Scottish horror outfit Hex Studios has announced a new publishing wing, and released its first volume The Book of Beastly Creatures.
The company, known for supernatural horror features Lord of Tears, The Black Gloves, and The Devil’s Machine, is branching out into the world of books with the same passion for storytelling and collectable physical media that fans have come to expect from the indie studio.
The first book under the Hex Arcana label, The Book of Beastly Creatures, is a horror anthology featuring 18 original short stories, each based on original monsters from the Hex universe. Written by Sarah Daly, Thomas Staunton, and Lawrie Brewster, the hardback volume is filled with 80s-inspired artwork by James Olley, and includes a full set of RPG rules for each creature, using the Open Game License.
According to co-writer and editor Sarah Daly, “Horror literature has always been a huge inspiration for our films, so to make our own contribution to genre publishing is very exciting. With Hex Arcana, we want to capture something of the magic and vibrancy of books you might have seen in the 70s or 80s, but also to champion original storytelling, and new voices.”
Writer and Hex Studios founder Lawrie Brewster added, “All of us at Hex, and our backers, share a love for physical media, for films and books that you can own and treasure for years to come. All our films are released as Special Editions with beautiful artwork, and our books will be no different. We just want to tell great stories, and create beautiful objects to house them in!”
The Book of Beastly Creatures is available to buy now exclusively on Kickstarter. The funds raised through sales of the book will help to fund the fledgling publisher.
