Eden by Tim Lebbon

With climate change kicking in with a vengeance, sea levels rising, virgin forest such as the Amazon all but destroyed, great islands of plastic refuse floating in the oceans and countless species on the brink of extinction, humanity must take drastic action. So it is that global consent is sought and obtained to set aside Virgin Zones, areas of the planet given back to nature where people are banished from stepping foot. These zones are guarded by an international force of ex-soldiers and mercenaries and while many cases of abuse occur, the world can’t but persevere with the project. 

As with the Chernobyl exclusion zone after the disaster of 1986, the Virgin Zones flourish without people, nature returning ascendant. Again, like Chernobyl, while people aren’t supposed to enter them, they do. It isn't long before a small underground develops of extreme adventurers willing to risk the armed guards to explore inside.

Eden is the oldest of the zones and it is also the wildest. When Dylan leads his tight-knit team of adrenalin seekers, that includes his daughter, Jenn, into the zone, they think that they’re up to the challenge. What they don’t realise is that Eden itself doesn’t want them.

This is an eco-horror with a slight supernatural bent. At one point a character mentions a piece of Jewish folklore. All of creation had been completed, except one corner. God began to create it, but left it unfinished, saying, “Whoever declares himself to be God, let him come and finish this corner, and then all shall know he is a god.” There, in that unfinished corner, demons, winds, earthquakes, and evil spirits dwell. It’s a myth that sums up Eden for where people once did live in the Virgin Zone since it’s abandonment something has emerged and it’s not entirely clear what it is or where it came from. 

I won’t give away much more of the plot, but this is an excellent and very current novel of our times. With people increasingly aware of the impact that we are having on the environment and the climate crisis, there is a sense, rightly or wrongly, that the ecosystem is turning against us. 

While I mainly read crime fiction, I’ve always read a bit of horror, but since coronavirus and lockdown, I’ve started to turn to the genre more and more. I’m not sure why this is, but there is a horror resurgence at the moment, though whether this just coincidentally coincides with Covid-19, I can’t say. Either way, this is my first Tim Lebbon novel, but it will definitely not be my last. 

Creepy and scary, this is an excellent read.

5 out of 5 stars