explains in the afterword that he’d thought about expanding those two elements and shares about them a bit more, which cleared up some of my confusion, but I also had no idea this was the same novella from that Crystal Lake three author release, as the name of the story changed. I also didn’t know that it’s related to the stories Lee and Joseph wrote, so I wonder if they have a bit more mythology explained. I’m hopeful Dan does another release where he goes into it more in depth, because I’d love to learn more about it. Side note – years ago Joseph Sale, myself and Brian Fatah Steele discussed releasing related/interconnected novellas in a shared universe, so I was excited to read that Joseph was able to scratch that itch with Dan and Lee!
Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for just an all-round action-packed fun time, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ will be a perfect read to cure that fix. Murphy’s a great character, their back story really intriguing and honestly, anytime you get a great space sci-fi/horror book, we’re lucky. Soule is such a solid, masterful writer, one who isn’t afraid to take chances and make the reader feel big emotions and this one is yet another prime example of that.
A quick, chaotic novella that hopefully sets the stage for a huge world-building slate of releases, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ was a perfect cinematic read.
Having previously loved what he did with his sci-fi/horror release ‘The Ash,’ I was really curious about what he’d crafted here. Sci-fi/horror is always a favorite subgenre of mine and so, when he announced this, I grabbed a copy right away and couldn’t wait to dive in. Once I did, I knew I was in for a treat. Funny enough, I didn’t realize until the afterword that I already owned this one, as it originally appeared in a Crystal Lake three-author release alongside Lee Mountford and Joseph Sale!
What I liked: The book opens up on a ship christened Reggie, where the crew are working to maintain a space defense system that protects earth from deeper space known as Agoul Space. Murphy is the rookie of the crew, and though technically she’s more the medic, every member is sort of a Jack-of-all-trades onboard, ensuring things run smoothly. A retrieval vessel will be coming to pick them up soon, swapping out new crew with them, so it’s just a case of waiting until their ride arrives.
Things take a turn when something’s detected nearby. When they discover that it’s coffin from an infamous research vessel, the decision to bring it onto the ship and see what it contains is met with mixed reactions, but because it’s from the vessel known as the Palantine, one of the first research ships sent to Agoul Space, only to never be heard from again, they decide to get the coffin.
Soule does a great job of giving us just enough information about the characters and banter between them, that we’re able to make some connections and understand their inner workings. One crew member has gone a bit insane, Ito having raved about a spy on board and because of that, they’ve been sedated, but once the coffin is opened, Murphy begins to wonder if there’s more going on than they think and that maybe Ito was onto something. A relic is discovered, strange sounds are heard and when the greatest enemy known to mankind suddenly appears, this becomes a story about survival and the horrifying claustrophobia of being sucked out of the vessel to be sent adrift through deep space.
I really enjoyed the pacing throughout. Soule starts us off easy and jovial before the story turning suspicious and tension-filled. Then, it finishes with a pedal-to-the-metal joyride of explosions, hallucinations and every-second-might-be-your-last.
The ending was a lot of fun. While reading this, I felt like I was back in my bedroom as a teenager, watching one of the sci-fi/horror VHS tapes I’d rent every weekend. This felt like a glorious ode – and wonderful update – to the late 80s and early 90s movies that were equal parts amazing and bat-shit crazy. It was great to see Dan mention that was what inspired him to write this in the afterword.
What I didn’t like: The main thing that jumped out at me is ultimately discussed in the afterword, but I’m still going to mention it here. While reading the book and having the Agoul space and Agol (I might be spelling this wrong) extraterrestrials introduced, I felt like I was missing something. I didn’t remember it from ‘The Ash,’ which I was wondering if that novel was connected to this one, but I just felt like I was expected to know what they were, so at first I was a bit confused. Soule explains in the afterword that he’d thought about expanding those two elements and shares about them a bit more, which cleared up some of my confusion, but I also had no idea this was the same novella from that Crystal Lake three author release, as the name of the story changed. I also didn’t know that it’s related to the stories Lee and Joseph wrote, so I wonder if they have a bit more mythology explained. I’m hopeful Dan does another release where he goes into it more in depth, because I’d love to learn more about it. Side note – years ago Joseph Sale, myself and Brian Fatah Steele discussed releasing related/interconnected novellas in a shared universe, so I was excited to read that Joseph was able to scratch that itch with Dan and Lee!
Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for just an all-round action-packed fun time, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ will be a perfect read to cure that fix. Murphy’s a great character, their back story really intriguing and honestly, anytime you get a great space sci-fi/horror book, we’re lucky. Soule is such a solid, masterful writer, one who isn’t afraid to take chances and make the reader feel big emotions and this one is yet another prime example of that.
A quick, chaotic novella that hopefully sets the stage for a huge world-building slate of releases, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ was a perfect cinematic read.
May 29, 2026
Routine maintenance on the edge of the void becomes a waking nightmare of grief and madness. The horror in this novella isn’t in the void. It’s in what Murphy brought with her.
Dan Soule has been building something across his horror fiction for a decade: a body of work that uses genre terror to get at the family wounds that never quite close. Murphy’s Lore, his 2026 science fiction horror novella published through Rotten Row Press, is the sharpest thing he’s done. A young field medic aboard a maintenance vessel on the edge of Algol space opens a coffin that drifts in from the void. What she finds inside does what cosmic horror does best: it stops being about the alien very quickly, and starts being about the person standing in front of it.
“Pure claustrophobic dread. Blue-collar horror at its most effective and emotionally brutal. Dan Soule has written something that feels like a lost transmission from a forgotten corner of space.”
Read the full review here
https://gnofhorror.com/murphys-lore-b...
Dan Soule has been building something across his horror fiction for a decade: a body of work that uses genre terror to get at the family wounds that never quite close. Murphy’s Lore, his 2026 science fiction horror novella published through Rotten Row Press, is the sharpest thing he’s done. A young field medic aboard a maintenance vessel on the edge of Algol space opens a coffin that drifts in from the void. What she finds inside does what cosmic horror does best: it stops being about the alien very quickly, and starts being about the person standing in front of it.
“Pure claustrophobic dread. Blue-collar horror at its most effective and emotionally brutal. Dan Soule has written something that feels like a lost transmission from a forgotten corner of space.”
Read the full review here
https://gnofhorror.com/murphys-lore-b...
July 21, 2026
A short, but nevertheless harrowing tale from one of Britain’s top horror writers.
The crew of the Reggie are tasked with the routine maintenance of the defence grid - the only thing that protects Earth from the all-powerful Agoul. But when a coffin mysteriously drifts across the bow, things become anything but routine.
As with his previous works, Dan skilfully weaves a tale in homage to those movies you surreptitiously watched as a kid, late on a Friday night, when you thought your parents had gone to bed. Dan perfectly crafts a ragtag crew of salty space dogs, reminiscent of Aliens, Event Horizon and Silent Running. I was even reminded of the cult TV show The Lexx. But don’t let these loveable characters fool you - amidst the strong sci-fi world building is a sinister, universal terror and the very real horror of past trauma we cannot run away from no matter how fast or how far we travel.
The crew of the Reggie are tasked with the routine maintenance of the defence grid - the only thing that protects Earth from the all-powerful Agoul. But when a coffin mysteriously drifts across the bow, things become anything but routine.
As with his previous works, Dan skilfully weaves a tale in homage to those movies you surreptitiously watched as a kid, late on a Friday night, when you thought your parents had gone to bed. Dan perfectly crafts a ragtag crew of salty space dogs, reminiscent of Aliens, Event Horizon and Silent Running. I was even reminded of the cult TV show The Lexx. But don’t let these loveable characters fool you - amidst the strong sci-fi world building is a sinister, universal terror and the very real horror of past trauma we cannot run away from no matter how fast or how far we travel.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews