Susan Barker – Novelist
Old Soul paperback released on 25/09/2025 (UK)
‘Sinister, mysterious and gorgeously realised.’ Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time.
‘An immersive, stunningly weird tale that closes like a trap round the reader.’ The Guardian
‘[An] immersive and subtle horror story, weaving a delicately complex plot that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of dread.’ The Spectator
‘Super-sophisticated horror, as indebted to literary fiction as it is to gothic gore.’ The Times
‘As unnerving as it is beautifully written… A mesmerising, genre-bending read.’ The i Paper
‘Rendered so bleakly that H.P. Lovecraft would be envious… The most satisfyingly grim supernatural novel in years.’ Wall Street Journal
‘Barker ups the tension one bit at a time, unspooling the horrors slowly while maintaining a firm grasp on the emotional stakes within each victim’s narrative … Old Soul is a thoroughly pleasurable read.’ LA Times
‘Barker’s razor-sharp writing immerses readers in haunting settings that shift from Osaka, Japan, to New Mexico’s eerie Badlands… Old Soul is dark, thought-provoking and wholly original — a must-read for gothic horror fans.’ Seattle Times
‘Barker delivers spooky atmosphere in a mysterious novel that is equal parts creeping dread and gorgeous prose.’ Variety
‘A book that defies description… Barker drips out the details, heightening your expectations and forcing you to turn the pages for answers… [An] immersive story that despite its supernatural grounding feels real.’ Associated Press
‘Old Soul is classic literary horror. Engrossing, fable-like, fringed with eerie profundity, it reminded me most strongly of Michel Faber’s Under the Skin.’ Sydney Morning Herald
‘Old Soul is everything I’d want in a novel; unsettling, dynamic and haunting. “You must have known how it would end.” I did NOT and lo I was shooketh.’ Juno Dawson
‘An enthralling, gritty fever dream of a novel and a fable for the modern age.’ Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb
‘A sweeping work of literary horror… Eerie and suspenseful… The slow-burning tension and lush, atmospheric prose build a creeping sense of dread that lingers long after the final page.’ Publishers Weekly, starred review
‘A perfect novel, one that is so compelling and criminally well-written that you can’t put it down… I can’t stop thinking about it.’ Bookriot
‘The Ministry of Time meets The Leviathan in this deeply imaginative, beautifully written hunt across centuries and continents.’ Bookseller, Editor’s Choice
‘A page turner that is quite mesmerising… No ordinary thriller.’ Irish Examiner
‘This book IS THE MOOD, and the mood is dark. Old Soul feels like Thomas Pynchon’s V was a Georgia O ‘Keefe painting.’ Crime Reads
‘Barker’s novel offers both sinister ancient evil… and an emotionally resonant, supernatural thriller asking readers to grapple with mortality.’ Library Journal
‘Barker’s edge-of-your-seat literary horror is a page-turningly gripping read.’ Marie Claire
‘The kind of brilliant, horrifying, stinking book I’m desperate for other people to read, so I can talk about it with them and get it out of my head. So much fun, fantastically tense and wonderful.’ Evie Wyld, author of The Echoes
‘A twisting, expansive epic of menacing wonder. This is a novel of expertly restrained power: a wild cat in a bejewelled cage.’ Kirsty Logan, author of Now She Is Witch
‘Old Soul is a mesmerising story brilliantly told. The way the novel slowly reveals its dark secrets as it moves with ease and elegance across continents and eras is hugely impressive.’ Ian McGuire, author of The North Water
‘Old Soul enticed me in with a chance meeting between mysterious strangers with one thing in common: a nameless horror that haunts them. The novel that follows is expansive, twisty, gripping and intelligent; I loved it.’ Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted
‘Like nothing else I’ve ever read… The kind of story you tell around a campfire as the lights of civilization begin to flicker out around you; a global, intelligent, and ambitious archetypal nightmare.’ Kristen Roupenian, author of Cat Person
‘Smart, taut, and twisty, Susan Barker’s Old Soul deftly delivers the chills.’ Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
‘Old Soul snags the reader in its claw and mesmerises from page one. I often wondered if I was devouring the story or vice versa, I was so engrossed. It is not an option to put this book down.’ Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch
‘Beguiles, terrifies, and utterly seduces you as swiftly and slyly as the mysterious woman at its centre. It’s at once a thriller, a postmodern mystery, and an existential horror tale, but perhaps most deeply it speaks to our current moment: the drift and terrors of loneliness, the risks of intimacy and a piercing nostalgia that never lets us go’. Megan Abbott, author of El Dorado Drive
‘Sinister, unnerving and nightmarish. Old Soul will sneak into your dreams and haunt you.’ Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground
‘Old Soul is the perfect read for the chilly depths of winter: a clever, spooky metaphysical mystery that spans continents—and even planets. Susan Barker’s novel kept me guessing until the end. You’ll never look at Venus quite the same way again.’ Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists
‘Old Soul is an utterly addictive and completely immersive novel. Beautifully written and filled with engrossing characters and unforgettable landscapes, it is the most propulsive thing I have read all year.’ Lara Williams, author of Supper Club
‘An extraordinary achievement. A brutal interrogation of art, connection, the meaning of and impulse toward life itself. I couldn’t put it down.’ Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder’s Sister