From The Belly by Emmett Nahil

The whaling vessel Merciful has just made its strangest catch yet: a massive whale containing a still-living man secreted within its stomach lining. Sailor Isaiah Chase is tasked with keeping the enigmatic man alive. 

As their relationship grows, a series of accidents, injuries and deaths quickly befall the ship and its crew. Isaiah is plagued by strangely prophetic dreams, even as the crew continues their endless quest for whale oil under the command of an increasingly unhinged captain. 

As events spiral further out of control, the mysterious man confesses what Isaiah has begun to suspect: the crew of The Merciful has fallen into a cycle of punishment for their greed and destruction. Isaiah must confront the sea's vengeance made flesh, and choose between this new, strange love and the fate of the ship itself.

"The insidious chill of FROM THE BELLY seeps right into your skin, reaching as deep as the bone. It harbours a sense of dread that never dissipates. Emmett Nahil's words will linger long after you're through with this book, because this book will not be through with you." 

• Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

“Emmett Nahil blends the vast, incomprehensible danger of the ocean with the queasy intimacy of body horror to create an atmosphere of dread that feels both timeless and new. Wild, ominous, and darkly romantic, FROM THE BELLY will make its way into your guts and dreams."

• Lindsay King-Miller, author of The Z Word

“A darkly sensuous dive into the chilling subgenre of aquatic horror. Beautifully empathetic and character driven, FROM THE BELLY hits every disturbing note with finesse as Nahil ramps up the tension with pitch-perfect pacing. I loved this book from start to finish.”

• Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below

Cover art by Chris Shehan.

Interior illustrations by Megan Llewellyn.

About the Author:

Hailing from a haunted seaside town in northern Massachusetts, Emmett Nahil is the author of LET ME OUT (Oni Press, October 2023), and a writer of horror and speculative fiction centering marginalized perspectives. Favoring the historic, the strange, and the gory, in his other life Emmett makes video games as the Narrative Director and co-founder of Perfect Garbage Studios.

About the Artists:

Chris Shehan is an American comic book artist living in Austin, Texas, best known for his work in the American comic book market with multiple publishers, working on interior art, cover art and concept art.

Megan Llewellyn is a medical illustrator and comics creator in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.