DARK MATTER

Ask Michelle Anything

GRAHAM writes…

I've just reread Dark Matter and again was deeply impressed by how you create such an atmosphere of unease and dread in your story.
I view it as at the pinnacle of contemporary ghost stories and as good as any of the classic ghost/horror stories from my youth and the myriad
Pan & Puffin anthologies I read as a teenager and beyond. I even stopped reading it late at night and double checked the shutters in the bedroom before going to sleep and I'd already read the book.

Your writing has a wonderful filmic quality to it and as I was reading the story I was also seeing each scene as it unfolded even when I didn't
want to 'see' what was unfolding. Brilliant writing.

That said I am curious why Dark Matter has not become a film or mini series given how good it is. It is a masterpiece up there with the best of
M.R. James, Susan Hill and all the other great ghost and horror authors.

Would you like to see Dark Matter adapted for the screen?
Are there any plans to do so?
Have there been previous attempts to adapt it for the screen?

Or do you prefer to leave Dark Matter to the reader's imagination?

Michelle Replies…

Dear Graham, thank you so much for your perceptive and appreciative comments; it means a lot that Dark Matter has found favour with a devotee of the ghost story such as yourself – and that it frightened you, too!  To answer your questions, the book has been optioned for film a few times over the years, but so far nothing has got beyond the script stage.  This isn’t unusual; in fact, it’s the fate of the vast majority of film projects. But in my experience that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I can recall at least one script of Dark Matter which filled me with horror – and not in a good way! It was a bit of a relief when the project fizzled out.  You asked whether I would like to see the book adapted for film, and the answer is broadly yes – but ONLY if the film were true to the spirit of the story, rather than a slasher movie with too many jump scares.  Finally, if and when an adapation looks like getting filmed, you may be sure that I’ll post the news on my website.  Thanks again for getting in touch, and perhaps next year you might enjoy my latest ghost story, Rainforest, when it comes out in September.  With very best wishes, Michelle


Upcoming Live Events With Michelle

Incredible… Inspiring… In Person!

Only 69 days to grab your ticket!

Wimbledon Book Festival

October 17, 2025
Festival patron and Sunday Times bestselling author Michelle Paver will talk about her latest supernatural fiction in this live recording with Always Take Notes, a podcast for and about writers and writing.

Michelle will discuss her incredible career, from finding inspiration for Wolf Brother on Wimbledon Common to her latest novel Rainforest, which weaves Mayan culture with themes of obsession, gender and rebirth.

Only 72 days to grab your ticket!

The Witching Hour with Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Shepherd-Robinson – Waterstones Canterbury

October 20, 2025

Join Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Sheperd-Robinson as they discuss their stories in a brand new collection of ghostly tales called The Witching Hour.

In this dazzling collection of original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring the old superstition of the witching hour to new and vivid life.
Transporting you from the smog of London to the freezing mists of Svalbard, from an Irish town riddled with rumour to a sinister English boarding school, these thirteen stories will serve as your spine tingling companion to the long hours of winter.
So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clock to strike . . .
Only 77 days to grab your ticket!

Yeovil Literary Festival

October 25, 2025

An experience like no other. From a writer like no other...

Successfully published as an adult author, the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (“Wolf Brother”) were her first books for younger readers, followed by her brilliant 5-part series set in the bronze age, Gods and Warriors. On the adult side, her first ghost story, Dark Matter, was a UK bestseller and won massive praise from reviewers and readers alike, as did her second ghost story, Thin Air.

Oxford Literary Festival 2026

March 29, 2026

The Oxford Literary Festival takes place in venues across central Oxford, such as Blackwell's bookshop, the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Weston Library, and Oxford colleges such as Christ Church and Worcester College. The festival includes international authors, journalists, intellectuals, historians, and poets.