A debut sci-fi novel by a Hitchin author featuring a hedonistic loner with a chequered past, and his robot sidekick in a dystopian hell has been a chart topping success during lockdown.

Matt Adock's literary style throughout his first book Complete Darkness has already been compared by critics to HG Wells, CS Lewis, and Douglas Adams – with his tome clinching first spot in the Amazon chart for religious fiction.

Published by a local independent publishing house, Burton Mayers Books, who are based in Campton, 10 miles from Hitchin, Matt's critically-acclaimed Complete Darkness has also been selected by national sci-fi site 'Den of Geek' as one of their 'Top Books of the Year', along with the legendary Philp Pullman.

Speaking to Hitchin Nub News modest Matt explained: "Hitchin is a hugely creative town and the place that I got to write my sci-fi debut novel Complete Darkness - which tells the grim near-future tale of what happens when we accidentally map 'Hell'.

"The book has a darkly humorous plot that encompasses a darker horror-tinged sci-fi world and mashes it with cyberpunk and religious themes.

"It's an action-packed literary shock to the sense that mixes flights of comic fantasy with bouts of brutal violence. Mankind's only hope seems to be having a very bad day."

Matt has also acted as a mentor to budding young authors at Hitchin's Priory School on Bedford Road, helping to inspire the students with their creative writing while also penning the foreword for the school's World Book Day anthology of short stories by their pupils, earlier in the year.

The talented Matt has also been working with an artist to create a comic book version of Complete Darkness.

"Another fun thing I did was to have an artist read the book and come up with what they thought the characters might look like," he added, "prompting limited edition art cards based on the book to have been handed out at events like Frightfest London and several ComicCons."

Buy Matt's book Complete Darkness on Amazon or at Waterstone's including the Hitchin Branch on Market Place.

Follow Matt on Twitter "Cleric20. Eagle-eyed readers of Matt's book may recognise the name of the Twitter feed...