Tor UK acquires Alexis Hall’s superb science fictional Moby Dick in space

Hell’s Heart is Alexis Hall’s speculative fiction debut. It’s also a stunningly-crafted queer retelling of Moby Dick, Herman Melville’s timeless classic. Only this version is set in space, where a small band embarks on a fraught voyage to hunt a mysterious leviathan. Great riches are at stake in this bold narrative – but some might lose their lives and their hearts in the process. Those who loved Tasmyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth and Martha Wells’ Murderbot series will love this new take on an old classic, told with wit, verve and gorgeously executed worldbuilding.

The narrator (‘I’) takes a commission aboard a small spacecraft, bound to hunt vast cetacean-like Leviathans. These swim the atmospheric currents of Jupiter and are harvested as a rare energy-source. Once aboard, I finds herself pulled inexorably into the orbit of the craft’s captain, a charismatic but fanatically driven woman. As the ship plunges ever deeper into the turbulent, monster-haunted atmosphere of the gas giant, the narrator begins to lose herself in the eerie world of Leviathan-hunting and the captain’s increasingly insistent delusions. The only thing that could keep I grounded is the bond she develops with Q, a woman from the wreck of Old Earth, whose skin is marked with holographic light and who remembers things others have lost.

Alexis Hall comments: ‘I’m so excited to be working with Bella and Mal on a book that I honestly never thought I'd get an opportunity to write. Hell's Heart is full of things I love: adventure, queerness, kissing, and, of course, hunting space whales on Jupiter. And I'm thrilled to bits to be working with a pair of editors who apparently love those things just as much as I do.’

Bella Pagan comments: ‘Whenever I think of Alexis’ incredible Hell’s Heart, I feel a sense of wonder and excitement all over again. The writing is incredible and the story of these powerful, conflicted women is utterly mesmerizing. Inspired by Melville, Alexis has created something breathtaking and it deserves to become a modern classic.’

Tor UK will publish Hell’s Heart in spring 2026, matching dates with Tor in the US.

About the author
Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in their purse, and nothing particular to interest them on shore, Alexis Hall thought they would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. Unfortunately the boat they were in sank with all hands, and they were rescued only by a passing whaler. They have since become a novelist. Alexis Hall is the author of Boyfriend Material, Mortal Follies and Pansies amongst many others.

About Tor UK
Tor UK specializes in speculative fiction and is a destination for the best in imaginative storytelling. A sister company to Tor Books in the US, Tor UK publishes an impressive array of award-winners, bestsellers, household names and talented debut authors. Tor’s mission is to publish out-of-this-world genre fiction and bring readers books that spark joy. It strives every year to increase the diversity of its list, publishing authors from minority backgrounds and increasing positive representation of gender issues through fiction. (www.panmacmillan.com/tor)

About Pan Macmillan
At Pan Macmillan we publish a broad and vibrant range of books for audiences of all ages from dazzling bestsellers to influential prize-winners; books to inspire lifelong readers and listeners to enduring classics for generations to come. The fourth largest UK publisher, we pride ourselves on publishing successfully and sustainably and are committed to working together to positively impact culture and society at large. (www.panmacmillan.com)

Illustration by Radiante Mozzarelle