EDEN

by Kylo Kirby

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 26, 2026

About the author

Kylo Kirby is a British author and graduate film student whose work bridges cinematic and literary experiences. Specialising in horror and dystopian fiction, they draw inspiration from the chilling allure of the end of the world and the expansive possibilities found across science fiction and fantasy. With a background in visual storytelling, Kylo crafts vivid, atmospheric narratives that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Their work is an exploration of survival, transformation, and the fragile human spirit against impossible odds.

Reviews

[Kleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ Eden was everything I look for in a dystopian horror: atmospheric, high-stakes, heart-wrenching, and a little bit gross. The imagery in this book was so beautifully written! I couldn’t help but be drawn in by descriptions like “the last of the sunlight streaming through the windows like honey, glazing every surface in a sea of molten gold”. I didn’t expect to get descriptions of beautiful scenery and relationships in such a bleak world. In addition to the beautiful descriptions, we got an equal amount that were just gnarly (in the best way)! I was obsessed with the way that the author described the animals that had been infected by the mushrooms. They were written so well it made my skin crawl every time the characters encountered them. I’m a huge character reader and I loved all the character development and growth we got throughout the story. I grew very attached to our main characters which only enhanced my experience. I felt all the emotions they felt and was on edge the entire book. The author used different multi-medias such as scientific papers and video transcripts between some chapters to help give an idea of how the world got to the point it is at. I found all of these very interesting and could’ve read so many more! Overall, I loved this book! I was thoroughly drawn in to the world and the relationships we were following. The ending left me reeling and I can’t wait for the second book!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never signed up for an ARC so fast. The moment Kirby opened applications, I was there. As someone who spent years obsessed with post-apocalyptic stories, reading Eden brought back that nostalgic feeling. I wouldn’t call it a comfort read, but it definitely reminded me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place.

On the surface, Eden is a post-apocalyptic horror novel that gave me strong The Last of Us vibes. It begins with the outbreak of the shadowcaps, a fungal infection that twists animals into grotesque, deadly creatures with an appetite for human flesh. Amid the collapse of civilization, Jax is forced to navigate loss, survival, and the fragile hope that keeps him moving forward.

What impressed me most is how Kirby balances character work with momentum. The story gives you enough time to become attached to these characters while never letting you forget that time is running out. The threat is real, civilization has collapsed, and it’s not just the fungus that’s dangerous.

For a debut novel, I was seriously impressed. I devoured this in two days despite juggling other books because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The prose is lyrical and introspective, the pacing is relentless without feeling exhausting, and the ending landed in a twisted way that immediately made me want the next book.

If you’re looking for dystopian horror with beautiful prose, memorable characters, and a story that’s impossible to put down, I highly recommend Eden.

[Bookstarreviews_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

A fast-paced, cinematic and brutal dystopian horror! 🔥

What an absolutely incredible book this was!
A battle of hope, fatherhood and survival, this debut packs so much in with an edge-of-your-seat post-apocalyptic plot.

Containing one of the best opening chapters I’ve ever read, Kirby heightens the action and suspense further throughout, accumulating with an outstanding, jaw dropping final chapter. Huge praise for this technique!

I was instantly connected to Jax and what he was facing with his daughter being kidnapped. Parasitic mushrooms turning non-human mammals in to preying beasts, slaughtering mankind was a fantastic premise (think Zootropolis on horror steroids) and I couldn’t get enough of it. Eliciting dread with the loss, gore and violence, alongside a tapestry or descriptive rich settings, Kirby transported me straight to the forests of Wyoming and it couldn’t have been more engaging.

Kirby’s writing is savage, yet neatly controlled, both instilling and engraining a visceral atmosphere throughout. The storytelling was slick and fuelled with adrenaline, encouraging me to turn every single page as I was desperate to see what Jax would encounter next.

There was blood, guts, sweat and tears, but what really impacted was the more tender moments of prose, where the emotions surfaced and you really connected with Jax on an intimate level. His love for his wife Elsie was non-comparable and I loved this harsh polar opposite nature to the horrors of the read.

Kirby has evidenced that he can write and it was superb throughout. I’m surprised, I’m speechless and I’m thoroughly impressed. A huge thank you @kylos.bookclub for this ARC of Eden, the first book in the Destruction of Eden series, publishing on the 26th June. I CANNOT wait for the next instalment!

You must buckle up and join this wild ride! 😍

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️

[Kelsey Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still can’t fully process my emotions after finishing this book 😭 so I’m gonna try to write my review the best I can!

A new species of fungus has taken over the planet, infecting mammals who consume it and transforming them into bloodthirsty, angry predators. We follow our main character Jax 6 years after the outbreak, and what he does to survive. The infected animals are one worry, but it really goes to show how evil people can become when humanity is destroyed.

I found myself holding my breath from the very first page and felt like I didn’t come up for air until I finished. From the very first chapter, we get action and heartbreak and I just knew instantly this story was going to break me. The descriptions of what the animals had transformed into were absolutely terrifying! You could visualise exactly how they were described, and let me just say I would NOT like to be face to face with one of them 🫣 I wouldn’t survive for a minute!

