Review: What Evil Lurks by Mike Shackle
Blurb:
Meet Lord Jon Willem Legray, Witchfinder General to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First. Summoned to London to investigate the sightings of a flying witch, Legray soon finds himself in a fight with horrors beyond imagination. After all, it's never a good idea to stir a demons' nest.
Review:
Oh boy, this one will be a very short review compared to my usual rambling reviews. But that’s okay, due to this being a short read. I first heard of “What Evil Lurks” when Boe pinged me on Twitter (or X) saying my reading services were required (post here). Then I contacted Mike Shackle, got a copy of the short story, and waited around until I was flying to the states, and I had a bunch of layovers. Lo and behold, 15 minutes after opening this novel on a flight, I set down my phone, looked about, and was happy with the historical fiction I had just read.
If I had to entice you to pick up “What Evil Lurks”, I’d give you this snippet:
“Jon Willem Legray. Witchfinder General to Queen Elizabeth the 1st. Just doing a routine job, until he stumbles upon something grand. Care to know more?”
It doesn’t really explain what’s going on, and so I’ll try to illuminate that here without spoilers as far as possible.
First of all, we have Jon Willem Legray. He’s been in service of the queen for quite some time, with the legendary blade of Saint George, and dislikes the smell of London. But he goes where the Queen wills him to go, with glee does he remove demons and witches and other sorts of evil from the world. But the day this book takes place, no ordinary evil lurks about.
Which brings us to the second part, the plot of the book. He finds evil, tracks it, slays it and a few other creatures of the night, and then goes on to say that it’s just the beginning, which of course, it is. There’s 11 more short stories coming out.
After that, the magic within “What Evil Lurks”. Shackle has taken all the classical sorts of magic you’d expect from London 400-500 years ago, and spun it into the fabric of this tale. Holy magic within the blade of Saint George. Dark and sinister magic from the witches, demons and ghosts.
Finally, the concept of it. I like historical fiction, it’s fun. However, I’ve not yet read a collection of short stories, which is essentially what “What Evil Lurks” is setting off, with historical fiction in mind, and I’ve rarely tumbled onto a book with London as a central point in the historical fiction genre. Safe to say, I’ll be checking in from time to time to see how this series progresses.
If I had anything negative to say about this book is that it could be a bit longer, with perhaps a rambling monologue from more than just the house demon, the witchfinder general wondering whether it would be a good idea to let all his men go into the basement together or keep some up above. It felt too convenient to end it the way it ended.
If you like historical fiction with demons and magic, and would like to read it episodically, “What Evil Lurks” is for you.
As always, thank you for reading this review, even if it is a bit shorter than my usual ones, and I hope I’ve helped nudge you towards your next read. However, if not, there’re a lot of reviews here for many different novels and short stories. If you’re interested in some dragons and giant eagles, Joseph John Lee has a review for L.R. Shulz’s novella, “Eagles Fall'' here, and Indyman has a review for John C. Foster’s novel, “Hate House” over here. I’m intrigued in both after reading those reviews.
Wherever you are reading this, have a good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
