Gretchen McNeil has been a published young adult novelist since 2011, currently with Disney-Hyperion. Her latest YA novel is Four Letter Word, which came out in March of this year. Gretchen's novels have been published internationally in over a dozen languages. Ten: Murder Island, the film adaptation of Ten starring China Anne McClain (Descendants 2, Black Lightning) premiered on Lifetime in 2017, and Get Even and Get Dirty have been adapted as the series Get Even and Rebel Cheer Squad a Get Even series for BBC and Netflix. An adult horror short story she wrote for Assemble Media last year has already been optioned by a major studio. This is her first adult novel.

"Drawing from Scandinavian folklore, McNeil excels at creating an immersive forest setting, where eerie silences and misty shadows explode into true terror."--Booklist

"McNeil surprises and thrills in this folklore-inspired hike through mountains of dread. Unlike her characters, readers won't regret following her into the waiting trees." --Kiersten White, #1 New York Times-bestselling Author of Hide

"I'm a sucker for horror in the secluded woods, and They Fear Not Men in the Woods delivered everything I wanted--and more I hadn't even imagined. With imagery that will stick to your nightmares and a protagonist you can believe in, this sure-handed survival horror novel will make you believe you've been plunged into the mysteries and horror of the wilderness. Full of spooky surprises!" --Tananarive Due, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Reformatory

"In Gretchen McNeil's new eco-creeper folk horror freakout, she totally flips the script to--Take nothing but trauma, leave nothing but nightmares, kill nothing but mankind. You'll burn through this book so fast, the rustle of pages will sound like the bristling of tree branches after a breeze blows through." --Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

"What I love about this book is the seamless blend of natural and supernatural. It's even scarier because it feels real. Put on your backpack and leave your compass at home--this story will pull you in." --S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence

"Gretchen McNeil spins a wonderfully weird and genuinely frightening tale of horror beyond the lights of town. They Fear Not Men in the Woods is a deep woods page-turner with twists you will not see coming. Highly recommended!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times-bestselling author of Burn to Shine and Cold War

Publisher: Daw Books

Pub date: 2026-08-25

Length: 320 pages