Drugs.
Delirium.
Damnation.
When Rock-Bottom is just the beginning, you’re bound to end up DEEPER THAN HELL. Fever dreams and conspiracy theories collide in an epic nightmare inspired by William S. Burroughs and Clive Barker. Follow a modern-day Dante and Virgil on a vision quest from the streets of Las Vegas, past subterranean cults and feral colonies, past the military facilities at Wonderland, past any semblance of sanity.
There’s life underground!
“A richly imagined mashup of transgressive horror and visionary world-building.” – Peter Atkins, author of Morningstar and screenwriter of Hellbound – Hellraiser II
“A phantasmagoria of beautifully rendered madness.” – Mick Garris, creator of Masters of Horror and director of Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers
Los Angeles, CA—Encyclopocalypse Publications, the company founded by Saturn and Rondo Award-winning writer/producer Mark Alan Miller (Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut, BOOM! Studios’ Hellraiser comics), has signed a two-book deal with former Dread Central editor-in-chief Joshua Millican, with an aim to publish his debut novel this Summer and a collection of his nonfiction work at a future date.
Described as “an epic nightmare inspired by William S. Burroughs and Clive Barker,” Deeper Than Hell is a psychedelic horror story that follows a philosophically inclined heroin addict and his mysteriously optimistic companion as they scavenge, shoot up, and survive in the subterranean tunnel system beneath Las Vegas, where they brave encounters with cults, feral colonies, and ultimately Lovecraftian threats the likes of which they never could have anticipated.
Told in Millican’s unique California surfer/skater vernacular, the story breathes a new style of voice and perspective into the realm of old-school cosmic horror for a story unlike anything else available on the market.
“Deeper Than Hell is my love-letter to the horror genre in all of its manifestations,” Millican explains. “I was inspired by both literature and cinema, facts and fringe sciences, urban legends and creepypasta. The novel is filled with homages and Easter Eggs.”
“Joshua’s drive and imagination are a perfect fit what we’re doing,” says Encyclopocalypse founder Mark Alan Miller. “We can’t wait for you to read this insane journey into the depths of Hell!”
The book has already enjoyed pre-release praise from horror luminaries such as Mick Garris, who’s called it “A dark and deeply observed tale of drugs and dementia, starting in a very grounded world of addiction and melting down into a phantasmagoria of beautifully rendered madness… a drug fueled nightmare that feels all too real, and not for the faint of heart!” It’s received further praise from Hellbound: Hellraiser II writer Pete Atkins, who calls it “A richly imagined psychotropic mashup of transgressive horror and visionary world-building, leavened with humor and seasoned with gore.”
In addition to Deeper Than Hell, Enclycopocalypse will also be releasing a collection of Millican’s nonfiction writing culled from his years as EIC at Dread Central. An audiobook adaptation of Deeper Than Hell is also in pre-production.
Over the past decade-plus, Millican has proven himself to be a horror expert of the highest caliber. After establishing a personal blog in 2011, Millican quickly became one of the genre’s premiere journalists, contributing to many websites before ultimately landing at Dread Central in 2016. One of the top horror outlets on the planet, Millican served as Editor-in-Chief from 2019 through 2021. His talk show Chronic Horror (sidelined by the Pandemic) explored the intersection of horror movie fandom and cannabis culture. Now married and a father for the first time, Millican is excited to pen more hardcore horror/sci-fi/fantasy fiction for Encyclopocalypse Publishers. Follow him on Twitter at @josh_millican.
Find all Joshua Millican’s articles on Dread Central here
