Description

‘As stunning as it is unsettling. A contemporary gothic masterpiece’ KATY HAYS

‘A beautiful and haunting examination of toxic friendships’ HEATHER DARWENT

‘Darkly glamorous’Guardian

A DAILY MAIL BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2025

A COSMOPOLITAN BEST NEW BOOK OUT IN JANUARY

In the hallowed halls of Cambridge, a dangerous obsession takes hold…

When a young man arrives in Cambridge as a first-year student, he finds himself an outsider. There’s the punting and the politics, the wine and the waistcoats, all seemingly familiar to everyone but him. Then he falls under the spell of Bryn Cavendish.

A notorious party boy and skilled magician, Bryn is magnetic. To be in his circle is to revel in clouds of ecstasy, untouched by the rules. To be exiled is to haunt the peripheries of campus life like a ghost.

As the academic year intensifies and Bryn’s magic tricks become more sinister, one question lingers. Is Bryn’s charisma the source of his influence or does he wield a much darker and more dangerous power?

What readers are saying…

‘I am forever searching for The Secret History-esque reads and this did not disappoint’

‘Everything I wanted and more. Reminded me of why I love dark academia!’

‘If you enjoyed The Secret History and Saltburn, you will love this book’

‘I have RAVED about this book to anyone who will listen. The most incredible first chapter I’ve ever read…’

Publisher Review

‘A haunting campus novel about the perils of ambition, the inexorable appeal of magic, and the delicious feeling of being chosen, AND HE SHALL APPEAR is as stunning as it is unsettling. With sparkling prose and devilishly skillful storytelling, Van Der Borgh’s debut left me unnerved and enchanted-a contemporary gothic masterpiece’ Katy Hays, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

‘A darkly intricate, disturbing novel wound tightly with infatuation, devotion and magic’ Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

‘An eerie, deeply disturbing tale that is as mesmerizing as it is provocative’ Starred Booklist Review

‘A darkly glittering tale of longing, obsession, power and magic. Enthralling and genuinely unsettling, it transported me to beautiful, shadowy quads where nothing can be trusted’ Hazel Barkworth, author of Heatstroke

‘Dark academia, class prejudice, obsession, the occult, moments of genuine horror – I loved this beguiling and sensual debut. The shifting tensions and timelines, together with a deliciously unreliable narrative voice left me giddy and mesmerised. Dark, disturbing and dazzling – I was completely under its spell’ Emma van Straaten, author of This Immaculate Body

‘Unsettling and richly atmospheric, And He Shall Appear is a bacchanalian campus noir that will keep you up at night wondering what is a trick or magic, and what is it we choose not to see. I loved this tense tale of intoxication, infatuation and friendship, where Saltburn meets The Secret History with a wholly original splash of the occult hiding in the shadows of Cambridge’ Aube Rey Lescure, author of River East, River West

‘The dread creeps up like a spectre over your shoulder in this haunting debut that echoes notes of M. R. James down the shadowy halls of modern academia’ Brian McAuley, author of Curse of the Reaper and Candy Cain Kills