Review ~ The Summoning: A Supernatural Dark Fantasy by F G Cottam

Severn House Publishing
May 2014

This epic dark fantasy sees the start of a new series of supernatural stories, set in the shadow land and takes the reader into a dark world of mystery and ancient magic.

Adam Parker is a young archaeological student working on an historical site in an ancient Scottish forest. When he finds a mysterious artefact, he is unintentionally drawn towards it and yet has no reason to understand why he feels so strongly about the connection – however, it is a sign that Adam’s life as he knew it, is about to change forever, and his summons to the shadow place is about to fulfil his destiny. 

The story starts off fairly innocuously but as with all horror, there is an underlying darkness which helps to keep you on the edge of your seat. The strands of the story are cleverly woven together so that everything starts to come together and as the modern and the ancient worlds start to interweave, the two worlds collide into a believable fantasy. The added inclusion of a romantic triangle between Adam and two of his archaeological colleagues adds an interesting dimension to the story and watching how they all fit into the bigger picture is fascinating.

What follows is a creepy and decidedly scary horror story, a genre at which this author excels, and who skilfully holds the reader in the palm of his hand. Reminiscent, at times, of the early work of Phil Rickman, whose work I enjoy, this story starts off slowly, and then builds to a crescendo but which ultimately leaves the ending ready for the continuation of this shadowy story in future books.

 My thanks to Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for my e-copy of this book.

 About the Author

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Review ~ A Traitor's Tears by Fiona Buckley

Severn House
2014

In July of 1573, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet existence on her estate in the Surrey countryside. Recently widowed, she and her infant son are trying to put the past behind them, but her peace is shattered when her neighbour is found dead in a flowerbed. Ursula’s manservant, Brockley, is arrested for this heinous crime, and seeking to prove his innocence, Ursula enlists the help of her mentor and friend, Lord Burghley. What then follows is a convoluted murder mystery which takes in the complexity of the Elizabethan court and which leads this intrepid investigator into the very centre of this historical mystery.

Having not read any of the previous eleven Ursula Blanchard novels, I started this story at something of a disadvantage and found the complexity of all the different relationships quite difficult to understand and place into context. Overall, the historical mystery is reasonably achieved and yet, I think full enjoyment of the story can only come if the reader is aware of the background to the series. By the end of the novel, I found that I didn’t really have much empathy with Ursula’s character and even though wanted to ‘like’ her more, sadly, this didn’t happen for me.

If you like a murder mystery with a historical background then perhaps it’s a good idea to invest time in this series from the beginning rather than attempting to make sense of a series twelve books into its run.

My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for my review e-copy of this book.

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