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The Guardians #5
The Curse of Rathlaw
FROM THE FIEND IN THE GLEN...
The anguished triple curse was as old as Evil itself...Born in that dark and magical past, breathing through the centuries. it burst now from the hideous lips of Fergus Trayle, hermit of Black Loch, thwarted in his lust for the beautiful maid servant of Sir Alistair Rathlaw—
The sun would blot out, a kelpie would re-turn to Scotland—and the Rathlaw clan would vanish from the earth!
Only THE GUARDIANS, vowing war against all the malignant forces of the super-natural. could aid SIB Alistair in his desperate plight. From the hermit's shabby hut, secret divinations would lead THE GUARDIANS to modern Glasgow. where suave. sophisticated Cosmo Trayle pursued his vile brother's aims...But not all their knowledge and power might avail them in that last terrible moment—when an unspeakable Black Sabbath rite threatened exotic torture and death to the last young heir of a noble line!
The anguished triple curse was as old as Evil itself...Born in that dark and magical past, breathing through the centuries. it burst now from the hideous lips of Fergus Trayle, hermit of Black Loch, thwarted in his lust for the beautiful maid servant of Sir Alistair Rathlaw—
The sun would blot out, a kelpie would re-turn to Scotland—and the Rathlaw clan would vanish from the earth!
Only THE GUARDIANS, vowing war against all the malignant forces of the super-natural. could aid SIB Alistair in his desperate plight. From the hermit's shabby hut, secret divinations would lead THE GUARDIANS to modern Glasgow. where suave. sophisticated Cosmo Trayle pursued his vile brother's aims...But not all their knowledge and power might avail them in that last terrible moment—when an unspeakable Black Sabbath rite threatened exotic torture and death to the last young heir of a noble line!
190 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1969
About the author
Peter Saxon
41 books31 followersPeter Saxon was a house pseudonym used by various authors of British pulp fiction, among them W Howard Baker (Danger Ahead 1958, The Killing Bone 1968 and Vampire's Moon 1972); Rex Dolphin (The Vampires of Finistère 1968); Stephen D Frances (The Disorientated Man aka Scream and Scream Again 1966, Black Honey 1968, and Corruption 1968); Wilfred McNeilly (The Darkest Night 1966, Dark Ways to Death 1966, Satan's Child 1967, The Torturer 1967, and The Haunting of Alan Mais 1969); Ross Richards (Through the Dark Curtain 1968); and Martin Thomas (The Curse of Rathlaw 1968).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 24, 2008
Under the Peter Saxon name there was also released a horror series about a group of occult agents who fought the forces of evil with their own magic. I know there were at least four in the series but I don't know what number this one is. It was the first I ever read in the series, though, and it was very good. I really went out looking for the others in the series after that. This one was even a little sexy.
The real author of this was apparently Martin Thomas.
The real author of this was apparently Martin Thomas.
January 22, 2016
I love used book stores. Madison has several excellent ones, mostly windowless, narrow-aisled affairs filled with high shelves, silence, and that sad-but-lovely smell of decaying pages. When I'm in such a place, I make for the fantasy section, eager to get my hands on some unknown chunk of 60's-70's crap fantasy. I love it. It's what I cut my teeth on as a teenager, and if I see a beguiling cover, I'll grab the book and buy it, no questions asked.
The Curse of Rathlaw certainly looked promising: the cover features a bad Frazetta knock-off, done in murky oils, of a topless and bountiful sexpot wielding a curvy knife, and a stern-looking fellow wearing a ram's head and a cool medallion (neither of which accurately depicts anything in the book). The fact that the back of the book featured the same illustration as the front sealed the deal for me. Good-bye, Buck Fifty, and hello cheapo fantasy imprint!
Imagine my bitter disappointment when I discovered this wasn't sword-and-sorcery fantasy at all, but one of a series of books about a group of people who go around fighting evil cultists who want to do evil culty things. There is certainly entertainment value in the ridiculous exposition - here's two great examples:
"Kane was silent a moment, rubbing his hand roughly around the angle of his jaw - a habit he had when he was deeply perplexed."
How unusual. I'm so glad the author explained the source of the gesture.
"Anne saw none of the visitors use a key, so evidently the tradesmen's door into the back garden was not locked. The callers merely twisted the door handle and walked straight in."
Couple this literary clunkiness with clumsy plotting, and you have a "good" bad book. I loved the fact that one of the major unusual manifestations in the story is never explained, the day is saved by a character who is not introduced until literally 12 pages before the end, and one character described early on as having an extreme fear of open flame - "even the striking of a match within a few yards of her would cause her to tremble" - is nonetheless standing next to a bonfire for the entirety of the climactic scene. The plotting itself is especially noteworthy in its piecemeal makeup - it's like nodding off repeatedly during a late-night movie, only to wake up and find that you haven't really missed anything of consequence.
The fact that this is the FIFTH in a series makes me vaguely curious about the others, although I don't think it would matter what order you read them. Overall, this was good for unintentional fun, and a bit of literary schadefreud.
