It's Not a Cult cover art

It's Not a Cult

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It's Not a Cult

By: Joey Batey
Narrated by: Joey Batey
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents It's Not a Cult, written and read by Joey Batey.

'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…©2025 Joey Batey (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Fantasy Horror

Critic Reviews

Fierce, freewheeling piece of modern folk horror that thrums with originality (James Lovegrove)
All stars
Most relevant
worth every second i spent waiting for it, love when he starts singing, joey bateys voice is truly beautiful.

Truly amazing writing, love joey batey

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Evocative description of Northumberland interspersed with terrifying snowball of a cult. Gripping and immersive an excellent read and many details brought to life through audio medium.

beautifully description and chilling tale in Northumberland

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.