I loved the lil found evidence pieces we got throughout too, they really added to the story and I loved learning more about the fungus.

I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series, although I know it’ll probably be even more heart wrenching.

Thank you to the author, Kylo, for letting my ARC read Eden! Definitely one of my favourite reads of this year so far! 🌲

[bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆ - 4 stars

Thank you my dear friend Kylo for this ARC. It was incredible to see your work come to life, and what an amazing book you have here.

This was atmospheric, loved the post-apocalyptic vibes, heartbreaking and a bit gross too. Dystopian horror doesn’t always work for me but I loved this one.

The world building was really interesting and I loved the different media used for us to understand what had happened in this world.

The book is full of action, which I love, but some parts are just gut wrenching, it broke my heart to read some scenes but that’s what makes this book so good too.

The characters are amazing, I loved Jax and to follow him along the book. Everything was so raw, you could almost feel his own emotions. Loved Layla too, she’s such a fierce woman.

Loved the writing! It’s easy to follow but it has a poetic touch that makes it so beautiful and immersive. Each chapter just makes you want more and more. The descriptions are soooo good too.

Now, let’s talk about the ending. What was that? How am I supposed to recover from it? Am I supposed to just live my life normally now??? Seriously, I wish I could include stickers for my reactions here.

[dani B) · Rating 5 out of 5]

give me 3 business days to write my review. this whole book consumed me and my plans today.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a debut!

Kylo is evil. Amazing but evil.
This book was unreal it had me hooked. It’s gut punch after gut punch 😩
The imagery he adds throughout this story is immense, he paints the perfect picture of how brutal this apocalyptic world is

The pacing is literally perfect and has every piece of character building to match??!

Also I wasn’t ready for the last 10%
Soooooooo when’s the next book coming sir 👀

[amber nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The outbreak never changed humanity. It just gave it permission to do whatever the hell it wanted."

"If my heart was a canvas, it would bleed her name in colour. She’s the memory of a dream that refuses to fade. Loving her was never a choice, but something written into my existence before I ever understood what love was."

honestly, one of the most insane debuts I've read to date. Kylo has a way of actually placing you on the page, smack dab inside the story...feeling what the characters are feeling, seeing what they're seeing. He has created this extremely lush and harsh landscape where even the strong struggle to survive. Our characters literally fight tooth and nail to come out on top, but will it be enough?

《 How would you survive the end of the world? What side would you be on? What would you do to protect those you love? 》

Those are the questions that I was constantly thinking about. You think you know they answers but how you actually handle this situation isn't a answer you know until it happens.

The loss, the hopefulness, the rage. Grotesque animals, death, betrayal. But also love, the light, the softness. Shy new connections, belly laughs, a good meal after being hungry.

Anyways, I absolutely adored this book. I cried to absolutely no ones surprise and its immediately going on my 'emotional devastation' list I have.

Horror is a new genre to me, but the dystopian twist? That was like stepping into a well worn pair of shoes. This story gives you all the aspects you love of horror and dystopian and somehow makes it new. Im obsessed with these characters and can not wait to see how this story unfolds in the next book!!

Thank you endlessly Kylo for letting me be a part of your journey and reading an early copy!! 🫶🏻

[Mar Between Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙅𝙖𝙭. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩.”

── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──

First of all, I want to say what an honour it was to be chosen as part of the ARC team for this book, and, more importantly, how incredibly proud I am of Kylo.

Being able to follow his journey and watch this book come to life and reach readers has been such an amazing experience. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my friends chase their dreams, work hard for them, and achieve them. And honestly, I truly believe this is only the beginning of incredible things to come.


“𝙄𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩.” 𝘼 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚. “𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”


I should also warn you that this book absolutely destroyed me right from the beginning, and that’s when I knew I was going to love it. There were so many moments that brought tears to my eyes because of these characters.

I loved how fluid and immersive the writing was, and I adored the beautiful descriptions woven throughout every chapter. It’s impossible to remain indifferent while reading this story.

As someone who loves post-apocalyptic worlds, and especially The Walking Dead , this book transported me back to those early TWD seasons and that strange sense of comfort they brought. I absolutely loved every second of it.

Before you even realize it, you’ve flown through countless chapters and somehow become part of that world yourself. Those last chapters???
And that ending? How am I supposed to recover from that? I need the sequel right now!


“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮. 𝙄𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙.”

[Morgan Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM UNWELL!

I’ve never read a more immersive dystopian horror in my life. First of all, Kylo’s prose are incredible from the very first page of Eden. His magnetic writing style pulls you in, and keeps you wanting more. Despite the bleak undertones of the world, his lush descriptions will have you finding small traces of beauty throughout the story. As someone that doesn’t tend to like excessive gore, I found Kylo’s descriptions the perfect amount for us to understand the severity of what Jaxson, Lylah, and the other characters were facing.

One thing that surprised me was the beautifully romantic moments woven throughout. Here is just one example:
"If my heart was a canvas, it would bleed her name in colour. She’s the memory of a dream that refuses to fade. Loving her was never a choice, but something written into my existence before I ever understood what love was."

