The Halter(Diversion Books, February 17, 2026) marks the electrifying debut novel from Darby McDevitt, Narrative Director for the Assassin’s Creed video game series and writer of more than 25 acclaimed games, two of which have sold over 25 million copies worldwide. An award-winning storyteller with a global fanbase, McDevitt now turns his mastery of immersive narratives to a high-stakes sci-fi noir that tackles society’s obsession with escapism, the seductive dangers of technology, and the brittle fantasies we build to survive.
Brimming with black humor, hardboiled grit, and a cast of unforgettable misfits, The Halter is a cyber-noir novel that fuses the inventive worldbuilding of Philip K. Dick, the elegiac longing of Raymond Chandler, and the pulse-pounding narrative drive beloved by fans of Ready Player One and Rabbits.
In a world where virtual addiction kills, Kennedy Stark is a “halter”—part detective, part counselor—paid to pull the plug on those lost inside surrogate realities. Haunted by dreams of escaping Earth’s climate collapse for a burgeoning Mars colony, Stark takes a dangerous new case: his long-lost love, software engineer Delia Walsh, has vanished into a project called The Forum.
The Forum is a whimsical and carnivalesque metaverse of seemingly infinite “theaters”—each more bizarre, playful, and perilous than the last. As Stark navigates its surreal landscapes and corrupted experiments, he uncovers a conspiracy that could destabilize not only this seductive digital world, but the fragile society outside it.
Though set in the near future, The Halter is classic hardboiled PI noir at heart—featuring a gripping twist and a cast of characters who stumble through their illusions with both tragedy and comedy. With snappy dialogue, propulsive plotting, and speculative imagination, McDevitt delivers a thriller as entertaining as it is unsettling.
At the core of The Halter is a resonant theme: the unpredictable “desire line” of technological development. In an era when AI, virtual reality, and digital networks evolve at breakneck speed, McDevitt examines how technology, once unleashed, often escapes our intentions—reshaping lives and societies in ways both wondrous and terrifying.
Darby McDevitt is a writer and game developer best known for his work on the Assassin’s Creed series of video games. He served as lead writer for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and as narrative director for the forthcoming Assassin’s Creed: Codename Hexe. His short fiction has appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Jeopardy, Griffel, and In Pieces: An Anthology of Fragmentary Writing. McDevitt is a dual citizen of the US and Canada and lives in Montreal.
Contact: Shannon Donnelly
Email: shannon@diversionbooks.com
Publisher: Diversion Books
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