Gothic horror novel written by Catriona Ward and published by Tor Nightfire in 2022.
Here is Altnaharra, a remote, desolate castle on the storm-battered coast of Scotland in the early days of the 1920s. Arranged in a star in the courtyard are five bodies. All are wearing white robes. Each is missing their right eye. Only one, Dinah, is alive.
Let's move back a few years. In Altnaharra live loyal Dinah, silent, childlike Elizabeth, careful Alice, Abel, the lone boy, Nora, desperate for a child of her own, mystically gifted Evelyn, and Uncle. Uncle is their wise leader. He protects them, he guides them, he disciplines them, he feeds them. He prepares them for what will occur -- the end of the world, when the Adder will come from the sea, wipe away the impure world, and allow his chosen servants to dwell forever in the ocean with him.
They are disliked by the people in the nearby village of Loyal, distrusted because of the way they live, and feared for the powers they seem to possess. When a horrifying murder occurs, a police detective comes and puts the small cult in jeopardy. They withdraw to the castle, and Evelyn's powers grow more impressive. She is granted the right to travel away, to tell the fortunes of the impure of Inverness, and to make money that can be used to keep the small family of Altnaharra alive and relatively prosperous. But in the end, all secrets must be revealed, and all fates, no matter how dark, must come to pass.
Such a beautiful book. The tale is crusted over with the rock and salt and blood of its impoverished and unforgiving Scottish coastal setting, building a classic gothic locale for the unfolding tale of horror.
And all the characters, from the members of the cult to the townspeople of Loyal to the police inspector, are given the detail and empathy they need to make sure they turn into people the reader can love -- and mourn, when their inevitable tragedies come to pass.
The plot has plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing at the many mysteries. What brought about the end of the cult? Who murdered the schoolteacher? What happened to Alice? What happened to Abel? Why does Elizabeth never speak? Is the Adder real? Are Evelyn's powers real? Why were there so many strange discrepancies at the inquest? Who is Evelyn? Who is Dinah?
Do you love gothic horror? Do you love mysteries and tragedies? Do you love tales that creep under your skin and never let you forget them? This is a book you will love reading.
horrorquest