The Vorrh Trilogy books in order

The Vorrh Trilogy by Brian Catling is a surrealist dark fantasy series set in a vast mythical African forest that erases memory and may hold the Garden of Eden.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Vorrh 2012 Brian Catling N/A
2 The Vorrh 2015 Brian Catling Buy
3 The Erstwhile 2017 Brian Catling Buy
4 The Cloven 2018 Brian Catling Buy

The Vorrh Trilogy is Brian Catling’s major work of fiction, a surrealist dark fantasy that defies easy genre classification. The trilogy is set in and around the Vorrh, a vast primordial forest in Africa with mythical properties. The forest erases the memories of anyone who stays too long, and local belief holds that the Garden of Eden lies at its heart.

The Vorrh (2012) introduces the forest and a cast of characters drawn toward it, including the hunter Tsungali and the Cyclops Ishmael. The Erstwhile (2017) expands the scope with new figures and deeper layers of mythology. The Cloven (2018) concludes the trilogy. Catling’s prose is dense and lyrical, more interested in atmosphere and imagery than conventional plot, and the series has been compared to the work of Mervyn Peake and M. John Harrison.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the The Vorrh Trilogy series?

There are four books in the The Vorrh Trilogy series, published between 2012 and 2018.

What is the first book in the The Vorrh Trilogy series?

The first book in the The Vorrh Trilogy series is Vorrh, published in 2012.

What is the Vorrh?

The Vorrh is a vast, ancient forest in Africa with supernatural properties. It erases the memories of anyone who enters, and legends say the Garden of Eden lies at its center. The forest is populated by strange beings and draws people toward it for reasons they cannot fully understand. Brian Catling drew on the writings of Raymond Roussel and themes of colonialism in building the setting.

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