Watchers: The Coming of the King [Paperback]

William Meikle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

The old wall is a border: England and Scotland, South and North, light and darkness.

It is 1745, and the long-awaited night as come. The Bloodking calls his army to battle, and armed with the powers of the undead and the damned, he will bring them South to claim his birthright: The throne of Britain.

Only the old Watchers on the wall stand in his way. They, their swords, and their faith. But too much time has passed and the Watch has grown slack and ill-prepared for the coming war. Only Martin and Sean have seen the horrors that lie ahead for humankind. Only they have the power to stop it.

Now, two young officers of the Watch have a duty to perform:

Stop the Bloodking.

Or die trying.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...horrifying Highland vampires from the bloodline of the diabolical Stuarts. This first novel...offers excitement that never slackens." -- Margaret L. Carter, author of the Eppie Award-winning vampire novel DARK CHANGELING

"...superb story. Thoroughly enjoyable from the first word to the last. William Meikle has a wonderfully unique style..." -- The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

"Breathtaking, Scary and Original. A must read. An impressive blend of horror, history and imagination." -- Dave Dreher, Horror News Network

"I was captivated from the very first scene...Very well written." -- Patricia Altner, author of Vampire Readings: An Annotated Bibliography (Scarecrow Press, 1998)

From the Publisher

From the author of Island Life and The Johnson Amulet and Other Scottish Terrors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: KHP Publisher (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967922046
• ISBN-13: 978-0967922041
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,389,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm Willie, a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries, the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others. My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies.

My current best seller is THE INVASION, a sci-fi alien invasion tale with mass carnage, plucky survivors, and last minute rescues. It has been as high as #2 in the Kindle > science fiction charts. (and #4 in Kindle > horror ). Please check it out.

I've been asked many times why I write what I do. I choose to write mainly at the pulpy end of the market, populating my stories with monsters, myths, men who like a drink and a smoke, and more monsters. People who like this sort of thing like it.

I've also been criticised for it by people who don't get it. Willie Meikle is..."the author of the most cliched, derivative drivel imaginable...the critical acclaim he receives from his peers is virtually non-existent." is only one of the responses I've had.

Now, I don't write for the critical acclaim of my peers. I couldn't give a toss what other writers think of me. I'm writing for two reasons... myself and a readership. Posterity, if there is one, can decide on whether it's any good or not. Besides, the harder I work at it making my writing accessible, the more readers I get, so I'm doing something right.

But that's still not why I do it. My pat answer has always been the same. "I like monsters."

But it goes deeper than that.

I write to escape.

I grew up on a West of Scotland council estate in a town where you were either unemployed or working in the steelworks, and sometimes both. Many of the townspeople led hard, miserable lifes of quiet, and sometimes not so quiet desperation. I was relatively lucky in that both my parents worked, but I spent a lot of time alone or at my grandparent's house.

My Granddad was housebound, and a voracious reader. I got the habit from him, and through him I discovered the Pan Books of Horror and Lovecraft, but I also discovered westerns, science fiction, war novels and the likes of Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Alistair MacLean, Dennis Wheatley, Nigel Tranter, Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov. When you mix all that together with DC Comics, Tarzan, Gerry Anderson and Dr Who then, later on, Hammer and Universal movies on the BBC, you can see how the pulp became embedded in my psyche.

When I was at school these books and my guitar were all that kept me sane in a town that was going downhill fast. The steelworks shut and employment got worse. I -could- have started writing about that, but why bother? All I had to do was walk outside and I'd get it slapped in my face. That horror was all too real.

So I took up my pen and wrote. At first it was song lyrics, designed (mostly unsuccessfully) to get me closer to girls.

I tried my hand at a few short stories but had no confidence in them and hid them away. And that was that for many years.

I didn't get the urge again until I was past thirty and trapped in a very boring job. My home town had continued to stagnate and, unless I wanted to spend my whole life drinking (something I was actively considering at the time), returning there wasn't an option.

As I said before, I write to escape.

My brain needed something, and writing gave it what was required. That point, back nearly twenty years ago, was like switching on an engine, one that has been running steadily ever since.

And most of the time, the things that engine chooses to give me to write are very pulpy.

