Silent City

Illustrator: Sarah Davis-Goff

Genres: Genre Fiction

Orpen has always been an outlier in Phoenix City - the only outsider ever admitted to the ranks of the banshees, the female warriors who enforce order, and protect it from the skrake - the ravening creatures that have laid waste to the rest of the country, and gather at the city walls.

Unrest is building in the city - a deadly sickness is spreading through the workers, while an unspoken disillusionment is creeping amongst the fighting women, weary of enforcing the all-male management's patriarchal rule, and of the cost, to their sisters, and to young new recruits, of upholding this order.

Rumour has it that banshees have been taking matters into their own hands, and taking swift and violent revenge. When Orpen's troop leader falls under suspicion it becomes clear that Orpen will need to muster all her courage and prowess if she and her fellow banshees are going to be able to find a way to escape, and rebuild a society worth fighting for.

“A fierily compelling dystopian thriller crackling with resonances of the now. Sarah Davis-Goff proves herself a storyteller of remarkable gifts in this provocative gobsmacker of a novel.”
- Joseph O’Connor

“Darkly witty and thought provoking, Silent City stays with you long after you try to put it down. A world that will follow you into your dreams.”
- Tara Flynn

“The novel’s worldbuilding is crisply efficient...The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, and the banshees satisfyingly heroic.”
- Kirkus

“A moving, deeply feminist take on the ever-popular zombie apocalypse.”
- The Guardian

“Silent City is grim but hopeful, tackling questions of risk, trust, courage, morality, and sacrifice. Davis-Goff's prose is stark but lovely. A strong feminist voice, austere circumstances, and a resolute sense of integrity make this dystopia memorable and inspiring.”
- Shelf Awareness