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 Witch’s
Honour by Jan Siegel
HarperCollins Voyager; (UK:
July 1st 2002)
Review by John Berlyne
Hardcover - ISBN: 0002258390
List Price: £21.95
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Trade Paperback -
ISBN 0002258404 List Price: £10.99.
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Witch’s Honour sees the conclusion of Jan Siegel’s memorable tale
of modern day witchcraft. Following on from the events of the haunting
Prospero’s Children and which continued via The Dragon Charmer,
our protagonist Fern is now a grown woman and a witch of no little
substance and reputation. That said, she now lives a fairly normal
working in London’s West End for a PR company. Her brother Will and
friend Gaynor, (who, whilst not having The Gift themselves, were
both involved in the events of the previous books) also now have
everyday jobs and it is this fusion of apparent normality and fantasy
that makes Siegel’s work so interesting.
She writes about recognizable people and places, her style elegant and
the writing often quite beautiful, but over this Siegel lays a veil of
mythology that reaches far back into the ancient mystical lore of both
Albion and Atlantis. As the title of the first book suggests, we are
very much in the territory of Shakespeare’s Tempest, of Caliban and his
mother Sycorax. There are references too to the Arthurian legends and to
Greek mythology and the passions of these stories feed those of Siegel’s
own.
An old evil, one Morgus, a witch of enormous power, has returned to the
world in a rejuvenated and seemingly invincible form. She sets herself
up in a country manor house, having ensorcelled its wealthy tycoon owner
(helping herself to his money in the process) and stolen the soul of his
daughter who now lies, like Fern herself did at one time during The
Dragon Charmer, comatose in a private hospital. Lucas, the girl’s
brother, desperate for help, contacts Fern and thus brings to her
attention to dangers posed by Morgus. She already knows something is up,
troubled as she is by a recurring nightmare. Fern remembers Morgus only
too well - a crone from the underworld whom she had to trick in order to
escape back to reality - and now Morgus is back to get revenge for
Fern’s betrayal. Indeed betrayal is a central theme to Witch’s Honour,
one which Siegel deftly uses to surprise the reader throughout.
There’s a lot going on in Witch’s Honour and we really feel for
the Fern and her friends. In some ways I felt more comfortable following
the story of the younger Fern. Her innocence and the sense of discovery
we shared with her in Prospero’s Children did make that book
stand out for me. With age and experience though comes responsibility
and this weighs heavily on Fern’s shoulders in Witch’s Honour.
The result is a much darker book, but certainly a no less impressive
one. I look forward to seeing what Siegel comes up with next. |