eBook by Cavan Scott
Cover by Guillem H. Pongiluppi
Illustrations by Patrick Zircher
From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures
Spoilers! Spoilers!
Solomon Kane is returning home to Devonshire, the Puritan hears laughter upon the moor.
Green Hart tavern in Challaton Worthy (near Brambleheath).
Solomon meets Henry Worle (a local woodcutter) who is wearing a charm made of rowan (a Faerie tree and a protection against pixy magic).
Marcus Brampton and Gerald stumble into the tavern, victims of a sprite (fairies) attack. Little Masie Wilkins was left behind.
Kane and Worle enter Whist Wood, they rescue Masie from a swarm of laughing pixies/Strikkan.
Kane and Worle find the Fairyland gateway (a Whitethorn/Hawthorn and a Blackthorn/Sloe with their thorns tangled together).
Solomon starts cutting down the Whitethorn, the Strikkan assail Kane and strip him of his axe and weapons and take Worle away.
Kane is pulled into the portal. In the realm of the Strikkan, Solomon sees a mammoth dire wolf fighting the Strikkan. Kane destroys the tangled branches of the two thorns with his cat-headed ju-ju stave, the Fairy trees part and the gateway closes.
The wolf jumps on Kane and impales itself on Solomon's stave, the wolf turns into Henry Worle.
For cutting a Blackthorn tree on May Day/Beltane, the Faes had turned Worle into a werewolf.
Kane puts Henry out of his misery.
What I did like:
Mythical creatures: Hobs, Wisht Hounds and spunkies also mentioned.
Augustine of Canterbury mentioned.
The Staff of Solomon appears and it is spectacular!
N'Longa, the fan favourite African shaman gets mentioned.
I give it a 9/10. Nicely researched! Cavan Scott knows his stuff! Folklore fans will appreciate this tale.
