[WATTYS 2024 SHORTLIST] Lucan Thurst, an alchemist shackled to his obsessions, seeks the unattainable: immortality. In the heart of Burnell Academy he toils away--pieces of himself lost until the line between human and other is blurred beyond recognition. Meanwhile, long-time friend and scientific rival, River Kim, believes death is not the body's end, and a heart stopped may yet beat again. Nearing the completion of his medical degree, River intends to prove immortality lies not in elixirs but in the resilience of flesh. As their friendship fractures around them, the two men must learn to work together in order to achieve their goal. Both keen on being the first to alter the course of medical science. Both utilizing one another's secrets to their own advantage. But, when those secrets are whispered into the dark, Lucan and River will learn a harrowing truth: it is the dark that always listens. For fans of dark academia: Frankenstein, The Secret History, The Haunting of Bly Manor

Inspired by true events, 'The Blue Hour' is a story of political intrigue and doomed love set in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire during the summer of 1876. All Prince Hamid and the Belgian glove-maker, Flora Cordier, want is to pursue their forbidden love. But how can they amid backroom dealings, deadly conspiracies, and when an ominous prophecy seals Hamid's fate as the saviour of the Empire? ***** It's the summer of 1876, and rebellion, corruption, famine, and the impending threat of war plague the Ottoman Empire. As European powers circle like vultures for spoils, the century-old dynasty fears Allah has abandoned it. Presiding over the decline is the deranged Sultan Abdulaziz. A prophecy emerges that Hamid, second heir to the throne, will ascend to sultan-hood by summer's end. Fearing for his life and haunted by an inner darkness, he flees the palace. Meanwhile, Hamid's step-mother Peresto, and his enigmatic tutor, Reshid, conspire to fulfil the prophecy by betraying the Sultan and Hamid's step-brother, Crown Prince Murad. Intoxicated by love and freedom, Hamid pursues a secret affair with Flora Cordier, about to marry a man she does not love to escape her past. Over a few passionate summer months, they fight for their forbidden love to become the persons they dream of being, in defiance of society and of the powerful forces of history that conspire to drive them apart. Intimate and intensely atmospheric, 'The Blue Hour' encapsulates eternal themes of love, power, and the struggle for freedom. Blending the epic romance of 'Doctor Zhivago' with the rich historical detail and political intrigue of a Jason Goodwin novel, it is entertaining and vividly immersive, with deep emotional resonance. COMPLETED.