Witch: Mark Brownless
Reviewed By Gary Twigg
Mark Brownless is someone I’ve known as a twitter-friend for some time. I did read and enjoy a previous novel, The Shadow Man, but Witch is an impressive upgrade in terms of the scope of the story and the writing itself.
The story follows Gabe and Tor Hooper, who move to a house in Wales that overlooks a lake and surrounding woodlands. Unfortunately for the Hoopers, the house belongs – in spirit anyway – to Morvith, a Witch who died in horrible circumstances hundreds of years ago. And she has no intention of moving!
The change from London to this remote location follows the tragic loss of a child and is really the last-chance-saloon for Gabe and Tor’s relationship. That’s the surface reason, anyway, but as the story unfolds, so do the twists and turns that make this book so interesting. There is a small village nearby, filled with suspicious locals who seem to be part of a conspiracy and also a shadowy government agency embedded in the area who have more than a passing interest in Morvith and her activities.
With shades of Adam Nevill, I think that fans of folk horror will really enjoy this book. Whilst elements of this story bring The Wicker Man and Pet Semetary to mind. There’s a dream-like, off-kilter feel to some of the chapters and also a trip back in time to see what happened to Morvith when she was a living breathing person.
All in all a great read for lovers of dark magic, blood and the unquiet dead.
Witch
For Sale
We are delighted to present Ty Llun – Lake House – which is, once again, available.
A beautiful 400-year-old waterfront property in an idyllic Welsh village, the property has plenty of character and comes complete with the spirit of a long dead witch.
It’s the ideal place for a couple to move to, to start again, to try and forget the heartbreak of the past.
And we are sure that, this time, she will leave you in peace…
You can buy Witch from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Gary Twigg
I mainly write horror and paranormal thrillers although I am probably the most squeamish of people when it comes to watching horror movies and normally watch the scary parts through my fingers. Why I write in this genre of fiction is therefore quite ironic, but I’ve always been attracted to horror and thrillers in all their forms, whether on print or large and small screen. I have early memories of secretly watching Appointment With Fear with my older brother on an old black-and-white portable TV on Monday nights when we should have been asleep. The image of Christopher Lee crashing through French windows in the first Hammer Horror Dracula movie, with blood on his fangs chills me to this day!
Predictably, I am a huge fan of Stephen King, but also love writers such as Dean Koontz, Joe Hill, CJ Tudor and James Herbert. When I was a kid, I was fascinated and enthralled by Robert E Howard’s sword-and-sorcery tales of Conan The Barbarian and several other creations, and then by Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion series. These stories really fuelled my imagination and made me want to write my own stuff. When my older brother introduced me to Stephen King, I was soon lost in even darker worlds and I haven’t wanted to come out of them ever since. My books are, therefore, quite disturbing, gory at times, but I try to also litter them with characters who, while flawed, display the finer human qualities such as bravery, loyalty, and above all love of other people above themselves. I hope that you think that I have succeeded in this.
In my normal life I work for a charity that supports blind and partially-sighted people and I am also a qualified psychotherapist. This is all after spending twenty-five years in the private sector, where I wasn’t just unfulfilled, but also monumentally bored. Working with people directly to help them solve their own problems was definitely a better fit for me.
I live in Cheshire with my wonderfully patient wife and our small dog, Bailey, who loves nothing better than cuddles, food, and waiting until I’m relaxed of an evening before she demands some attention.
Twitter: @garytwigg1
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