A NORTH Cornwall resident is putting his name on the literary map with the release of his debut novel.

Marius Creed, an author based near Launceston, is hoping to plunge readers into an atmospheric thriller with his first published novel, The Devil’s Magus.

The story follows Mark Benedict, an American professor, who is pulled into a world he does not understand when he learns that his brother, James, is in mortal danger.

Alongside James’ estranged wife, Sam, Mark uncovers a secret society led by the merciless occultist Sir Giles Worsley, driven by forbidden knowledge and the pursuit of ultimate power.

As unseen forces gather, Mark and Sam must rely on unlikely allies to survive a struggle in which loyalty fractures and love, betrayal, and redemption collide.

Marius says has spent much of his life exploring unseen forces, first through science and now through fiction. His career spans science teaching and many years as a naval officer. He is also a ‘fiercely proud’ Cornishman, spending his early years on the Rame Peninsula.

Now residing on the edge of Bodmin Moor, near Launceston, he has said that he draws on the region’s stark landscapes, ancient sites, and liminal spaces. Marius believes that these influences shape the novel’s tone.

Commenting on the release, he said: “I wanted to explore what happens when rational minds are forced to confront forces they cannot measure or control. Much of my life has been spent studying unseen forces in the natural world, and in The Devil’s Magus those forces become darker, older, and far less forgiving.”

“This isn’t a story driven by shock or spectacle. It’s about the quiet danger of forbidden knowledge and the way belief, guilt, and uncertainty begin to erode certainty. The tension builds through atmosphere and implication, until the reader realises there’s no safe distance from what’s unfolding.”