HarperVoyager snaps up Paddy Dobson’s 'filmic' sci-fi horror debut

HarperVoyager has acquired Dragonfly by Paddy Dobson, a debut sci-fi horror scheduled for publication in early 2028.

Editorial director Charlotte Trumble acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Harry Illingworth at David Headley Literary Agency. North American rights were sold to Aranya Jain at DAW Books.

Dragonfly is described as an “intense and claustrophobic” sci-fi horror, ideal for fans of Ascension, The Luminous Dead and SA Barnes. It follows five siblings on a distant, rain-soaked planet, who must use their individual skills to investigate a gruesome murder before they are next. 

The blurb reads: “When engineer Lily crawls into a subterranean pipe to fix a blockage, she comes face to face with a shocking discovery: the sunken, degloved skin of one of her fellow colonists. ​As the investigation begins, Lily and her siblings get caught up in a horrifying case where no one is safe and no one can escape. But as new secrets of the planet are discovered, a dreadful conclusion becomes inescapable –​ whatever is lurking in the pipes is only the beginning.”

Dragonfly will be published in hardback, e-book and audio by HarperVoyager in early 2028, simultaneously with DAW Books in North America.  

Trumble said: “Dragonfly has a filmic pace and a quality of writing that sweeps you in immediately and refuses to let you go. It has genuine scares, twisty action and a beautiful sibling relationship in a vivid, otherworldly setting, bringing a modern take to the nostalgic thrill of classic movies like Alien and The Thing. We are so excited to be publishing Paddy’s brilliant debut –​ a masterpiece of sci-horror.”

Dobson commented: “They say, ‘write what you want to read’, and that’s what Dragonfly is for me. It’s the cassettes turning in the computers, the endless rain drumming on the windows and the rising paranoia that something has gone horribly wrong in this distant, isolated world. I can already tell that the teams at HarperVoyager and DAW Books are as passionate about this story as I am, and I’m hugely grateful to have their skill and vision going forward.”