Kylo has the incredible talent of writing characters that feel real, and the situations that they go through will have you wailing at the top of your lungs as you beg for a different outcome.
It is a masterpiece riddled in tears.
I can’t wait until the next installment, because the ending is DIABOLICAL.

Sidenote: For my “The 5th Wave” girlies, you will LOVE this darker toned and adult version (but instead of elements, it’s shrooms that cause the wildlife to become savage).

Exceptional work!
Incredible debut.

[Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Author

A massive thank you to Kylo for sending me an ARC of his debut, I’ve followed his journey as an author and the amount of dedication and care that he has put into Eden has been stellar.

I have to preface this with the fact I do not normally gravitate towards horror; however we must always try new things, and I am so glad that I did. Kylo is a visual storyteller by trade, and this is evident in the rich descriptions, especially of the creatures in this story. To be able to articulately describe something in a visual manner for your reader to have an accurate image in their head is a true talent.

If you are wanting a slow ease into the terror, you are definitely not getting it with this book with the opening chapter setting the tone for the rest of the story. Kylo pulls no punches with the suspense, however at the same time, it isn’t overkill. He maintains the tension throughout the story, especially with the glimmers of hope that he manages to snatch away with plot twists or exceptional development.

All in all, this is a solid debut, and I can’t wait to see how others react to Eden when it goes live on June 26th. Thank you again brother for the gift of this copy (and those Easter eggs you threw in there).

[Inês · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who usually gravitates toward fantasy rather than dystopian or horror novels, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this story completely hooked me from start to finish.

The atmosphere is incredibly intense and heavy throughout. Society as we know it has collapsed after a dangerous new fungus takes control of non-human mammals, stripping them of fear and replacing it with uncontrollable rage and violence toward humans. And the humans? Well, the good ones are doing their best to survive and build communities from what little remains, while the bad ones prey on them. Human nature at its finest.

One quote that really hit me in the feels was:
“We’re good people, Jax. Some of the only ones left.” Her voice curls around me, like she’s healing every one of my wounds that never stop bleeding. “It’s always the good ones that hurt first.” She sits up, cradling my head in her warm hold. “When you pick a flower, which ones do you reach for first?”

I felt tense and on edge the entire time, constantly hoping the characters would achieve their goals and make it through everything thrown at them.

I’m so excited for this book to be out in the world and for more people to experience it.

[Ashleigh Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you Kylo for sending me an early copy of this incredible book that you have worked so hard on, it was such a privilege to be able to read it before release date!

MY GOODNESS!!!! What a ride! I devoured this debut in two days, it pulled me in from the first sentence and I was hooked. Kylo's prose is absolutely stunning, a debut has no business being this good! This is dystopia horror at its finest. If you are a huge fan of The Last of Us (like me!), then I think you would love this.

The world building is phenomenal, incredibly well thought out and logical (which though is a personal preference for me, but is something I really appreciate on a book with content of this nature). The story is completely brutal and it holds no punches. The characters and their relationships are beautiful, wholesome, raw and emotional.

I also love how the memory of certain characters permeated the narrative and were still respected so well.

This is an incredible debut and I would recommend it to anyone!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THIS is how you write a debut novel!!!!! I’ve been very lucky to read this several times already and let me tell you, not a single read-through has disappointed.

Eden has every aspect I love in a book, there’s adventure, absolutely terrifying horror, love, heartbreak, healing and more heartbreak. It’s a story of losing yourself and everything you are and have and know while simultaneously moving through a world that is changing beyond anything you could have ever expected.

There are quoted in this book that will stay with you and passages you will have wished you could unread, and I cannot WAIT for more books from Kylo!!!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great debut novel! I'm not a huge reader of dystopian thriller/horror but really enjoyed this. Set in a dystopian world where an outbreak of parasitic mushrooms have caused any animal that eats into blood thirsty predators, this book is dark/gritty and absolutely brutal at times.

It's full of action, fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. The world building is interesting, characters likeable and relationships between them were great. The descriptions and scene settings were very well worded making it very easy to immerse yourself in the world.

Can't wait for book 2, especially with THAT ending! Definitely check this one out.

[Decaf & Dada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kicked my ADHDs arse.

A brutal sprint across post-apocalyptic American as one man tries to save the only thing on left on earth that he cares about, before he loses himself.

It wears its inspiration on its sleeve and takes all the best things from The Last Of Us and Annihilation, then turns them up to 11, the result being an unrelenting, heart pounding cinematic reading experience.

[Hannah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden had me reading outside my usual genres and ripping through the chapters. Brutal and gutting from start to finish, this book sucker punched me on one page, then surprised me with gorgeous, heart wrenching prose on the next. What a promising debut from Kylo Kirby & I can’t wait to see what comes next!

[Kylo Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone said this is amazing, but it wasn’t me 👀

[Pri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page turner from start to finish! The prose is poetic and visceral, bringing the imagery of a post-apocalyptic world to life so vividly. Can’t wait to see where the story goes in part 2!