Observer // A Novel

A disquieting, atmospheric debut horror novel about a young woman investigating her mothers disappearance at an abandoned Nevada observatory, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Mariana Enriquez

On a scorched summer day, Renata Scarborough comes home to find the contents of her estranged mother Corinnes life on her doorstep. Her aunt and cousin seem eager to conclude that the troublesome Corinne is dead. Renata isnt convinced and begins poring over her mothers journals for answers. Among descriptions of Corinnes work at the McNairy Observatory, Renata unearths a hidden obsession with an early twentieth-century surveyor whose encounters with a mysterious entity bear a startling resemblance to her mothers reports. Compelled beyond reason, Renata journeys to that now-abandoned outpost in the Nevada wilderness to search for the truth.

But in McNairy, a thorny, decades-long clash between science and the desert only complicates Renatas questions. The towns scarred and suspicious residents refuse to discuss the observatorys closure, leaving Renata to wonder if Corinnes version of events reflects reality. As she ascends the peak that looms over McNairy, Renata witnesses unnerving phenomena she cant explain and feels a creeping dread that what is waiting for her isnt her mother at all.

Haunting, darkly comic, and captivating,Observerreveals the pure cosmic terror of the desert, a place of wonder and menace, asking what happens when we look out at nature and find something inhuman looking back.

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas. His work has appeared inMcSweeneys,Conjunctions,TheBaffler,No Tokens,Defector, andHunger Mountain.Observeris his first novel.

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publish Date: September 15, 2026
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9780063452398
• Dimensions:9 in H | 6 in W | 1.1 in T | 1.1 lb Wt
• BISAC Categories: Horror, Literary Fiction, Popular Fiction, Science Fiction