Witching Hour

by Simon Kewin

Three short stories of witchcraft and witch magic

The Standing Stones of Erelong
Elian returns to the valley she was born in, the valley where all her family were slaughtered by the Marauders. Now only a circle of standing stones remains to mark the place. But the stones harbour a secret, a secret only she can uncover...

A Sorcerous Mist
Captain Quirk's boat Sheerwater is becalmed - held in port by a thick fog. He requests the help of a powerful witch to lift the mists. But the witch's help comes at a price, a price that will bring Quirk into conflict with the powerful Druidh...

Slieau Whallian
Ginny Kerruish watches as an old woman is rolled down a hill in a spiked barrel to test whether she is a witch. The old woman cannot survive the ordeal. But Ginny is secretly relieved, because only the old woman knows Ginny's dark secret. She, too, has the Sight, and if others find out, she will be next to be tested...

55 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2013

About the author

Simon Kewin is a fantasy and sci/fi writer, author of the Cloven Land fantasy trilogy, cyberpunk thriller The Genehunter , steampunk Gormenghast saga Engn , the Triple Stars sci/fi trilogy and the Office of the Witchfinder General books, published by Elsewhen Press.

He's the author of several short story collections, with his shorter fiction appearing in Analog, Nature and over a hundred other magazines.

He is currently doing an MA in creative writing while writing at least three novels simultaneously.

Reviews

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the three tales in Witching Hour. "The Standing Stones of Erelong" is a well-crafted flash story that tells of a young girl's return to her birthplace and perhaps the place of her parent's death, but there's something remarkable waiting to be discovered. "A Sorcerous Mist" is more of an adventure story about a captain of a cargo ship who is thrust into a battle against overwhelming odds. There's magic aplenty here but also some old-fashioned strategizing. The last story, "Slieau Whallian," concerns a young girl with the Sight who risks her life to save an old woman from a horrible death. The young girl's actions may put her in line for the same treatment. The theme of witches and magic unite these stories but they also share a concern with the age-old problems of persecution and power, issues that a reader from any place or time period can appreciate. Give these stories a read. I suspect you'll want to read them again. I know I will.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set of three short stories about magic, witches and the old ways are so steeped in lore they are a must read for all who, like myself, enjoy anything to do with Wycka and our earth mother. My only complaint about this book was that it was so short as I would have loved the stories to have been individually explored as full length novels. The first story deals with the standing stones of Erelong where Elian goes with Mayve, the wise woman who had raised her, to see where her family had fallen to marauders and what she finds out is amazing. The next deals with a group of sailors, the Wyckan Queen, the Archdruidh and Mannanan Mac Lir himself as they venture forth into the fog to save their island and it's people from enslavement. The power of both the queen and the sorcerer are awesome to behold. The last short story deals with the prejudice and fear incited in the people by the church, whereby old wisewomen were caught, labelled as witches by the priest, and rolled in a barrel full of spikes down the hill of Slieau Whallian to their death. A young girl, Ginny who also had the power of sight,could not allow this to happen especially when it was her brother Calum who was at the forefront of committing this horrendous crime so she intervenes. All three stories are woven around the lore of the old ways and the prejudices which came with the times with the intent of stopping the old ways for good. I love the knowledge Kewin imparts about the realm of magic, the old ways of wycka and their ties to the natural world. These stories may be read as an intro to the Cloven Land Trilogy which is a must for readers who enjoy magic, witches and their fight to exist in the face of prejudice.

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

A circle of stones harbor a secret. A captain has a strange passenger on his ship. And a young woman can't stand by as a witch is rolled down a hill.

Three marvelous short stories about witches and magic. Each tale is well written, enchanting the reader with vivid detail and bright emotion. Though it is difficult to pick my favorite, the final story, "Slieau Whallian" would be my choice. Ginny dares to do something when the townfolk are rolling a witch in a barrel down a hill. There's inner conflict and courage. I cheered for Ginny and hoped she didn't end up in the barrel herself. I connected with her character, and it didn't matter the story was short. The impact was the same as if I went through a whole novel with her.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kewin is a wonderful storyteller. The three pieces that make up Witching Hour are imaginative and evocative. "Old World" supernatural fantasy with sincere, humanistic themes. Simply magical.