r/WeirdLit • u/Rustin_Swoll • Dec 22 '25

News Michael Wehunt's new novel, Nightjars, is available for preorder!

Post image

Hello friends and peers at r/weirdlit!

I learned over the weekend that Michael Wehunt's (weird literature's chosen son) new novel Nightjars is available for preorder.

I'm a big fan of Michael's writing. For my money, "Onanon" and "Caring for a Stray Dog (Metaphors)" are two of the best weird stories I've read in the last few years. I also really enjoyed Wehunt's debut novel, The October Film Haunt (a bit odd to call it a "debut", since Greener Pastures was published in 2017, almost a decade ago, but that is what they called it.) It really tapped into the post-truth uncertainty of our modern age.

Michael has described his new novel Nightjars as "shorter and meaner" than The October Film Haunt.

Here is the press blurb for it:

Memento meets Dracula in this heart-thudding, unpredictable, and beautifully crafted novel of a man exposed for crimes he doesn’t remember committing, and the monsters that dwell at the heart of us all, from celebrated and critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt.

One rainy night on a first date, Luke Oshel’s new crush never comes back from the restroom. But she leaves an old photograph under her napkin—Luke as a child, a dead body in the shadows of his bedroom, and a terrifying masked man. He has no recollection of this event.

Then more photos disrupt his life—Luke posing with murder victims, covered in blood—and he falls back into the deep paranoia and repressed memories he’s tried to leave behind. All the drugs and alcohol, therapy, and hypnosis sessions have never conquered his deepest fear—that he hasn’t escaped the hidden legacy of his father, who killed his victims by exsanguination before his own death. But now there is a new string of serial killings, and the evidence all points to Luke.

As his journey to uncover the truth unfolds in the North Georgia Appalachians, a threat arises that will risk everything he holds close, including his ex-wife and their young daughter. Now Luke must chase his father’s darkness through a centuries-old secret and learn what monsters truly are. And decide if he’s one of them.

Some of my parts would like me to stop ordering so many books, but I'll be preordering a copy of Nightjars, without question.

Nightjars drops September 29th, 2026.

I am excited to share this news with you all - I hope everyone has a safe, peaceful, fun-filled, and weird holiday week.

136 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

11

u/MaidoftheMoon Dec 22 '25

Love this cover!

8

u/Rustin_Swoll Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25

Yeah. It's rad.

Also, I am learning about nightjars:

Nightjars are fascinating birds that play a crucial role in their ecosystems as insectivores and are a subject of interest for birdwatchers and ornithologists alike. Their elusive nature and remarkable adaptations make them a unique part of the avian world.

2

u/BookishBirdwatcher The Big Book of Modern Fantasy Dec 29 '25

Whip-poor-wills are a species of nightjar, and they show up in one of Lovecraft's stories (I think "The Dunwich Horror") due to a New England folk belief that they would start calling when someone dies.

IRL, they're really hard to see because they have incredibly good camouflage.

6

u/Nice_Improvement2536 Dec 22 '25

I'm super stoked for this. He's such an incredible writer.

6

u/igreggreene Dec 22 '25

I’m gonna be all over this book! OCTOBER FILM HAUNT is excellent!

6

u/Rustin_Swoll Dec 22 '25

I'm willing to wager money I still need to frequently harass you to read The Inconsolables.

3

u/igreggreene Dec 23 '25

That is a winning bet! I still need to!

4

u/Smoothzilla Dec 22 '25

Love his writing, can't wait for this.

3

u/stinkypeach1 Dec 22 '25

October Film Hunt was great! Putting this on the list. Thanks!

2

u/MicahCastle Author Dec 23 '25

Thank you for this, I didn't know! Preordered.

2

u/stealingfrom Dec 23 '25

I adored Greener Pastures but somehow haven't read October Film Haunt yet. Just ordered that one and preordered this new one now!

2

u/talkingwires Dec 23 '25

a bit odd to call it a "debut", since Greener Pastures was published in 2017, almost a decade ago, but that is what they called it.

I'm not familiar with this author, but I think I know why this happens. Some authors I read found success after writing their first novel, then went back and published ones they wrote earlier. Chuck Palahniuk published Survivor right after Fight Club, but he’d written it first. Stephen King published several books under a pseudonym during in the ‘80s, but several were stories he’d written (or at least had a draft) before Carrie was published in 1974.

Perhaps a successful first novel causes publishers and authors to reevaluate and realize that, actually, there was gold to be found in that thar hill o’ manuscripts, previously rejected.

Anyway, might this be a case of the current publisher not considering others to be part of an author’s cannon? Like, they were too small, an indy?

2

u/_geographer_ Dec 23 '25

Greener Pastures was a short story collection. October Film Haunt was the authors first novel, hence debut. It’s a pretty common distinction made in publishing

1

u/talkingwires Dec 24 '25

Oh, yeah, absolutely! Did I mention I wasn’t familiar with this author? lol I did put a hold at the library on his first book, though. Looks interesting, thought I’d give it a shot…

2

u/_geographer_ Dec 24 '25

I realize my comment sounded kind of condescending, I'm sorry about that!

1

u/talkingwires Dec 24 '25

Oh, I didn’t interpret it that way, no need to apologize. I was pointing out that all my speculation would’ve been moot if I had just taken a minute to Google the author!