And then I woke up

Known mainly for his work in the weird-horror subgenre, Devlin starts off his first full-length novel on a strong psychological-horror bent that will mess with readers' heads long after they're finished reading. And with cannibalism a major element throughout, this fast zombies–influenced thriller is not for the faint of heart. The unreliable narrator tells the story of Ironside, a specialized treatment facility for people recovering from a strange, zombie-like virus. The infected become emotionless monsters who erase any remnants of their human selves and seem to be programmed to infect more people. There's also a unique fourth-wall aspect to the narrative that the protagonist and his companion, Leila, are semiaware of—the panoptical notion that they're being watched, but they don't know by whom. The novel also features a strong social commentary aimed at fake news, confirmation bias, and paranoia. Fans of Brian Keene, Adam Nevill, and Simon Stranzas will devour this apocalyptic pandemic tale, which will remind readers of a cross between Resident Evil and Fight Club. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

In Devlin's (You Will Grow Into Them) latest, the world is healing in the aftermath of a deadly mass delusion caused by an infection that induces hallucinations of zombies in its victims. Having survived the illness, jack-of-all-trades protagonist Spence now resides in the Ironside rehabilitation facility; there he meets Leila, a new Ironside inmate. Both of them committed gruesome acts of violence when they were afflicted with the zombie hallucinations, convinced that they were surviving the apocalypse. Spence, who's still plagued by guilt, agrees to help Leila escape to find the loved ones she left behind. The plot twists in Devlin's novel turn the archetypal zombie story on its head and make for a thoughtful, if quick, read; readers who balk at metafiction can enjoy it as a horror story, while others can have fun with the novel's genre savvy. VERDICT This unique take on classic horror stories will have wide appeal.—Aaron Heil Copyright 2022 Library Journal.

A prescient premise drives this stunning weird tale from Devlin (Unexpected Places to Fall from, Unexpected Places to Land): a disease renders the infected vulnerable to perceptions of relative realities, making them susceptible to "the fiction between the real and the perceived," or what they refer to as "the narrative." Two years prior to the start of the novella, the narrator, Lewis "Spence" Spencer, was infected, and, believing that patrons at the restaurant where he worked had turned into a pack of cannibalistic monsters, he and fellow believer Macey killed more than 30 people. Macey's death helped to break Spence from his delusions, leaving him "cured" but still living in the Ironside medical facility. Now, he meets new patient Leila and together they escape from Ironside. On the outside, Spence seeks redemption for the atrocities he committed as he tries to determine which narrative is true. Devlin does a superb job showing how his afflicted characters are compelled to accept outrageous beliefs that contradict the objective realities before them. The result is an unsettling cautionary tale for the age of alternative facts. (Apr.) Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.

With the entire world reeling from a plague that has monsters lurking in the streets while terrified survivors arm themselves and roam in packs, a man who has been “cured” takes on a challenge of redemption. Original. 20,000 first printing.

"In a world reeling from an unusual plague, monsters lurk in the streets while terrified survivors arm themselves and roam the countryside in packs. Or perhaps something very different is happening...Spence is one of the 'cured' living at the Ironside rehabilitation facility. Haunted by guilt, he refuses to face the changed world until a new inmate challenges him to help her find her old crew. But if he can't tell the truth from the lies, how will he know if he has earned the redemption he dreams of?"--

In the tradition of Mira Grant and Stephen Graham Jones, Malcolm Devlin’s And Then I Woke Up is a creepy, layered, literary story about false narratives and their ability to divide us."A scathing portrait of the world we live in and a running commentary on what’s story, what’s truth, and what’s not."—Stephen Graham JonesIn a world reeling from an unusual plague, monsters lurk in the streets while terrified survivors arm themselves and roam the countryside in packs. Or perhaps something very different is happening. When a disease affects how reality is perceived, it’s hard to be certain of anything…Spence is one of the “cured” living at the Ironside rehabilitation facility. Haunted by guilt, he refuses to face the changed world until a new inmate challenges him to help her find her old crew. But if he can’t tell the truth from the lies, how will he know if he has earned the redemption he dreams of? How will he know he hasn’t just made things worse?