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Start giftingSilver Nitrate
Narrator
Gisela Chípe
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
13 hours 3 minutes
Language
English
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.
“No one punctures the skin of reality to reveal the lurking, sinister magic beneath better than Silvia Moreno-Garcia.”—Kiersten White, author of Hide
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Polygon, CrimeReads, BookPage, Book Riot
Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.
Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.
Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.
As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of the novels The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and a bunch of other books. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award–winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). She has been nominated for the Locus Award for her work as an editor and has won the British Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for her work as a novelist.
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Reviews
“True to her method, [Moreno-Garcia] succeeds here by knowing when to follow the rules of genre storytelling and when to turn them upside down.”—Los Angeles Times“Like its namesake, Silver Nitrate catches fire and doesn’t stop burning until the end.”—The Washington Post
“Wows you with its eerie atmosphere and deft blend of historical fiction, horror and black magic.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Moreno-Garcia makes darkness shine.”—NPR
“An engaging, inventive story of moviemaking and the occult.”—Kirkus Reviews “Another instant classic from one of our best genre authors.”—Paste
“[A] gripping and atmospheric thriller.”—Arlington Magazine
“Silvia Moreno-Garcia . . . is one of the most talented writers publishing today.”—Ms. “Silver Nitrate is a world of its own.”—Shondaland
“Silvia Moreno-Garcia proves, once again, that she is one of the most talented writers publishing today.”—Ms.
“[A] gripping and atmospheric thriller that seamlessly blends history and magic.”—Arlington Magazine
“Hip as hell, Silver Nitrate delivers a cinematic and exhilarating punch. Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again with this creepy and unforgettable occult thriller, teeming with the decadence of old horror movies.”—Kali Fajardo-Anstine, bestselling author of Woman of Light and Sabrina & Corina
“Perfection. No one punctures the skin of reality to reveal the lurking, sinister magic beneath better than Silvia Moreno-Garcia.”—Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide
“Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a treasure and Silver Nitrate is a gem: a chilling roller coaster of a tale that captures perfectly why we love horror movies, scary books, and things that go bump in the night.”—Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Lioness
“Silver Nitrate is a popcorn thrill ride into the underbelly of 1990s Mexican horror movies and occultism. Moreno-Garcia crafts a world so rich with details and history that you won’t be able to look away.”—Dana Schwartz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anatomy: A Love Story
“You don’t just read this book, you live in it—and it will charm you, intrigue you, and scare the daylights out of you.”—Tim Powers, World Fantasy Award–winning author of The Anubis Gates
“Moreno-Garcia’s prose is enchanting, full of perfect phrases that dot every page.”—BookPage (starred review)
“A love letter to Mexico City’s film industry and an excellent entry into the popular horror subgenre of occult films.”—Library Journal
“An engaging, inventive story of moviemaking and the occult for film geeks and genre buffs.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This is a knockout.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Expand reviews