A Cold Season
Alison Littlewood
📚 Genre
Horror / Folk Horror / Supernatural Thriller
🏢 Publisher
Angry Robot
📅 Publication Year
2012
🔢 ISBN
978-0857662057
About This Book
The story follows Cass, a woman who moves to the remote village of Willowmains after the death of her soldier husband in the hope of finding peace for her young son, Ben. However, as a brutal winter sets in and cuts the village off from the rest of the world, Ben's behavior begins to change, and Cass realizes the locals are harboring a dark, ancient secret. The cover features a stark black-and-white image of a child in a red jacket walking toward a looming, dark gothic archway in the snow.
Book Details
Language
English
Pages
400 pages
Edition
Paperback Original
Series
Standalone (A sequel titled 'A Cold Silence' was released later)
Target Audience
Adult
Collector Information
Condition
Good. Shows light shelf wear, minor creasing on the top left corner of the cover, and some edge wear common for a mass-market style paperback.
Estimated Value
$5-$10
Rarity
Common. This was a widely printed trade paperback with multiple printings due to its selection for national book clubs.
Historical Significance
This was Alison Littlewood's debut novel and was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in the UK, which significantly boosted her profile and helped revitalize modern British folk horror.
Collector Notes
Collectibility is relatively low for this mass-market edition. For collectors, the 2012 paperback is the standard first printing. Collectors should look for copies with a clean, uncreased spine and no 'Richard and Judy' promotional stickers if they prefer the original aesthetic. Store upright in a cool, dry place to prevent the acidic paper common in mass-market paperbacks from yellowing.
Similar Books
'The Loney' by Andrew Michael Hurley, 'Starve Acre' by Andrew Michael Hurley, 'The Ritual' by Adam Nevill, 'The Little Stranger' by Sarah Waters
Notable Features
Prominent cover blurb: 'How far will one mother go to save her child?'. Features the distinctive Angry Robot logo.