The Doomsday Archives: The Wandering Hour

Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos

The first in a spine-tingling middle-grade adventure series that’s Goosebumps meets Stranger Things following three friends who discover that the eerie urban legends they’ve been obsessively collecting may not be just make-believe . . .

ISBN

9781638930303

Language

English

Page count

256

Edition

Hardcover

Sale date

January 30, 2024

Dimensions

5.5 x 8.25

About the Book

The first in a spine-tingling middle-grade adventure series that’s Goosebumps meets Stranger Things following three friends who discover that the eerie urban legends they’ve been obsessively collecting may not be just make-believe . . .


Emrys Houtman knows something isn’t quite right in the town of New Rotterdam, although no one talks about it—certainly not the grown-ups. The sky is always overcast, and urban legends abound of mysterious disappearances, cursed objects, and strange creatures wandering the coastal fog.  

While bonding with Hazel and Serena, his new neighbors and fellow horror fans, Emrys documents the town’s creepypastas, spooky legends, and cryptid sightings in a Wiki. It’s all in the spirit of good fun . . . until one day, the trio stumble upon the Doomsday Archives, a mysterious collection of relics that reveal something is very, very rotten in New Rotterdam.  

 To their horror, the kids discover that while they’ve been busy hunting for monsters, the monsters are now hunting them back. Emrys, Hazel, and Serena must stop the terrors plaguing their town, or risk losing their home—and possibly their lives. 

Reviews

“Clark and Eliopulous expertly build heart-pounding suspense . . . The book champions accepting each others’ quirks and weirdness, which will resonate with anyone who’s struggled to fit in. A superb choice for fans of Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series, Tom Booth’s Eerie- on-Sea books, and creepypastas.”

- Booklist, Starred Review

“This dark plot-driven adventure, sprinkled with insightful New Rotterdam wiki entries, winking humor, and heaps of horror sensibilities, is unsettlingly creepy.”

- Publishers' Weekly

“An engaging start to a promising new series.” 

- Kirkus Reviews

“I DARE YOU TO READ THIS. . . I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough—sometimes because I was freaked out, but mostly in anticipation of what unique horror I might next encounter. Absolutely brilliant.” 

- Dan Poblocki, bestselling author of Tales to Keep You Up at Night

“Enter The Doomsday Archives and discover a diabolical mix of menacing monsters, forbidden artifacts, and contemporary chills. This series is guaranteed to keep you up way past your bedtime. I want—no, need—the next installment!” 

- K.R. Alexander, bestselling author of Gallowgate and The Collector

“Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos have summoned the grinning ghost of author John Bellairs and updated him for a generation steeped in the eerie world of online urban legends. Here’s hoping you can all make it out of New Rotterdam alive!”

- Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves and creator of Siren Head