The Fergus

by Tori Grant Welhouse

In the mystical Highlands of Scotland, Rork, missing his beloved gran, wakes up with the ability to hear voices. And not just any voices. Fantastically Rork can hear voices of the dead, which lead him to a charismatic banshee and a colorful near-death survivor. The three are bound together in a time-tested banshee tradition with perhaps a side-goal or two. In the course of their adventures, they are pitched into an otherworld of before-death, after-death and in-between-death.

The Fergus will appeal to fans of ghost stories, parallel universes and life-not-being-how-it-always-seems as in the worlds created by Laini Taylor, Stephenie Meyer or Helene Wecker.

Genres: Young Adult

349 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2020

About the author

Tori Grant Welhouse is a poet and writer from Green Bay. Her most recent poetry chapbook Vaginas Need Air won Etching Press’s 2020 chapbook contest. Her YA paranormal fantasy The Fergus won Skyrocket Press's 2019 novel-writing contest and will be released Summer 2020. She is an active volunteer with Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. More at https://www.torigrantwelhouse.com/

Reviews

[Liliyana Shadowlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fergus is an engaging story. I'm not sure what I was expecting honestly. I never really got into the Twilight series like a lot of my friends, so I sort of thought this would be a nice read, but not something that would blow me away. Was I ever wrong! I was drawn in from the first place, and being a big fan of all things fae, I was practically screaming at Rory to be careful as he followed the call of the banshee. Highly recommend, for adults young and old.

[Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this YA fantasy novel set in the highlands of Scotland, Rork's beloved gran has died and his father wants to send him off to be an apprentice mason. Rork feels lost without his gran and he's starting to hear voices in his head that lead him to Boo, a banshee-in-training, who needs his help. She sends him and a minder, Deirdre, into the Shufftie. The Shufftie is land between the living and the dead and Rork and Deirdre must pass through several levels of ghosts. Welhouse's character's are likable but the storyline plods along with various pleasant and unpleasant ghost experiences and becomes this zen like journey for Rork, that I didn't find all that interesting and I don't know how many teens would enjoy it as well. Welhouse is a skilled writer but she needs a better story to tell.

[Sheri Koller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down!

[Nancy Malone Williquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, literary feast that follows one teenage boy Fergus grieving his gran and searching for connection. Set in Scotland and Shufftie. Author Tori writes with a paintbrush and palette.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored each chapter of "The Fergus" and didn't want it to end. In this novel Rork, the main character, seeks to reunite with his recently deceased grandmother in some "otherworldly" way. The connection to dreams and pondering the the possibilities of afterlife captivated me. Rork travels "mystically" and then uses his computer and technology skills to make connections with loved ones in the "other world". It read like like a cross between "A Wrinkle in Time" and Harry Potter as the plot reveals secrets between this world and the afterlife. As an accomplished poet, Grant-Welhouse's images and descriptions are poetic, vivid, and she is a master of exquisite vocabulary. She also injects humor throughout the novel that addresses a usually somber subject. I highly recommend this book for young adult and adult readers. This would be a great family "read aloud" book.