Monthly Archives: March 2015

Critical Mass – Don D’Amassa

The Witch at Sparrow Creek by Josh Kent, Hippocampus, 2015, $20, ISBN 978-1-61498-123-7

This debut novel appears to be the first in a planned series about Jim Falk, who battles evil, mostly of the supernatural variety. The setting is an imaginary world that bears considerable resemblance to colonial America. Falk’s father was taken from him by agents of Old Bendy when he was just a boy because he had been trying to rid the land of various evils, and now Jim is filling in for him. Those evils include some very nasty gentlemen, a powerful witch, and mysterious forest creatures. He has few allies (and not all of them are human) with which to wage his private war. The plot is pretty good and reminded me at times of some of the later work of Manly Wade Wellman. The violence is somewhat subdued and there is a good element of mystery.  The prose is only rarely a bit awkward and a few scenes are a bit too long for their content, but overall this was nicely done. 3/26/15

“The Witch at Sparrow Creek is a scintillating novel—filled with lovingly drawn characters, a profound sense of place, and an abundance of supernatural terrors that will leave every reader enthralled. It is one of the finest first novels that the field of weird fiction has seen in many years.” —S. T. Joshi

“The Witch at Sparrow Creek is is a resurrection of the genre, pulling those of us who care about such things back to a better time when these novels meant something — and, it helps to usher in a new generation of fans who will soon find themselves enthralled with this small, almost fictional town and its too real people. In Kent’s debut novel, we are introduced to not only resonating horror  but to a long and promising career for the author.” — Joel L. Watts, author