I think you have to have grown up with pulp to -get- it. A lot of writers have been told that pulp=bad plotting and that you have to have deep psychological insight in your work for it to be valid. They've also been told that pulp=bad writing, and they believe it. Whereas I remember the joy I got from early Moorcock, from Mickey Spillane and further back, A E Merritt and H Rider Haggard. I'd love to have a chance to write a Tarzan, John Carter, Allan Quartermain, Mike Hammer or Conan novel, whereas a lot of writers I know would sniff and turn their noses up at the very thought of it.

I write to escape.

I haven't managed it yet, but I'm working on it

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Muskets and Fangs!, August 21, 2003

By 

"urthfireair" (St. Louis Park, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watchers: The Coming of the King (Paperback)

Review by David Wilbanks

In the eighteenth century, the wall that divides Scotland and England is guarded by the Watchers, men trained to fight the Others (vampires) and their human slaves. The Watchers are sworn to protect England should the Bloodking gather his vampire army and invade from the north, and that's just what happens in this novel by William Meikle.

What are the Bloodking and his undead army after? The British throne.

These are the adventures of Martin and Sean, two officers of the Watch.

Martin's father is the Thane, Keeper of Milecastle, leader of the Watch, who reluctantly sends his son on a journey into the Scottish wilderness, along with a barbarian named Campbell from same, to spy on the Bloodking's activities.

Meanwhile, Martin's dear friend Sean is sent south into England, along with Campbell's daughter, on his own dangerous mission where on many occasions, he must kill or be killed.

Adventure. Dark Fantasy. Horror. Call it what you'd like, but if you have a taste for swashbuckling tales, then you should enjoy WATCHERS: The Coming of the King; there is plenty of horror, gore and heroism here to be savored as the two young men are challenged by danger upon danger. The author, in the endnotes, compares the work to a Hammer horror movie. Personally, I can't speak to that, but maybe you who read this will know what he means. Horrific sword and sorcery anyone?

This is the first book in a trilogy, so there's plenty more to come for you bloodthirsty sorts.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Dark Fantasy Novel, March 28, 2004

By 

CreepyT "CreepyTendencies" (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Watchers: The Coming of the King (Paperback)

Watchers is set in 1745 on the borderlands of England and Scotland. The Watchers are a group of people sworn to protect England from the Bloodking and his vampiric horde, known as the Others. The Bloodking seeks the throne, as well as the continuation of the bloodline, and will not stop until he achieves his goals. Will the Watchers of the wall be able to hold back the vampiric horde when the time comes and keep England from it's seemingly dark fate?

The book is centered mostly on two specific characters, and follows each of their journeys in turn. Sean and Martin are both men of the Watch who end up with large quests to accomplish after hearing news of the return of the Bloodking. Martin is to accompany the Scottish newsbearer to the North to gather more information regarding the growing horde, while Sean is to go south to protect a secret few people, including the Bloodking, know about. They must complete their assigned tasks and return to help fend off the blood thirsty Boy-King before it is too late.

Once I began reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Anyone who is a fan of epic dark fantasy novels with a historic twist will love this series. Those of you who are fans of Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, and Tolkien will most likely enjoy this series as well. Meikle intertwines mythology, vampire lore, and history together so masterfully that fans of the horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and historic fiction genres would all find this short series appealing. The book makes for a quick, simple, fun read that will have you turning page after page to find out what happens next, and then ends with a great cliff-hanger that will leave you desiring the second installment. I highly recommend this trilogy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Others are coming..., March 20, 2003

By 

Gary Nicklin (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watchers: The Coming of the King (Paperback)

If the concept of a hoard of Royalist vampires attacking from Scotland and trying to reclaim the English crown sounds a bit corny, don't worry - it really works.

William Meikle has managed to forge a dark and compelling story by taking some exciting British history and his own brand of vampire story telling and then giving them a good mix.

The story introduces us to Martin and Sean, two soldiers of the Hadrian's Wall watch who are tasked with looking after a traveller and his daughter who arrive from the north.

Between them, their stories introduce the reader to the history of the Others and how they plan to retake the throne.

As the first part of a trilogy, it sets the scene perfectly for the remainder of the series - and I, for one, can't wait for the next book.