Customer Reviews

Midwinter Of The Spirit

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me start by saying that I am a real fan of Phil Rickman--I think he writes better supernatural thrillers than anyone in the business, and it is a shame that he hasn't found a bigger audience in the U.S. However, I found Midwinter of the Spirit to be one of his weaker efforts. Granted, all of his usual strengths are displayed here. His characters are colorful and real, and the dialogue is richly idiosyncratic. Stylistically, he once again seems incapable of sounding a false note (and how many horror writers can one say that about?). The problem, as I see it, is in the structure. The book seems strangely "cinematic," in that Rickman has developed an infuriating habit of cutting to a new scene the moment he manages to build a bit of suspense, and thus momentum is always being lost. And even more important, the book is simply not as scary as most of his other books--there is nothing in this one that rivals the horrific thrills of say, Curfew, or Candlenight. There are two or three somewhat unsettling scenes (the attempted "deliverance" of Denzil Joy is a classic), but they are scattered far and wide, and divorced from any real narrative build, they do not have much of an impact. And finally, Rickman again commits the sin of which he is often guilty: too easily resolving the conflict that he has so laboriously built. So much is made of an impending church ceremony in which demonic forces might storm the portals and wreak havoc on earth, but when the ceremony finally arrives, the catastrophe is averted almost effortlessly: all it takes is the prayer of a dying priest and the unexpected kindness of a teenager. The effect of the quick and tidy resolution is that the evil seems to been overrated from the start, leaving this reader wondering why he spent so much time believing in it.
As I say, I admire Phil Rickman immensely, so I'm sure this book is just a bump in the road of his distinguished career. I'm reading A Crown of Lights right now, and I'm happy to say that it seems far more satisfying.

Phil Rickman is an author of British horror stories who has the ability to put together a 500-and-some page novel (with small print) without grinding down the reader. He does this without giving way to the temptation to spray everything with gore, and spends time building both interior and exterior structure and characterization. Even so, I approached Midwinter of the Spirit with some trepidation, because the central plot device, a female Episcopalian vicar turned church exorcist sounded a bit too sensationalist to me. Now that I've actually taken the time to read one of the Merrily Watkins stories I can honestly say that this is some of his best work.

Midwinter of the Spirit is the first of the exorcist novels (not counting the one that introduces Merrily as a vicar). After suffering through a visitation of her own, Merrily is offered the position of exorcist by the young bishop of Hereford (in modern times we don't call them exorcists, though - Merrily is a 'deliverance consultant'). After a short course in creatures of the night Merrily is thrust right into the middle of Hereford's occult world, hampered by her predecessor who is a misogynistic curate of the strictest kind. He doesn't hesitate to throw her into a confrontation that is over her head and from that point on we leap from crisis to crisis.

In addition to Merrily's issues within the church, her sixteen-year-old daughter has become determined to try out her own wings. Jane begins to dabble into exactly the kind of spiritualism that Merrily is expected to oppose. Lured into the world of the craft by a new friend, Jane's first steps trigger a series of events that quickly go beyond family spats. And in a third subplot, Moon, a somewhat spooky young archeologist with a history of instability moves into a barn haunted by her own past. She is intent on writing a history of the Neolithic culture that lies beneath modern Hereford. But somehow she finds herself trying to make a connection to her father's suicide - with disastrous results.

The publisher's description calls that the first 'spiritual-procedural' thriller, and that is very much what it is about. Far from being overdosing the reader with huge amounts of ritual magic, Rickman manages a deft mix of magic, the personal lives of some interesting people (Merrily is nothing like what you would expect a vicar to be), and a set of puzzles that read almost like a spy thriller. The blend is surprisingly believable despite a string of sacrifices, psychic events, and magical powers. I was delighted with the work, and am looking forward to the other volumes in the series.

