Explore My
Fictional Work
This is where you can explore my thoughts on writing, my published novels, short fiction, and storytelling projects, along with updates on current and forthcoming work. You’ll find information on books, series, and individual stories, plus links to read, watch, or listen across different platforms. If you’re interested in folklore retellings, speculative fiction, and character-led contemporary narratives, this is a good place to browse the catalogue and see what’s next.
To see the books in-store just click on the associated image or on the title link in each book's descriptive text.
A Simple Manifesto
I refuse to be bound by genre, and I refuse the quiet pressure to pick a lane and stay in it. Stories do not arrive in neat categories, and imagination does not care what a marketing meeting would prefer. When something grips me, a subject, a question, a mood, a particular kind of character trouble, I follow it. I write what comes next because that is the honest way to work, and because the whole point of writing, for me, is to stay alert to whatever is forming in the mind, then give it a shape that can live on the page.
That instinct has pulled me into different forms and different registers. It has let me indulge a long love of short stories, those tight, precise spaces where you can change a reader’s mood in just a few pages. It has also taken me into thrillers, into science fiction, and into dystopian alternative histories, wherever the material demanded a longer breath, a broader canvas, or a harder edge. Some of these choices are driven by craft, some by curiosity, some by the need to test an idea properly, but they all come from the same place, the desire to tell the story in the form that suits it best, not the form that is easiest to explain.
Of course, I’m not blind to the commercial argument. Flexibility can look like a weakness to mainstream publishing, because it does not slot cleanly into a single shelf. But I do not accept that this makes the work lesser. If anything, it reminds me that writing is older than genre labels, and larger than them. A similar consideration has never stopped Margaret Atwood from moving across forms and modes with tremendous success, and while I am not claiming anything like her talent, her career does show that readers will follow a writer when the work is real, and when the voice is disciplined, even as it changes shape.
At the heart of it, I believe we should be free to express ideas without pejorative labels, and without being treated as suspect for refusing to be “just one thing”. I have also been fortunate in a practical sense. Because I combined writing with an earlier career in technology, I have a degree of financial flexibility, and that eases the path through genres and styles. It gives me room to take risks, to write the book that wants to be written rather than the book that seems safest, and to let the work develop at its own pace.
All told, telling the stories that flood my imagination has become a necessary obsession, and a deeply cathartic one. It is how I make sense of the world, and how I stay human inside it. And I truly believe everyone has a story to tell in some form or another. Some people paint, some build, some sing, some code, some raise families, some keep communities going in ways that never make headlines. For me, it is words. Not one genre, not one shelf, not one mask, just the next story that arrives, and the willingness to follow it where it wants to go.
Coming Soon...
A Symphony of Sorrows continues the story begun in A Solitude of Stars, but shifts the focus from the vast sweep of war to the damage it leaves behind, in minds, in cities, and in the fragile bonds that survive when ideologies do not. The struggle between Apparat and Dirigiste still shapes the planetary system, but the conflict now feels closer, more intimate, as if the future’s grand machinery has moved from the horizon into the room.
Where the first book asked what peace costs, this one follows the price being paid, through lives bent by loyalty, propaganda, and loss, and through choices made under pressure that cannot be taken back.
Coming Soon...
Demokratia is an upcoming dystopian novel about the slow death of liberal democracy, told through a near-future collapse through a series of “necessary” decisions that harden into permanence. As external strongman powers reshape the global order and internal movements promise relief through authority, the remaining democracies respond with hesitation, bargaining, and emergency measures that quietly hollow out the very ideals they claim to defend.
Moving between street-level consequence and the machinery of policy, the book traces how language turns, how rights become permissions, and how ordinary people react to the loss of choice as the price of stability.
My Published Novels And Short Story Collections
Songs of Bliss
How far would a father go to protect his daughter-especially when his "protection" is as dangerous as the threats he faces?
Billy Whitlow, once the smooth-talking "Don of Doo Wop," has left behind his wild days of drink, drugs, and endless groupies. His life now revolves around his seventeen-year-old daughter Bex, who's gearing up for her 'A' Levels and visiting him for Easter. But their quiet reunion is violently disrupted after a fateful night at a local nightclub, shattering Billy's hopes for a peaceful father-daughter bond.
Now, Billy is a man consumed by rage and questions: Why is Bex in a drug-induced coma? Who is responsible for this nightmare? And how will he make them pay, no matter the cost?
The story weaves a masterful tale that is raw, poignant, and pulse-pounding, diving into the deepest corners of human emotion. With sharp, cinematic prose, Songs of Bliss unfolds in a gritty landscape of rural decay and forgotten futures-where splintered glass, dust motes, and cracked plaster set the stage for haunted memories and broken dreams. A poetic attention to detail finds beauty in the mundane and terror in the everyday, delivering a tale that will linger in readers' minds long after they turn the last page.
Acts of Faith
What if history had taken a different turn, and you were on the wrong side of it?
In a world reshaped by a single turning point, England is no longer a global power, but a fractured, war-ravaged state struggling at the edges of survival. Crumbling cities, ration lines, and foreign aid define daily life in a country left behind by history. The victors? The prosperous, united Muslim nations who now lead the world in science, culture, and diplomacy, their influence stretching from Casablanca to Jakarta.
Marwan Tayeh navigates this precarious world with quiet defiance. Haunted by his past and burdened by impossible loyalties, Marwan's story unfolds as both a harrowing personal memoir and a sweeping tale of a shattered nation.
Acts of Faith is a hauntingly beautiful novel of speculative dystopia, told in lyrical, evocative prose. With piercing insight, it confronts our assumptions about empire, identity, and who gets to write history. Daring, provocative, and deeply human, this is the alternative future we dare not imagine.
