An investigator from the Danish Interior Ministry uncovers a decades-long conspiracy centuries after climate collapse, where fevered witch hunts collide with the shadow of le Carré’s Cold War.
'Dark Century is a gripping and utterly original twisted post-apocalyptic mystery in a thrilling world of persecution, brutality, and intrigue'
— Ian Green, Extremophile
Adapted from Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, Portrait of a Man, 1646 (Rijksmuseum)
About the Novel
Something stalks the riverlands of New Eden.
In its wake, death and sickness follow, and the northern provinces writhe in the hysterical grip of witch fever.
Provost Martin Kolding — a ruthless servant of Denmark’s Interior Ministry — sets off to track down a missing associate and restore order before unrest erupts across the Kingdom.
Meanwhile Ulyana, a half-Russian survivor, is caught between the new empires of the post-collapse world. Abandoned by her people as a result of a genetic curse, she ekes out a miserable existence in the wasteland she once called home; making a Faustian pact to survive.
As Kolding searches for the source of the chaos in the north, he uncovers a darker secret which will not only bind the fates of Kolding and Ulyana together, but also threatens to shatter the tenuous peace between the superpowers of the Arctic Circle.
Praise for Dark Century
'A “Fatherland meets Chernobyl” dystopian far-future mystery, set in the Kingdom of Denmark centuries after climate collapse'
– The Bookseller
'Meticulously plotted and deliciously tense, Dark Century is an outstandingly ambitious debut'
— Nicholas Binge, Dissolution
'Acosta’s prose shines as he unravels a deep conspiracy that threatens a rebuilt, handmade tomorrow that nevertheless echoes the mistakes, superstitions and prejudices of yesterday. They say the past is a different country, but in Dark Century, we can see that the future will be too'
— David Goodman, A Reluctant Spy
'Genuinely gripping, I loved the paranoia and mistrust, the intersecting of the world-building and its geopolitical machinations'
— Sarah Brooks, The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands
'Acosta shows a sharp eye for mystery and political intrigue, as he vividly portrays a future world that has regressed into the past'
– T.R Napper, Ghost of the Neon God
Status & Rights Enquiries
Dark Century is currently on submission to editors. For all enquiries, please contact John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton.
