The Tainted Isle: Dan Weatherer
Reviewed By Gavin Kendall
Solomon Whyte, the son of a wealthy industrialist, has turned his back on the family business and taken on the role of a paranormal investigator. Here Whyte travels the length and breadth of Britain investigating the supernatural. A selection of these cases are documented here in the first volume of his memoirs The Tainted Isle.
The premise of this book had me very excited but the reality now I have snapped the book shut is of disappointment. Disappointment as Dan Weatherer is a fine writer, his world-building and imagery are superb, in Solomon Whyte he has created a wonderful character that has the whole ‘other’ world at his fingertips, with hundreds of myths and legends to investigate.
And it’s here with the investigations that my main issue lies. I’ll be blunt, he doesn’t really investigate. As an example, Whyte has to investigate something that is scaring local workmen away from a building project. He arrives, visits a bar and is told the story of what the creature is and how it got to be in the local lake. Whyte stays overnight by the lake, sees the creature and reports back to his client that yes, he was correct there is indeed a ******* scaring the workers. Now that’s not investigating that confirming.
That’s not to say this book is a write-off, it’s anything but. As seeds for stories, I liked them all and I really enjoyed The Internment Of The Safe which featured an unusual occurrence on the way to a case in Devon. Whyte is joined in his carriage by a strange tall man, the owner of a mysterious box from which strange noises emit. Another case, The Haunting Of Fenton House was excellent and ripe for a full novella length rewrite in my opinion. There was so much here to play with and that’s where my main frustration lies. The Tainted Isle contains many ideas/cases that are not given anywhere near enough flesh to their bones. Most of the stories have a wonderful introduction and middle, but fall a little flat in their conclusion. This lies with Whyte’s lack of investigating, bar a couple of cases all he really does is confirm events and leave.
The book really feels like its more about building Whyte as a character and for that it’s a success, so much so I want to read more featuring him.
Dan Weatherer has a fantastic platform now from which to launch Solomon Whyte, Paranormal Investigator.
The Tainted Isle
Victorian England: A contradictory time of industrial progression and superstitious doctrine.
After a brush with death, Solomon Whyte, driven by his fascination with the super-natural, tasks himself with investigating the origins of Britain’s darkest myths.
As he explores haunted locales, crosses paths with mythical beasts and discovers the resting place of King Arthur, what Solomon experiences will forever blur the lines between what is fact and what is fiction.
Mixing science with superstition, Solomon inadvertently paves the way for the future of paranormal investigation; his legacy will be that of Britain’s first paranormal investigator, discovering for himself the secrets of The Tainted Isle.
You can buy The Tainted Isle from PS Publishing
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