A Solitude of Stars
A Solitude of Stars is a thrilling, mind-bending journey that will leave readers both disturbed and mesmerized. While it could be described as a dystopian science fiction epic, this book is far more than that-it dives deep into the heart of humanity's endless struggle for peace and the cost of achieving it through war.
Set across a vividly imagined planetary system, two rival societies-Apparat and Dirigiste-battle for dominance, all in the name of securing a peace that feels constantly out of reach. Much like our world today, their conflict reveals the paradox of seeking peace through destruction. But what makes A Solitude of Stars truly stand out is its stunning scope. The novel weaves not only a tale of immediate survival and conflict but also connects it to a broader galactic history-one that resonates both forwards and backwards in time, adding layers of depth to the core narrative.
This isn't just a story of technology and space-faring civilizations; it's an exploration of the human condition. Is peace truly possible, or is war an inescapable part of our nature? A Solitude of Stars dares to ask the big questions, all while taking readers on an incredible, imaginative journey through breathtakingly crafted worlds.
The world-building is both intricate and authoritative, with every detail-from futuristic tech to intergalactic politics-crafted with precision and heart. Prepare to be immersed in a universe that will both challenge and captivate, where hope and despair clash as powerfully as the stars themselves. This is a book that will make you think, question, and feel deeply long after you've turned the final page.
The Mechanic's Curse
The Mechanic's Curse: A Collection of Dark Magic and Poetic Tales invites readers into the enchanting and eerie world of Clive Gilson's short stories, brought together in one spellbinding volume. Previously featured in acclaimed anthologies and online magazines, these tales are a rich blend of magical realism, macabre folklore, and modern decay. Inspired by the likes of Angela Carter and traditional faery lore, Gilson's narratives weave together the fantastic with the everyday, creating an unforgettable tapestry of light and shadow.
Each story brims with intimate reflections and timeless themes-loss, memory, and the haunting beauty of life's fractured moments. From splintered glass to cracked plaster, from shafts of golden light to the creeping terror of the mundane, Gilson masterfully balances the delicate and the dreadful. His worlds, tinged with urban ruin and future dystopia, reveal the ghosts of our past and the fears of our future.
With a poetic lilt and razor-sharp humour, Gilson brings new meaning to the overlooked details of everyday life, turning them into something both profound and chilling. His keen eye for the "terror of the ordinary" and his ability to unearth hidden beauty ensures that these stories linger long after the last page is turned. They resonate deeply, reminding us of the dark, mysterious corners of our own minds and emotions.
The Mechanic's Curse is more than just a collection of stories-it's a journey through the shadows of human experience, crafted with love, wit, and a deep understanding of the magic that lies just beneath the surface of the ordinary. Perfect for lovers of dark fantasy, folklore, and psychological tales, this collection promises to captivate and unsettle in equal measur
The Insomniac Booth
The Insomniac Booth invites readers once again into Clive Gilson's hauntingly vivid world, where magical realism blends seamlessly with the old-world charm of folklore and faery tales. Following the acclaim of his previous collection, The Mechanic's Curse, this second anthology delves deeper into the strange and the beautiful, offering a spellbinding journey through urban decay, fractured memories, and the eerie wonder of everyday life.
These stories are more than just tales-they are intimate explorations of universal themes: the fragility of memory, the loss of loved ones, and the fine cracks in our urban and inner landscapes. With each story, Gilson paints a vivid picture of forgotten worlds-splintered glass, dust-filled rooms, shafts of golden light breaking through the darkness of war-torn memories. His words are a reflection of life's impermanence, capturing both the terror and beauty in the small, often overlooked details.
There's a rhythmic, poetic quality to Gilson's storytelling. He makes the ordinary extraordinary, uncovering hidden meaning in the smallest of things. His sharp, dark humor, laced with cynical wit, contrasts with the ethereal, creating a unique blend of tones that will captivate readers from the first page to the last.
The Insomniac Booth lingers long after the stories have ended, resonating deeply with our shared human experience. Gilson's work is for those who find beauty in the cracks, who see shadows in the daylight, and who understand the bittersweet nature of life's fleeting moments. These are stories that echo in the mind, stories of mystery and melancholy, wrapped in the magic of the mundane.
Prepare to be transported into a world of black-and-white memories, where every page reveals something new-something deep, dark, and profoundly moving.
Melodies in Black Ink
26 Songs. 26 Stories. Infinite Echoes.
Music has the power to transport us, to spark memories, stir emotions, and tell stories beyond the lyrics. In this unique collection, twenty-six original short stories take inspiration from some of the greatest songs ever written, weaving tales of love and loss, hope and heartbreak, mystery and magic.
From whispered ballads to anthems that demand to be heard, each story transforms melody into narrative, crafting unforgettable characters and moments shaped by the rhythms of life. Whether you find yourself lost in a haunting melody, swept up in the euphoria of a chorus, or caught in the tension of a single note, these stories promise to resonate long after the final page.
Melodies In Black Ink is a must-read for lovers of music and storytelling alike, because behind every great song, there's a story waiting to be told.
Proud Jenny Jay
In this enchanting new collection of original short stories, Proud Jenny Jay brings the corvids of British folklore to vivid life. Ravens, crows, magpies, jackdaws, and jays step out from the shadows of myth to claim stories of their own.
From windswept moors to ancient woodlands, these tales reimagine the legendary birds of as cunning tricksters, quiet guardians, fearless wanderers, and seekers of truth. At the heart of the collection is Jenny Jay, a bold and curious spirit who, like many of her kin, must learn that real power comes not from mimicry or borrowed splendour, but from embracing one's true self.
Woven with magic and grounded in centuries of folklore, Proud Jenny Jay is a lyrical celebration of transformation, identity, and the age-old stories whispered in feather and wind. Ideal for lovers of fable, fantasy, and the enduring mystery of the natural world.