For academic Alistair Finch, the legacy of his grand-uncle-infamous horror writer Arthur Penwright-is nothing but a shameful shadow. But when Alistair inherits a forgotten sea chest containing Penwright's secret journal, he discovers the stories may not have been fiction after all.
Within its pages are visions of a world that should not exist, and the more Alistair reads, the more his own reality begins to unravel. Soon, he finds himself stalked by forces that should never have crossed into this world-forces others are desperate to possess. As nightmares close in and danger surrounds him, Alistair must decide whether to follow his ancestor's warnings...or risk unleashing something far worse than madness.