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 ✧ Helen Hollick ✧ Taw River Press ✧ KU Loan
Review:
Helen Hollick's "In the Shadow of Ghosts," the fourth installment in the Fate: Tales of History, Mystery, and Magic anthology, is a moody foray into the First English Civil War. Set in North Devon amid the final days of Royalist resistance, the story follows Richard Tremayne, a battle-weary soldier in the service of the king.
Rooted in the grime and grit of wartime Britain, Hollick brings the smoke, uncertainty, and weight of a dwindling campaign into focus. The author's passion for the era is evident, and it is easy to fall into the landscape of the piece.
That strong sense of development, however, doesn't extend to the cast. Though central to the story, Tremayne is a distant narrator who never quite jumps from the page. There is much to admire in Hollick's illustration of his soldiering - the physical hardship, the waning morale, the relentless threat of death - but this dedication to detail does little to enliven the human element of the vignette.
When all is said and done, I wish there were more to "In the Shadow of Ghosts". As is, these pages left a vague and incomplete impression, as if they were meant to be part of a larger narrative.