I was introduced to Phil Rickman quite by chance several years back when he first produced Crybbe and was instantly hooked. The Welsh/English border is the perfect setting for his heady mix of celtic supernatural and modern new age characters. Existing in the twilight that is often so well depicted by James Herbert, he has produced, over the years, several linked tales that take you on the ancient paths of England's West Country invariably pulling fourteenth through seventeenth century tales of malice and horror to reemerge a sinister forces through the late twentieth century.
So it is with Midwinter of the Spirit. A tale woven around exorcism and possession, our main protagonist is the return of Reverend Merrily Watkins from the Wine of Angels, a single mother who is prepared to both acknowledge and involve herself with the practical nature of exorcism. A lack of assistance by the outgoing resident and a continuing troubled relationship with her daughter leads Merrily to join forces with Lol Robinson (who'll crop up in A Crown of Lights and The Cure of Souls - a rough quartet we wonder? Or, perhaps the emergence of Rickman's favoured sleuth?) to investigate and eventually confront an ancient evil at the heart of the Cathedral where the shrine of St Thomas was destroyed.
Rickman's works must rank him alongside James Herbert, and there are inevitable comparisons to King - though I think his work is of a different nature - and The Midwinter of the Spirit only confirms him as as established master of the supernatural thriller.

This book began for me, a fascinating journey through Phil Rickman's writing. The real strength of this book, and Phil Rickman's previous books, is that they stay totally believable, even as they take you on a journey into the depths of spooky rituals, mysterious deaths and dangerously creepy people.
Merrily Watkins is a normal, thirty-something single parent, who also happens to be an Anglican priest and diocesan exorcist. She is at once a believable and vulnerable hero, relying more on her wits than on any supernatural powers.
Exciting, intriguing, fascinating and scary - I loved it!

This is the second book of Rickman's Merrily Watkins... mystery? horror? crossover novels. Merrily Watkins is a vicar in a small town in England. And ends up becoming the first woman Exorcist Deliverance priest. Deliverance... Is that really a term the Church of England uses?

Anyway, in the first book Merrily confronts several ghosts/spirits and is tested terribly. In the second book, as the Deliverance Priest, she confronts even more horrific creatures (squatters etc). I confess, not being a Christian, I found a lot of the justification offered by many of the religious characters a bit trying - all the horror over Crowley for example who I've always thought to have been a seriously psychologically messed up kind of guy but hardly Evil.

But other than that, the mystery is the thing with Rickman. Trying to figure out who is behind what and why, even if you are able to guess part of the secret, there are layers beyond and below that level which twist the whole thing round.

Merrily I quite often want to kick in the butt. She's seriously lame at times, and far too easily terrified for my tastes. But her teenage daughter Jane is another story entirely. Jane is the rock who quite often holds her mother together when she needs assistance.

Another character of great interest is Lol Robinson, a former songwriter and band member who is, to put it kindly, a total psychological mess. But in Midwinter of the Spirit he begins to rise above his former mental patient excuses and actually begins to reach out and touch the world and the people around him.

The settings are very powerful and Rickman does a good job of setting a mood and striking horror without a lot (thank the Goddess) of needless bloodshed. These aren't slasher novels. They are psychological horror kinds of books and written far better than Stephen King can even imagine (obviously I'm not a King fan).

As I say, I winced quite a bit about prejudicial kinds of statements made in the book, and I have a lot of trouble imagining some great plot against the Christian Church by either the Devil or humans (as Jane says, the church is managing to kill itself off quite handily without any help from the outside). And Jane's resistance to the knee-jerk attitudes of some of the characters is helpful to me in dealing with what I find distasteful. But then the main characters aren't the ones assuming the worst about everyone so that helps too.

And, when you find out who the bad guy really is... well, it helps!

Merrily Watkins, a female vicar of the Church of England, is asked to take over the role of Deliverance Consultant, a position formerly known as Church Exorcist, in this atmospheric supernatural mystery. Merrily has a lot to contend with, including a worldly, but spiritually bankrupt Bishop who just happens to be her boss; and her predecessor, an old man forced out of the job who adamantly believes that Merrily, by virtue of her gender, is incapable of being Church Exorcist. Merrily also has a teenage daughter, Jane. While it is clear the two have a strong bond, Jane also has absolutely no respect for her mother's vocation. In fact, Jane believes the Church is the last place one could go to find genuine spirituality. One of the underlying themes of the book is the declining influence of the Church of England and its struggle to be seen as relevant in today's society.

