It's Not a Cult

Hardback Published on: 23/10/2025
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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It's Not a Cult
Engaging, creepy debut
I’m not usually drawn to the horror genre but reading the synopsis of this debut novel by Joey Batey had me intrigued. This isn’t your typical horror fes... READ MORE
Amanda, Redhill
It's Not a Cult
Delightfully weird and off kilter
A joy to read something set in the North-East with local slang studded throughout. Unsurprisingly the story has an offbeat black comedy feel to it. Batey a... READ MORE
Lucy at Scarborough
It's Not a Cult
A detailed, horrific story
What a journey!!! This book initially drew me in from the title and basic description, which was slightly unusual for a horror in my opinion. Following a '... READ MORE
Carrie (Store 823)
It's Not a Cult
Mind-blowing folk horror
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of It's Not a Cult in exchange for an honest review. It's Not A Cult completely blew me away. Hones... READ MORE
Vicky at Ballymena

Synopsis

Callum, Melusine and Al play in a band with no name, baffling audiences in terrible pubs across the north-east 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…

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • ISBN: 9781526676818
  • Number of pages: 320
  • Dimensions: 236 x 158 x 32 mm
  • Weight: 540g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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It's Not a Cult
Beautifully written
I was so excited to see that Joey Batey had written a book, and even more excited to receive a review copy, so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGa... READ MORE
Laura W
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
It's Not a Cult
Interesting but ultimately a bit confused and jumbled
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. The author is a confident and assured writer and there are some very nice descri... READ MORE
am/am/am
It's Not a Cult
Interesting story exploring fandom
"It's Not a Cult" by Joey Batey is a book you need to stick with and give time to grow. I wasn't sure what was going on at the beginning and admittedly, I ... READ MORE
Mel Pretorius
It's Not a Cult
Great spooky read!
A band without a name in the north of England gains a cult following… The world of the solkats is written with dark but beautiful lyricism, reminiscent ... READ MORE
Marina McCready
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
It's Not a Cult
Haunting, lyrical and desperately tragic.
This is a great commentary on how fandoms can become dangerously obsessive and how music or media end up blamed for the actions of individuals who take the... READ MORE
Sammis Bookshelf
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
It's Not a Cult
Brilliant
A thoroughly good time. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher. This was an entertaining horror novel fo... READ MORE
Jennifer Charlton
It's Not a Cult
Original and spooky!
Oh so many things to say about this, where do I start? I really enjoyed the character building, and the atmosphere. For some reason I was certain we wer... READ MORE
Daria - Bookshop Manager
It's Not a Cult
Remarkably dark, perfectly crafted
It's Not A Cult by Joey Batey is a marvel of a debut novel. The author has a very good grasp on pacing and story structure which was a happy surprise. No c... READ MORE
Kyle Ross
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
It's Not a Cult
Wildly entertaining
A thoroughly good time. This was an entertaining horror novel focused around music, cults and social media. While I was expecting an entertaining and menac... READ MORE
Jennifer Charlton
It's Not a Cult
Disappointing
As a fan of Joey Batey I was excited to read his first novel but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it, I had to stop after 200 pages. All of the characters are ... READ MORE
Brittany Lucas
Verified Purchase
It's Not a Cult
Five stars!
The Secret Book Review
It's Not a Cult
not for me I'm afraid
Having read the premise I was really looking forward to reading this book with superstition clashing/combining with modern thoughts, and being set in North... READ MORE
jean
It's Not a Cult
Absolute banger of a novel
What a great novel. It's an excellent (though obviously exaggerated for effect) commentary on fandom, mob mentality and conspiracy, and on how people with ... READ MORE
Leif
Verified Purchase
It's Not a Cult
Manic
Callum, Mel and Al play in a band with no name, singing songs about the Solkats: the fictional gods of a mythology entirely invented by Callum. When a viol... READ MORE
Ella - The Story Collector
It's Not a Cult
Haunting and ethereal all in one
Callum, Mel and Al have their own band. They're a small folk act telling tales of the Solkats and their lives. Suddenly they find themselves caught up in t... READ MORE
Kerry Henderson
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.