"I felt I was eavesdropping on genuine 19th-century grave robbers . . . the author's skilled prose . . . convinced me. I felt I was there in the rough and tumble streets of 1830s London. Grotesque pathetic yet with poignant moments of calm and welcome humour." -TRACY CHEVALIER

"This book is a masterpiece ... Some Rise by Sin is a dark dark book though often hilarious and with a masterful voice. Buy this book immediately." -NICK MAMATAS

"Sion Scott-Wilson seems very much to be a writer after my own heart. Some Rise By Sin proved pretty much impossible to put down ... masterfully plotted and presented with indelible characters." -ALAN MOORE

1829 is a tough year to be a body snatcher. Burke and Hare have just been convicted of killing people to sell their bodies, to widespread outrage-but despite the bad press, doctors still need fresh corpses for medical research.

Sammy and Facey are a couple of so-called 'resurrection men', making a living among society's fringe-dwellers by hoisting the newly departed from the churchyards of London whilst masquerading as late-night bakers. Operating on tip-offs and rumours in the capital's drinking dens and fighting pits, the pair find themselves in receipt of some valuable intelligence: an unusual cadaver has popped up on the market, that of a hermaphrodite.

Some Rise by Sin is a rich, authentic and absorbing historical narrative with a darker edge, a story of surviving on the outskirts of respectability. With echoes of Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White, it is meticulously researched and suffused with the dark and grimy atmosphere of Regency London, and explores what ambition can mean for poor people in a society that conspires to grind them down at every turn.

About the Author
Sion Scott-Wilson writes short stories, novels, and plays. His first novel, The Sleepwalker's Introduction to Flight, was published in 2008 and was listed for the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. He won the Yeovil Literary Prize for Best Novel in 2013 and was a runner-up for the Fish Publishing Prize in 2008. Sion holds an MSc (Distinction) in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh. Sion is a keen epeeist, skier, tennis player, and cyclist. He has appeared nude on the London stage, and he has a BAFTA nomination.

Reviews

"A fascinating well-researched tale, set on the fringes of respectability. Some wonderful dialogue: 'They do say that London is like a man reclining: the West End is his head, the shining face of our metropolis; the City, a great belly - a repository of trade, our sustenance; the East End, his arse.' Sion Scott-Wilson has written a cracking, well-researched piece of historical fiction, it's brutal but exciting, funny and very authentic, all in all, A terrific read!" -Goodreads, 5*

"A dark and yet fascinating historical fiction. I always appreciate if the language feels like the language spoken at the period covered and this book did not fail me." -Goodreads, 5*

"An entertaining picaresque novel. Effusive, full of cant and slang, dynamic and effervescent. There has clearly, too, been a huge amount of research, much of which appears here in the descriptions of streets, interiors, gambling dens and drinking houses." -Goodreads, 5*

"Some Rise By Sin is a rich, authentic and compelling historical novel with a dark edge. It evokes the griminess and grubbiness perfectly and the idiosyncratic characters who walk these streets are both fascinating and engaging. From street urchins and circus freaks to boxers, surgeons and prostitutes, it is peopled by a cast who really come alive on the page. This is a beautifully crafted, historical novel with dark, horror elements balanced against witty humour and is both deeply philosophical but highly readable." -Goodreads, 5*

"I could almost hear the characters banter. What makes this story jump off the page is the brilliantly written and wholly engaging dialogue, told in the vernacular of early 19th century east end Londoners." -Goodreads, 5*

Book Information
ISBN 9781838498702
Author Sion Scott-Wilson
Format Hardback
Page Count 372
Imprint Deixis Press
Publisher Deixis Press