{Book Review} The Again-Walkers: Deborah Sheldon

The Again-Walkers: Deborah Sheldon

Reviewed by Priscilla Bettis

The Again-Walkers” is a novelette about zombies before they were called zombies, the “again-walkers” of the Viking era.

Svana was given as a bride by her family to an awful man named Hallkell in order to stop a blood feud. Svana is brave and smart. Her huge, muscular husband is violent and cruel. So is her mother-in-law. With that setup, I was immediately cheering for Svana.

PROS:

Svana and a shepherd in town fall in love. It’s a forbidden love, of course, because Svana is married to the horrid Hallkell. I don’t read romance. It’s just not my thing, so for Sheldon to write a romance-horror story and make it so engaging that I couldn’t not read it is a testament to Sheldon’s talent.

Her sensual descriptions of bodies (not just sex scenes, but characters in general) bring their textures, smells, motions, and sounds to life. I was there with Svana in the romantic scenes and the terrifying scenes.

There is much to fear in this story, not only the again-walkers, but also mob anger, (off-screen) animal cruelty, spies among townsfolks, and the power of gossip.

When Svana finally encounters an again-walker, she holds her breath. I held mine, too. Oh, the size and power of the menacing beast!

CONS:

Sheldon’s prose is polished. Her storytelling comes from an experienced pen. I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like about this story.

OVERALL:

Sheldon’s The Again-Walkers is a novelette that will appeal to a broad horror audience even if, like me, you don’t normally read romance.

The Again-Walkers

The Again-Walkers was inspired by ninth-century Danish mythology and superstition.

The premise: To end a blood feud between two Viking families, Svana Norup is offered as a peace-pledge bride to blacksmith, Hallkell Jenson.

Within weeks of moving to Hallkell’s village, however, Svana meets and falls for the shepherd, Agmundr Rask. If Svana and Agmundr want to make a life together, they must first get rid of Hallkell.

But can the lovers risk murder when Hallkell might return from the dead to take revenge?

You can buy The Again-Walkers from Amazon UK & Amazon US

Priscilla Bettis

Priscilla Bettis is an avid horror reader and passionate horror author. She’s also an excellent swimmer, which is good because vampires are terrible swimmers. Priscilla shares a home in the Northern Plains of Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members.

Amazon author page: Priscilla-Bettis

Blog: www.priscillabettisauthor.com

Twitter: @PriscillaBettis

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