It's Not a Cult
'Fierce, freewheeling modern folk horror that thrums with originality' Financial Times
Published on 23. October 2025
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-5266-7681-8 (ISBN)
Description
'I loved it straight away ... characters so vivid you feel like they might be living in your wardrobe right now' NATASHA PULLEY, author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET
'Gloriously over-the-top and under-the-skin [with] shades of early Angela Carter' OSKAR JENSEN, author of HELLE AND DEATH
Callum, Melusine and Al play in a band with no name, baffling audiences in terrible pubs across the northeast of England with their 'sound'. Their songs tell the stories of the Solkats: fictional northern gods of small things, of mishap and mayhem. Absolutely no one knows what they're on about. But they believe in their music, and in each other. And they're happy.
That is, until an act of violence at a pub gig goes viral, they catch the eye of a disillusioned influencer and suddenly go from having a cult following to having a cult, following.
All the Solkats want, Callum insists, is to have effect on the world. But as fans from LA to Australia flock to Northumberland, and each gig becomes larger and more lawless than the last, this effect starts to feel scarily... real. Which poses the question: if the Solkats really do exist, which is it more dangerous to anger: a wayward group of elder gods, or your biggest fans?
Because gods and cults both demand sacrifices. And one way or another they're going to get one...
'An incredibly fun read ... Joey Batey has pulled another arrow out of his creative quiver and hit a bullseye' GRIMDARK
'Vigorous, lurid, page-turning' LOCUS
'Gloriously over-the-top and under-the-skin [with] shades of early Angela Carter' OSKAR JENSEN, author of HELLE AND DEATH
Callum, Melusine and Al play in a band with no name, baffling audiences in terrible pubs across the northeast of England with their 'sound'. Their songs tell the stories of the Solkats: fictional northern gods of small things, of mishap and mayhem. Absolutely no one knows what they're on about. But they believe in their music, and in each other. And they're happy.
That is, until an act of violence at a pub gig goes viral, they catch the eye of a disillusioned influencer and suddenly go from having a cult following to having a cult, following.
All the Solkats want, Callum insists, is to have effect on the world. But as fans from LA to Australia flock to Northumberland, and each gig becomes larger and more lawless than the last, this effect starts to feel scarily... real. Which poses the question: if the Solkats really do exist, which is it more dangerous to anger: a wayward group of elder gods, or your biggest fans?
Because gods and cults both demand sacrifices. And one way or another they're going to get one...
'An incredibly fun read ... Joey Batey has pulled another arrow out of his creative quiver and hit a bullseye' GRIMDARK
'Vigorous, lurid, page-turning' LOCUS
Reviews / Votes
Fierce, freewheeling piece of modern folk horror that thrums with originality -- James Lovegrove * Financial Times * An incredibly fun read ... Joey Batey has pulled another arrow out of his creative quiver and hit a bullseye * GRIMDARK * Vigorous, lurid, page-turning * LOCUS * Batey writes confidently, leaning into the mordant comedy, while also committing fully to the book's disturbing premise * SFX * Fabulously mad ... I loved it straightaway ... So convincing that I'm a little bit worried that somehow I too will end up living in a disused water park with purple hair and weird chalk symbols on the door. Usually, I'd say, oh, if people like this book or this book then they'll love this, but actually, I can't here: It's Not A Cult genuinely isn't like anything else. But if you love characters so vivid you feel like they might be lurking in your wardrobe right now, wicked-clever jokes, and a brilliantly cynical take on the music industry (and death cults): this is fully for you -- Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET Gloriously over-the-top and under-the-skin. In his enthusiasm for an ornate turn of phrase and Gothic levels of grubbiness, Batey evokes shades of early Angela Carter and Nicola Barker -- Oskar Cox Jensen Batey writes with fierce intelligence, delivering a terrifying and piercing exploration of fandom, fame and authenticity. It's Not a Cult is a rich and provocative read that invites the reader into the world of Al, Melusine and Callum and the strange Solkats of which they sing * The Bookseller *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
524 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5266-7681-8 (9781526676818)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Joey Batey
It's Not a Cult
'Fierce, Freewheeling Modern Folk Horror That Thrums with Originality' Financial Times
E-Book
10/2025
1st Edition
Raven Books
€14.49
Available for download
Person
Joey Batey was raised in the North East of England and read Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge. He has worked as an actor and musician and is best known for his role in flagship Netflix show The Witcher. Joey produces music with his alt-folk group The Amazing Devil. It's Not A Cult is his first novel.