Archer Wilder
Archer Wilder writes novels about some of the history that was rescued by the Society for Improbable Discoveries. The first is nearly ready.
The Lantern Beast surfaces October 13, 2026.
Advance Reader Copies
The Lantern Beast is currently accepting applications for advance readers.
The ARCs will be distributed on September 22.
CLICK HERE TO REQUEST AN ARC
Available for preorder on Kindle.
Paperback releases October 13, 2026.
Preorder Your Signed Copy of The Lantern Beast
Preorder a signed copy of The Lantern Beast and receive a few pieces of Fortune Lake along with it: a Lucky Penny from Fortune Lake, an Auroryte stone from the Beast’s cavern, and the Lantern’s Lure cocktail recipe from the Rusty Anchor.
$26, including shipping (USA only). Orders begin shipping on October 20, 2026.
Some secrets lie beneath the surface. Some rise to find you.
When increasingly urgent dreams compel photographer Jules Everton to take refuge in her aunt's lakeside home, she expects a quiet winter in the sleepy town of Bracken Ridge. Instead, she discovers mysteries that defy explanation—shadows that move independently, light that bends in unnatural ways, and an entity of pure luminescence lurking in the depths of Fortune Lake.
Corporate lawyer Danny Pencroft is haunted by his childhood encounter with the local legend. Even though he’s spent twenty years publicly pretending not to notice the lights on the lake, he is incapable of escaping the hold they have over him.
As Danny's employer threatens to develop the shoreline, Jules and Danny uncover a century-old workshop hidden within the rocks, where an eccentric inventor's obsession reveals the lake's most dangerous secret. Now they must decode the desperate pleas of the Lantern Beast before an otherworldly catastrophe is unleashed—if they can navigate the growing connection between them that feels just as impossible as the obstacles they face.
In the depths of Fortune Lake, an ancient guardian cries for help. Will they decipher its warnings before it’s too late?
About the Author
Archer Wilder was raised by Robert Stack and Indiana Jones, and spends an irresponsible amount of time researching cryptids, strange lights, small-town legends, and a historical record that doesn’t always quite ring true. The writing happens in the California desert, between deciphering The Inconvenient Atlas, making lamps out of skulls, and vacuuming up after two Australian Shepherds.
Archer does not appear in photographs, attend events, or discuss sources. Archer may, on occasion, answer a letter, provided the letter is interesting.
You can contact Archer by email.
