At Sea: A high stakes, high seas, eco thriller from Y.M. Abdel-Magied

Being one of the boys was one thing. Being the boss of the boys was something else altogether.

A thrilling and emotionally complex novel of impossible choices, gender and power politics, and the machismo of Big Oil - At Sea is the new novel from award-winning Y.M. Abdel-Magied.

Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is an exhilarating story about the clash of ambition, principle and prejudice, and the unexpected consequences of our choices - it's one of our most anticipated novels of 2026 and we can't wait to share it with you!

“Written with the urgency of a thriller and the distress signal of an allegory, At Sea is a smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of Big Oil and what it is to be a woman operating in such a hostile industry.” - Caoilinn Hughes

The novel:

Expert driller Zainab is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster – and Zainab is the only woman amongst a crew of hardened men who want absolutely nothing to do with her.

At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab labours to investigate the rig’s imminent collapse. She quickly grasps that the real danger lies in the cold calculations and base desires of the men she is forced to spend every waking moment with.

As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Zainab races to uncover the truth bubbling below and fend off the looming catastrophe.

The author:

Born in Sudan, Y.M. Abdel-Magied’s first job as a teenager was in a coal mine in rural Australia. After graduating with first class honours in Mechanical Engineering, Abdel-Magied trained and worked as a MWD (Measurement While Drilling) contractor and drilling engineer across Europe, Australia, Asia and the US. At Sea is Abdel-Magied’s first adult novel.

The chair:

Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow. Her short stories have been published widely, she has written for BBC Radio 4, and she is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Her first novel The Pharmacist was shortlisted for the Scottish Fiction Book of the Year, and is now in development for film with Compact Pictures and the BFI. Her second novel Thirsty Animals has been optioned by STV and it was followed up with The Salt Flats.