BOOK REVIEW | WHAT EVIL LURKS | MIKE SHACKLE

 

And Good Day to you my fellow book nerds!

Today, sees the new venture by one of my favourite authors, Mike Shackle as he releases the first part of the serialised adventures of Lord Willem Legray, What Evil Lurks.

This is the first in a series of twelve monthly adventures that Mike is releasing on his website.

The stories are designed to be twelve self contained stories that will be released on the first of the month and are exclusive to Mike Shackle’s website. 

I was thankful to Mike, who sent me an early copy of the story, and let me tell you it’s a banger.

It is the year of our Lord 1585. Elizabeth I sits upon the English throne. Many call it the Golden Age as poetry, music and literature blossom across the land. However, the peace in which England flourishes is a fragile thing. War with Spain looms ever closer as the Catholic church seeks to overthrow the woman they know as 'The Heretic Queen'. As Elizabeth mobilises the whole country to face this threat, little does she know that a far greater threat is emerging from the shadows.

For England was built on built on dark Satanic hills. It is the land of Herne and the Wild Hunt. It’s the home of the Bean Sídhe and the Black Shuck. It's where Red Caps lurk and the Selkie linger. Nuckelavee swim in the oceans and Ogres frolic in the mountains. And yet, they are not the worst of the horrors to come.

If England is to survive, one man must face this evil alone and defeat it.  Lord Jon Willem Legray, Witchfinder General to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I.

(Overview from www.mikeshackle.co.uk)

On a hot August day in London, Lord Jon Willem Legray, Witchfinder General to Queen Elizabeth, is called to house in London Town after receiving reports of a witch terrorising the local community. With a contingency of guards and his trusty sword, the famed sword of St. George that had slain the last dragon and had been passed down from father to son, Lord Jon enters the house.

Expecting to discover some evil lurking in the shadows, he finds that he is not prepared for what the underworld has in store for him.

What Evil Lurks is the first story in the Witchfinder Chronicles, a new set of stories recounting the adventures of Lord Jon Willem Legray, Witchfinder General. Knowing how much Mike Shackle loves Robert E. Howard’s Soloman Kane, you can tell the influence that this has had on the story. And as this is one of my favourites too. Let me tell you this is no bad thing.

Mixing British folklore and story telling that is similar to Mike Shackle’s other books, The Jack Frey Adventures (written under the name Mike Morris) this was always going to be a pull for me as I share the same love for both Soloman Kane and for Mike’s other books.

The story is a new venture for Mike Shackle and will hopefully be published on his website as a serialised set of stories that will be only available on his website and released the first of every month, building into a complete book.  

The story itself is fast paced and very easy to read. As usual Mike writes with his cinematic flair for action scenes and the characters hook you into the story. I have read this story a few times now and have enjoyed immensely, each time finding something new in them.

The world building is interesting, London is a stinking cesspool of filth, and there are hints at what is to come as Lord Jon learns the secrets of the underworld. In addition to this, there is a hint at various stories in his background that could prove equally as interesting. 

I really hope that this gets picked up by people because I want some more of these stories and if it doesn’t I may have to blackmail Mike Shackle into writing more of these stories, just for me. So, to save that eventuality, go and get yerselves to his website and buy it in droves!

What Evil Lurks is available to download at www.mikeshackle.co.uk and is priced CAD $1.49 US $1.20 UK 0.95p