One of the strengths of "Midwinter of the Spirit" is its characterizations. There are several other compelling and interesting characters I haven't even mentioned. There are also multiple storylines, which the author does a nice job of tying together. I do have to say, though, that if you are looking for chills and thrills, the book is a bit underwhelming in that department. The book builds to what is supposed to be a climactic confrontation in the cathedral, but that scene was a disappointment. I felt it lacked drama when the reader is led to assume something more exciting would happen then actually does. There were also two scenes towards the end of the book which ended in cliffhangers for two of the characters. Then, when those storylines were picked up again the crisis was over and the reader is merely told what occurred rather than having the events described as the characters actually lived them. I don't know if the author just wanted to wrap the book up without taking the time and trouble to actually write the scenes or what, but it was irritating and I felt somewhat cheated. Overall, though, I do recommend "Midwinter of the Spirit," especially for those interested in issues of faith and spirituality in the modern world.

Midwinter of the Spirit is about exorcism, sexism, and catholicism, and reveals the darker side of all three! Wow, this really is an exciting read! Phil Rickman is the master when it comes to spine chilling tension - and this book must surely be his pinacle! I heartily reccommend this to anyone who enjoys an addictive supernatural read with exciting twists to the tale! Imaginative story, wonderfully written and based upon truth!?

I think that this may be Rickman's best since December. A tightly woven story with a delightful cast of charactors. And what an ending! I was riveted. Merrily's first official "deliverance" is so horrible that it's wonderful. And in the end, you're literally hoping that the lights won't go out. Rickman's writing is tight and eloquent. He manages to walk the line between charactor and action with ease, something few authors can do. I can't wait to read the next one.

I was impressed by Phil Rickman's writing style and the way he created a sharp sense of time and place for this novel. The plot was good but I think the suspense was weak. I think this novel is more of a mystery rather than a thriller, a real story rather than a fantasy. The characters were interesting enough, but there was an abundance of characters which I found to be a bit confusing. I do not believe the characters were stereotypical; they were realistic with very unique and captivating personalities. Quite frankly, it is the characters who made the story interesting, not the plot. The cover states that it's about exorcism, but no such thing occurs in the story, atleast not of any importance. It is simply about the corruption of the church of England and about strange ideas affecting the younger generation beliefs. It carries a few surprises but will require patience to read.

This is the second book in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series. These excellent books should really be better known in the United States, as they are hard to get here and it would be wonderful if the entire series were reprinted in U.S. editions. They may be found, mostly used, at Amazon, generally through Amazon's extensive links to the used booksellers.

Merrily Watkins was seen for the first time in THE WINE OF ANGELS. She is a widow in her mid-30s, with a teenaged daughter named Jane. Merrily found an interest in the Anglican Church late in her life, after she was already a mother and had studied law. In WINE OF ANGELS she has been given her first church in the village of Ledwardine in Herefordshire, and a home in the ancient rectory, next to the equally ancient church; both the rectory and the church turn out to have a resident restless spirit and Merrily's innate intuitive ability -- which she wants to deny -- makes her vulnerable. She does get through that experience and it strengthens her. Now, in MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT, she is becoming a Delvierance Consultant aka exorcist. The story begins with her at a training retreat. The time of the year is the onset of winter, and there is a bleakness, a coldness that pervades the atmosphere, inner and outer.

All of Rickman's books, and especially the Merrily books, have vivid characters and complex, layered plots. While Merrily becomes quickly immersed in her first cases, her daughter Jane -- who is a nascent pagan and even more psychic by nature than her mother -- has concerns of her own. Jane is a bit of a wild child, the direct opposite of her cautious, soft-spoken mother. Merrily's Deliverance office is at the Cathedral in Hereford, about 20 miles from her own church in Ledwardine and it soon becomes obvious that there are serious problems in the cathedral itself, revolving around and probably exacerbated by the reluctantly retiring exorcist, a man of the old school who does not take well to women priests, much less to a woman as exorcist; and none of the cathedral's Canons take well to the new bishop, who appointed Merrily. She has been set up, but in spite of that, an evil spirit is still involved and they all eventually learn to regret setting up this physically small woman of great heart and bravery. Likewise it seems, by the end of the book, Jane regrets the trouble, as well as a lack of support and understanding, she has given her mother.

Because there is more than one plot and they are all complex, it is impossible to do justice to any of the Merrily Watkins books in a review. These books should never be called "horror", as that is misleading. They are psychological approach to a supernatural subject, presented in such a way that the reader is encouraged to look at the matters concerned from every possible angle. They are also deeply thoughtful books that read like the best page-turners; the pacing keeps the complexity from bogging down, and the characters become fast friends about whom you will want to keep reading.