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The Witches #5
The Meeting
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 3, 2023
Published in 1985 (Darke is the pseudonym of prolific pulpy writer Laurence James, who was everywhere in the 70s & 80s), this features ex Civil War soldier John Ferris sailing to Virginia with his ‘ravishing gypsy’ wife Sarah. Unfortunately for him, his arch-enemy Robert Monk (the ‘brutal torturer and witchfinder’) he apparently left for dead in a previous book is also there, plying his trade. And Monk is after revenge.
I’ve known about this series for a long time (copies are difficult to find at a reasonable price) but this was my first and even though it’s five books in, it was easy to pick up what was going on. Billed on the cover as ‘a Sphere adult series’, this was quite violent and gruesome and a couple of the sex scenes were slightly hotter than I’d expected but, overall, it was a good, action orientated romp. Once you meet some supporting characters it’s fairly obvious what’s going to happen (we don’t see the Manson-like brutality but James describes it well when Ferris finds the victims) and there’s clever use of an albino character who might actually be magic. The central relationship between Ferris and the heavily pregnant Sarah is nicely built which just makes the ending more powerful than you’d expect. I really enjoyed this and will keep my eyes open for more. If you enjoy 70s & 80s horror paperbacks, you’ll probably love it. If you don’t well, then, I feel a bit sorry for you.
I’ve known about this series for a long time (copies are difficult to find at a reasonable price) but this was my first and even though it’s five books in, it was easy to pick up what was going on. Billed on the cover as ‘a Sphere adult series’, this was quite violent and gruesome and a couple of the sex scenes were slightly hotter than I’d expected but, overall, it was a good, action orientated romp. Once you meet some supporting characters it’s fairly obvious what’s going to happen (we don’t see the Manson-like brutality but James describes it well when Ferris finds the victims) and there’s clever use of an albino character who might actually be magic. The central relationship between Ferris and the heavily pregnant Sarah is nicely built which just makes the ending more powerful than you’d expect. I really enjoyed this and will keep my eyes open for more. If you enjoy 70s & 80s horror paperbacks, you’ll probably love it. If you don’t well, then, I feel a bit sorry for you.
April 18, 2013
Book 5 - John Ferris in the New World. Plot wise, a variation on Book 1. Introduces the albino, Andrew. But I think James could've gotten more mileage out of a new world setting - although set some 50 years before the Salem witch trials, the prospect of raving Puritans on Ferris's tail seems to have been a missed opportunity.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews