Dark Matter
Order of the Hidden Cross
2nd Edition
Published on 14. February 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-7642983-0-8 (ISBN)
Description
Dark Matter: The Order of the Hidden Cross
What if the world you see is only a fragment of what truly exists?
Joshua Carpenter has been different since birth. He sees what others cannot, shadows in the margins of reality and whispers that travel across dimensions. Guided by Beris, a strange and unreliable companion, Joshua is pulled into a hidden war of symbols, memory, and power. The deeper he goes, the more he realises that the veil between worlds is fragile, and something ancient is waiting on the other side.
Dark Matter is a supernatural thriller that blends dark fantasy, cosmic horror, and occult mystery. It is a story about fractured timelines, forbidden knowledge, and the terrifying cost of truth.
Set against a backdrop of theological terror and philosophical questions, the novel asks not only what lies beyond the visible, but also what it means to confront it. Readers of H. P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, or contemporary esoteric fiction will find familiar unease here, but with a modern voice and a relentless pace.
This is not a story of comfort, but of confrontation. The Order of the Hidden Cross is older than history, and its influence reaches into every fracture of reality. Joshua's only choice is to listen to the whisper and discover why it chose him.
For fans of supernatural thrillers, occult fiction, and horror that pushes beyond the ordinary, Dark Matter is the beginning of a mythos that expands through time, grief, and the cracks of the soul.
If you are ready to question everything you believe, start with Dark Matter: The Order of the Hidden Cross by Ian Bayly.
More details
Person
Ian Bayly is a dark fantasy author whose work blends supernatural thrillers, cosmic horror, occult conspiracies, and philosophical subversion. Based in Australia, he made his debut with Dark Matter: The Order of the Hidden Cross, a genre-bending exploration of fractured timelines, hidden knowledge, and theological terror. This first novel introduced readers to the Dark Matter Mythos, a growing body of interconnected stories that merge psychological unease with esoteric themes and literary craftsmanship.With a background in rare books and a lifelong fascination with the forbidden and the forgotten, Ian writes fiction that is unapologetically cerebral. His stories are designed to haunt and provoke, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about faith, power, and the human condition. He does not write for comfort, but to unsettle, guiding readers through a labyrinth of symbols, memory, and dread.His second novel, Moloch: The Real King of Horror, pushes further into the shadows. It explores addiction, obsession, and the corrosive power of ambition through the lens of an ancient presence that feeds on creativity and sacrifice. By weaving supernatural horror into domestic realism, Ian exposes how the monstrous can emerge quietly from everyday life. Moloch is as much a psychological descent as it is a cosmic one, a study of what happens when art becomes possession.The third book, to be released in early 2026, is 86400: Death's Last Day Before Retirement. It confronts mortality itself. Here, Ian imagines death as a character at the end of his service, facing a metaphysical reckoning of time, duty, and cosmic fatigue. Blending satire with existential dread, this novel expands the mythos while offering readers a rare meditation on purpose and inevitability.Across his work, Ian Bayly combines horror, fantasy, and philosophical inquiry to create fiction that is dark, original, and deeply human. His novels are written for readers who enjoy supernatural thrillers, occult mysteries, and stories that blur the boundary between reality and nightmare.If you are ready to question everything you believe, begin with Dark Matter: The Order of the Hidden Cross by Ian Bayly, available now