 Thematically the novels explore dysfunctional masculinity and the decline and alienation of provincial Britain, and are littered with references to popular cultural icons of the seventies and eighties (Blake's, and Williams', formative period).Previous to the success of the Mangel Trilogy Williams had attempted for some years to break into the horror genre, and the sensibilities of that field are detectable in his published work (see, for example, the chainsaw scene in "Deadfolk").Other notable works are the novel "Stairway to Hell" (2009), the novella "Graven Image" (2011) and the screenplay for the short film "Ark".