Entertaining look at the effects of Brexit on a remote village and some genuinely comical folk horror!
Martyn Waites new series, of which this is the first novel, is apparently “Brexit noir crossed with ‘The Wicker Man’ movie” and offers a glimpse into the landscape in the wake of the country’s decision to leave the European Union. The Old Religion explores some of ramifications in the fictional West Country village of St Petroc, formerly so reliant on the EU subsides to keep farming viable and enable their livelihoods and now resorting to more drastic measures to halt the decline of the village and restore prosperity. On the shortlist for the proposed development of a marina, a determined and malevolent presence looms in the village, intent on harnessing the uncertainty and frustrations of the locals and gaining leverage over each of them in order to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the “old ways” restore St Petroc to its former glory...
For Northern city boy, Tom Killgannon, the Cornish village of St Petroc offers an escape from his dark past as an ex-undercover cop and the violent gangs on his trail. Now placed in the Witness Protection Programme and coming to terms with his situation he is carving out a mundane and anonymous existence as a barman in the local pub whilst he works through his issues with a therapist. The remote village out of season makes for a bleak and depressing backdrop but working in the Sail Makers pub, Tom is ideally placed to see what makes the community tick. Together with regulars in eccentric barroom philosopher, Pirate John, and simpering retired history teachers, Emlyn and Isobel, Tom slowly gauges the lie of the land. The hosting of the Round Table meetings are however the real draw for the pub, with the local businessmen and figureheads of the community plotting to halt the decline of the village and increasingly coming to view the potential development of a marina as critical in ensuring their futures and livelihoods. The days of organising summer fetes and pleasant village festivities are long over for this crowd!
What Tom doesn’t need to be faced with is a seventeen-year-old runaway scared out her wits and professing knowledge as to the disappearance of a missing university student who has disappeared nearby. That, however, is what he gets when he returns home from work one night to find Lila, previously one of the traveller commune, in his cottage. When she flees with his coat and wallet containing all of the elements necessary for maintaining his Tom Killgannon identity she singlehandedly jeopardises all his efforts at evading his ruthless pursuers. Focused on retrieving his identification, Tom’s initial inquiries at the commune are met with open hostility and suspicion and he finds himself becoming increasingly concerned for Lila’s safety, leading him to believe that there is something far more sinister in her brief and garbled mention of Noah, Kai, a missing student and “the Morrigan”.. Haunted by his sense of culpability in another’s young woman’s death together with the necessity to secure his identification, Tom ruffles more feathers with some choice remarks hinting that he knows what the commune have been up to regarding the missing student and doing the bidding off the malevolent and powerful Morrigan.
As the locals begin to give him a wide berth and Noah and Kai seem intent on putting a stop to his questions, even the normally garrulous Pirate John, the only near friendly local, clams up and becomes jittery. The narrative turns by stages through multiple glimpses into village life and reveals the fate of some of the locals and their decidedly sticky endings, supposedly evidence of Morrigan’s dark arts as opposed to very conveniently timed murder. With the marina decision due to be made in the forthcoming days, ensuring that St Petroc is the successful bidder takes on an added impetus with the final preparations due to take place as the St Petroc version of Stonehenge with its stone circle and dubious sacrificial altar ahead of an ultimate sacrifice.
Part of the narrative also focuses on missing student, Kyle Tanner, his captivity in a disused ex-tin mine and his dawning realisation that his life is doomed, together with his parents tearful press conferences that conveys their utter devastation. Alongside this is Lila’s risky journey as she tries to sell Tom’s identification and falls into the hands of a bunch of a callous drug dealers in Newquay. The character of Tom is well-realised and his unassuming nature and easy manner make for an engaging lead character. The specifics as to the actual events of Tom’s past are held back until the later stages of the novel to coincide with a full understanding of his tenacious hunt for Lila and concern for her safety. Lila too is also well-drawn, full of sharp edges and slow to trust, and Martyn Waites offers his readers a look into the horrific home life which drove her away and her own sense of guilt for unwittingly luring the student.
The timeframe is disappointingly vague however and aside from the Morrigan mass hysteria which had clearly been whipped up in the aftermath of Brexit I would have appreciated having an actual timeline of Tom and Lila’s exploits which might have added a sense of urgency to the novel together with an idea as to the size of the St Petroc population. A local police presence actively canvassing the Newquay surroundings for the missing university student would have added credibility too but as it is the only local police officer in evidence is Tom’s official liaison, PC Rachel Bellfair, who seems altogether busier with seduction. Numerous questions abound, not least why someone placed in the Witness Protection Programme and seeking anonymity would be relocated to a remote village where outsiders stick out like a sore thumb. I was also perturbed as to why the locals, so reluctant to welcome outsider, Tom, would want to be flooded with the new blood that the marina would obviously bring, the majority of whom would likely view the ‘old ways’ and the crow-warnings of Morrigan with sheer derision.
