About the Book:
Fate: Tales of History, Mystery and Magic
If you had a crystal ball to predict what lay ahead, would you be tempted to use it? Or would you leave the future to the turn of Fate?
Tales of Variety. Tales of History, Mystery and Magic – some comprising just one of these popular fiction genres, others, a mild mixture of all three.Perhaps you prefer historical fiction rather than a story about magic or fantasy? Maybe you enjoy exploring new themes or prefer sticking to the familiar? Historical fiction can often inform, imparting knowledge of the past, of its events and its people. Stories of mystery exercise the ‘little grey cells’ as Poirot would say, while fantasy and magic create new worlds and awed wonder.
Whatever result, this is where anthologies come into their own, and where short stories are often appreciated as enjoyable, entertaining, quick or easy reads shown through the eyes of a variety of extraordinary characters and situations. In this instance: an Anglo-Saxon woman facing the consequence of conquest, the pursuit of alchemy, the concern of a mother for her daughter, the shifting of time, the necessity of hidden identity, souls who will linger as ghosts, a warning from the supernatural, the necessity for (justifiable?) revenge. All mingled with the rekindling of romance through a mutual quest, and the preparations for a Cotswold village celebration. (Along with a good tip if illicitly snaffling cakes.
The binding theme? Destiny... Kismet... FATE!Published 2025 ✧ Annie Whitehead ✧ Taw River Press ✧ KU Loan
Review:
Annie Whitehead's "Bramble Creep," the first story in the Fate: Tales of History, Mystery and Magic anthology, is set in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings. The story focuses not on soldiers or kings, but on the noncombatants left scrambling for survival as blood cooled on the battlefield.
The alternating first-person narration lends the piece an intriguing if uneven generational contrast. Kata is emotionally remote, but dutiful, steady, and composed as the world fractures around her. Oma, on the other hand, is sharp and commanding despite her advanced age and fragile bones. The story favors Kata's quiet observations and earnest practicality, but it is Oma's indomitable presence that gifts the narrative vitality and strength.
Whitehead's illustration of the cyclical nature of history in "Bramble Creep" is noteworthy. References to the violence of the St. Brice's Day Massacre and Sweyn Forkbeard's invasions demonstrate a pattern that deepens the historical scope of this modest piece. Oma, as a survivor of all these events, becomes a living thread, a keeper of memory that carries the emotional scars and cultural weight of forced endurance and fortitude.
Although unrelated, "Bramble Creep" complements Eliza Redgold's "The Needle Can Mend," a short piece that appears in the alternative history anthology 1066 Turned Upside Down. Both works center on women navigating the aftermath of Hastings and engaging in subtle yet potent acts of resistance to domination and oppression.
