Ghostlord

Meg is fed-up. Her mother has taken a new job and they are moving out of London to the back of beyond as far as Meg is concerned. But who or what was the vixen that appeared on the balcony? What about the belt with the dagger now safely hidden in Meg’s case? Who is the child she can hear calling for help in the garden? And the small black box with the wooden horse and black obsidian stone inside that she unearths in the garden? Suddenly Meg discovers she walks on the boundary between the everyday and the magical; that she, herself, possesses magical powers – and she is now at the heart of the age-old battle to preserve the balance of the world. But who are her friends? Who is the enemy?

This is an interesting, immersive fantasy. Womack is not afraid to bring magic into the contemporary world. He looks for inspiration not to classical myth, but rather to the dark stories that belong to Britain but with a difference. We are not drawn into the world of Faerie that is a familiar setting, rather we meet the Samdhya, who, while not the Wild Hunt, clearly draw inspiration from it, riding as they do across the sky on magical horses, and though tasked with keeping the balance of the world, could draw one into an enchanted existence. Then there are the Crypta – the tunnels through which Meg has the power to travel, taking her across time and space. The reader is teased with echoes of the ley lines, perhaps, that cross the countryside, linking our past to our present. And Jankin, the little boy trapped in a mirror? Who is he really? The glamour cast by his voice, the sense of jeopardy draw the reader in as much as Meg is drawn in and captured, making a promise that will bind her. These are some of the tropes that Womack skilfully weaves into his narrative adding depth and interest. Then there is Meg, herself; a very real teenager with a very real relationship with her mother – exasperated, angry – but ultimately loving. She is longing for her father who is almost lost to her. It is this that drives her – a search to bring him back. Indeed fractured families, family relationships, are at the heart of the story whether it is Skander also searching for his lost father, or Henry Villiers, the Red Earl whose family is all but destroyed. These are the cracks in the balance and it is their resolution that gives Womack’s fantasy a satisfying closure. The whole is presented in well-constructed contemporary prose with plenty of dialogue to bring life and colour. The chapter headings – excerpts from diaries or letters, add intrigue and colour and avoid the necessity for intrusive digressions or explanation. Womack give us a narrative that draws the reader in from the first page to the last.

While not a sequel, Ghostlord has a link to Womack’s earlier fantasy, Wildlord. Perhaps we will hear more from this author allowing us to meet new characters and old acquaintances – and more magic.