The Old Religion is entertaining enough with its punchy chapters alternating between characters keeping the action unfolding and whilst I felt that the premise had potential, the actual plot is all a tad flimsy. Atmospheric on outset this soon gives way to a more tongue in cheek feel as the idea of a menacing gangster running around a remote village with a population the size of a handful in a quest to instil a reverence and fear in the locals and inspire a return to the “old ways” is pretty deluded. Personally I find the likelihood of any adult with an iota of common sense being drawn into such a scheme difficult to envisage. I retain serious scepticism about to the likelihood of paganism and witchcraft actually managing to take a firm hold amongst the entire population of such a community in the twenty-first century especially. The very fact that the novel becomes increasingly far-fetched dispels any pretensions of being dark and menacing, however a laughably comical denouement is the ultimate reward for perseverance!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
For Northern city boy, Tom Killgannon, the Cornish village of St Petroc offers an escape from his dark past as an ex-undercover cop and the violent gangs on his trail. Now placed in the Witness Protection Programme and coming to terms with his situation he is carving out a mundane and anonymous existence as a barman in the local pub whilst he works through his issues with a therapist. The remote village out of season makes for a bleak and depressing backdrop but working in the Sail Makers pub, Tom is ideally placed to see what makes the community tick. Together with regulars in eccentric barroom philosopher, Pirate John, and simpering retired history teachers, Emlyn and Isobel, Tom slowly gauges the lie of the land. The hosting of the Round Table meetings are however the real draw for the pub, with the local businessmen and figureheads of the community plotting to halt the decline of the village and increasingly coming to view the potential development of a marina as critical in ensuring their futures and livelihoods. The days of organising summer fetes and pleasant village festivities are long over for this crowd!
What Tom doesn’t need to be faced with is a seventeen-year-old runaway scared out her wits and professing knowledge as to the disappearance of a missing university student who has disappeared nearby. That, however, is what he gets when he returns home from work one night to find Lila, previously one of the traveller commune, in his cottage. When she flees with his coat and wallet containing all of the elements necessary for maintaining his Tom Killgannon identity she singlehandedly jeopardises all his efforts at evading his ruthless pursuers. Focused on retrieving his identification, Tom’s initial inquiries at the commune are met with open hostility and suspicion and he finds himself becoming increasingly concerned for Lila’s safety, leading him to believe that there is something far more sinister in her brief and garbled mention of Noah, Kai, a missing student and “the Morrigan”.. Haunted by his sense of culpability in another’s young woman’s death together with the necessity to secure his identification, Tom ruffles more feathers with some choice remarks hinting that he knows what the commune have been up to regarding the missing student and doing the bidding off the malevolent and powerful Morrigan.
As the locals begin to give him a wide berth and Noah and Kai seem intent on putting a stop to his questions, even the normally garrulous Pirate John, the only near friendly local, clams up and becomes jittery. The narrative turns by stages through multiple glimpses into village life and reveals the fate of some of the locals and their decidedly sticky endings, supposedly evidence of Morrigan’s dark arts as opposed to very conveniently timed murder. With the marina decision due to be made in the forthcoming days, ensuring that St Petroc is the successful bidder takes on an added impetus with the final preparations due to take place as the St Petroc version of Stonehenge with its stone circle and dubious sacrificial altar ahead of an ultimate sacrifice.
Part of the narrative also focuses on missing student, Kyle Tanner, his captivity in a disused ex-tin mine and his dawning realisation that his life is doomed, together with his parents tearful press conferences that conveys their utter devastation. Alongside this is Lila’s risky journey as she tries to sell Tom’s identification and falls into the hands of a bunch of a callous drug dealers in Newquay. The character of Tom is well-realised and his unassuming nature and easy manner make for an engaging lead character. The specifics as to the actual events of Tom’s past are held back until the later stages of the novel to coincide with a full understanding of his tenacious hunt for Lila and concern for her safety. Lila too is also well-drawn, full of sharp edges and slow to trust, and Martyn Waites offers his readers a look into the horrific home life which drove her away and her own sense of guilt for unwittingly luring the student.
The timeframe is disappointingly vague however and aside from the Morrigan mass hysteria which had clearly been whipped up in the aftermath of Brexit I would have appreciated having an actual timeline of Tom and Lila’s exploits which might have added a sense of urgency to the novel together with an idea as to the size of the St Petroc population. A local police presence actively canvassing the Newquay surroundings for the missing university student would have added credibility too but as it is the only local police officer in evidence is Tom’s official liaison, PC Rachel Bellfair, who seems altogether busier with seduction. Numerous questions abound, not least why someone placed in the Witness Protection Programme and seeking anonymity would be relocated to a remote village where outsiders stick out like a sore thumb. I was also perturbed as to why the locals, so reluctant to welcome outsider, Tom, would want to be flooded with the new blood that the marina would obviously bring, the majority of whom would likely view the ‘old ways’ and the crow-warnings of Morrigan with sheer derision.
The Old Religion is entertaining enough with its punchy chapters alternating between characters keeping the action unfolding and whilst I felt that the premise had potential, the actual plot is all a tad flimsy. Atmospheric on outset this soon gives way to a more tongue in cheek feel as the idea of a menacing gangster running around a remote village with a population the size of a handful in a quest to instil a reverence and fear in the locals and inspire a return to the “old ways” is pretty deluded. Personally I find the likelihood of any adult with an iota of common sense being drawn into such a scheme difficult to envisage. I retain serious scepticism about to the likelihood of paganism and witchcraft actually managing to take a firm hold amongst the entire population of such a community in the twenty-first century especially. The very fact that the novel becomes increasingly far-fetched dispels any pretensions of being dark and menacing, however a laughably comical denouement is the ultimate reward for perseverance!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.