The Curse of Rathlaw certainly looked promising: the cover features a bad Frazetta knock-off, done in murky oils, of a topless and bountiful sexpot wielding a curvy knife, and a stern-looking fellow wearing a ram's head and a cool medallion (neither of which accurately depicts anything in the book). The fact that the back of the book featured the same illustration as the front sealed the deal for me. Good-bye, Buck Fifty, and hello cheapo fantasy imprint!
Imagine my bitter disappointment when I discovered this wasn't sword-and-sorcery fantasy at all, but one of a series of books about a group of people who go around fighting evil cultists who want to do evil culty things. There is certainly entertainment value in the ridiculous exposition - here's two great examples:
"Kane was silent a moment, rubbing his hand roughly around the angle of his jaw - a habit he had when he was deeply perplexed."
How unusual. I'm so glad the author explained the source of the gesture.
"Anne saw none of the visitors use a key, so evidently the tradesmen's door into the back garden was not locked. The callers merely twisted the door handle and walked straight in."
Couple this literary clunkiness with clumsy plotting, and you have a "good" bad book. I loved the fact that one of the major unusual manifestations in the story is never explained, the day is saved by a character who is not introduced until literally 12 pages before the end, and one character described early on as having an extreme fear of open flame - "even the striking of a match within a few yards of her would cause her to tremble" - is nonetheless standing next to a bonfire for the entirety of the climactic scene. The plotting itself is especially noteworthy in its piecemeal makeup - it's like nodding off repeatedly during a late-night movie, only to wake up and find that you haven't really missed anything of consequence.
The fact that this is the FIFTH in a series makes me vaguely curious about the others, although I don't think it would matter what order you read them. Overall, this was good for unintentional fun, and a bit of literary schadefreud.
July 10, 2022
2.5 stars. this shit is wild.
November 13, 2021
Reads like an adult version of the Hardy Boys meets Kill List. The premise is far more thrilling than the execution though I did enjoy the writing quite a bit. I will be curious to read more in the series but they won’t be top priority by any means.
December 15, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's like a Hammer Horror film in written form. Occult detectives, curses, witches, etc. It's fun to read, and I enjoyed the writing. I will be looking for the other books in this series, hopefully they have some of the same merits.
June 10, 2018
This is a book I've had on my shelves for a while. I was in the mood for something short and fantasy-ish and plot-driven, so this was the right time to read it. While it didn't throw any surprises my way or blow me out of the water, it was a satisfying read filled with just the kind of dark, occult, Satanic, superstitious foggy Highlands atmosphere I like. It took me a few pages before I understood the time era in which the book took place (modern times... or modern to the 1968 reader), so I was confused for a bit when certain references broke my understanding of the setting. It has the same feel as many of the obscure horror films from the 60s and 70s dealing with similar subject matter, and feels right at home among examples of this genre, despite not quite being horror or fantasy.
According to the description for this book on Amazon:
"Peter Saxon" was a house name used by publishers for a line of horror novels, including the cult-classic series, The Guardians. This novel is one of six Guardians books, and the actual author of this one is reported to be Martin Thomas.
Huh. Interesting. Martin Thomas does a swell job of telling a swift and short story. Apparently there are other Guardians books (The Guardians being the 'heroes' in this book, who fight against occult and supernatural evil, with nothing but their wits and a fair understanding of esoteric things like hypnosis and other vaguely psychic tricks). I don't suppose I'll seek out the others, but this was enjoyable. The Guardians are given the appearance of having a complex relationship with one another that isn't fleshed out in this novel at all, so it makes sense that this is only part of a series. As with most books that are part of a non-chronological series, this does feel a bit vacant and short on development, due to it not being a 'full picture' deal, but rather a part of that picture.
According to the description for this book on Amazon:
"Peter Saxon" was a house name used by publishers for a line of horror novels, including the cult-classic series, The Guardians. This novel is one of six Guardians books, and the actual author of this one is reported to be Martin Thomas.
Huh. Interesting. Martin Thomas does a swell job of telling a swift and short story. Apparently there are other Guardians books (The Guardians being the 'heroes' in this book, who fight against occult and supernatural evil, with nothing but their wits and a fair understanding of esoteric things like hypnosis and other vaguely psychic tricks). I don't suppose I'll seek out the others, but this was enjoyable. The Guardians are given the appearance of having a complex relationship with one another that isn't fleshed out in this novel at all, so it makes sense that this is only part of a series. As with most books that are part of a non-chronological series, this does feel a bit vacant and short on development, due to it not being a 'full picture' deal, but rather a part of that picture.
July 1, 2024
One of the best of the Guardians books. In this novel, set in Scotland, a coven of modern witches and warlocks have set their sights on destroying the life of the Rathlaws, a beneficent Lord and family who flogged the warlock Fergus Trayle. A metaphysical battle for the lives of the Rathlaw's heir and young wife ensue, with the Guardians on one side, and the coven on the other.
March 8, 2025
For these guys to be Guardians of the earth against the occult, they are indeed pretty pathetic. They wouldn’t have lasted a day against a real threat. It was alright for a quick read, really. It had some cool events but overall the characters didn’t make much sense.
Also bought it for a few cents based on the cover alone, which was well worth it.
Also bought it for a few cents based on the cover alone, which was well worth it.
May 25, 2008
Just some bland 60s occult story. Not even all that fun to read. But at least it was quick.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews