Witchfinder The Mark of the Beast

Ruane the Witchfinder #1

by Brian Ball

Something goes drastically wrong at a séance, and suddenly Alan's wife Janice experiences a major personality change. These are signs that her husband just can't ignore: the strange new mark on her hand, the naked wanderings in moonlight, the blood stains on her clothes, not to mention the strange company she now keeps. Alan turns to an ex-Roman Catholic priest, Ruane, a man drained of self-respect, a drunkard, a reject--but the only one who seems to understand what's going on--and how to deal with it. Together they must confront the Evil from Beyond. A top-ranked horror novel by a master of the genre, now republished for the first time in almost four decades.

Genres: Horror

156 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

UK author (Also writes as Brian N. Ball.), until 1965 a teacher and lecturer, subsequently freelance, who began publishing sf with "The Pioneer" for New Worlds in February 1962, soon after editing a juvenile anthology, Tales of Science Fiction (anth 1964). His first novel, Sundog (1965), is one of his better books, in which – though restricted by incomprehensible and uncomprehending Aliens to the solar system and by itself to a rigidly policed Dystopia, – mankind transcends its limitations. The trigger factor is the simple-seeming Spaceship pilot Dod, who slowly discovers himself to be a rather more formidable Scientist who was subjected to "blocking" (see Memory Edit) when his researches frightened the regime.
There followed a projected five-book sequence involving an ancient Galactic Federation, its relics, Time Travel, and rebirth: Timepiece (1968), Timepivot (1970) and Timepit (1971). A second series, The Probability Man (1972) and Planet Probability (1973), follows the exploits of Frame-Director Spingarn in his heterodox construction of reality-spaces (frames) for the delectation (and voluntary destruction) of billions of bored citizens. Singletons include Night of the Robots (April 1965 Science Fantasy #71 as "The Excursion"; exp rev 1972; vt The Regiments of Night 1972), in which assorted visitors to a Ruined Earth inadvertently waken an ancient AI-controlled military installation. Though he sometimes aspires to the more metaphysical side of the sf tropes he utilizes, Ball's style tends to reduce these implications to routine action-adventure plots, competently executed.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is quite spectacular but the story couldn't completely compete with it. Alan's wife Janice seems to be changed after a seance, possessed in a certain way. A colleague of her dies, the medium in the seance suffers from severe health problems and a local priest is seduced by two women in the church. Can this evil demon obviously seeking Janice's soul be overcome? What is Rouane's role, an ex-priest and alcoholic? Somehow a fast, eerie and entertaining read but I missed the details in certain scenes. The horror was a bit too superficial overall. Nevertheless a recommended classic!

[Mark H]

The 2009 Linford Mystery Library reprint claims to be ‘complete and unabridged’, but I seriously doubt that.