THE REVELS

Atmospheric historical fiction with a slight supernatural, gothic twist. It is about an apprentice to a witch-hunter during the English Civil War who must hide the fact that he can hear the songs of the dead.

1645 England. Nicholas Pearce is an aspiring playwright, who has just heard news that will transform his life: his beloved half-brother, Francis, has died fighting on the wrong side of the English Civil War. With his brother dead, Nicholas's father makes him an offer. If Nicholas takes up the mantle of heir and joins the family business, in return, he will be legitimised and will finally learn the name of his mother. Nicholas is desperate to learn about his lineage because he harbours a secret he is a witch. And at a time when the country is torn apart by civil war and rife with suspicions of witchcraft, that is a very dangerous thing to be. Nicholas hears the dead sing and knows all their secrets but cannot utter a word without betraying his nature.

While the gossip surrounding his legitimisation dies down, Nicholas is apprenticed to Judge William Percival an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession. As tension mounts between Catholics and Protestants, Royalists and Roundheads, neighbour and neighbour, women are decried as witches. But Nicholas knows the truth. He hears the dead sing, he knows all is not as it seems. But will he decide to expose himself and save innocent lives, or will he stay quiet and finally learn the truth about who he is?

The events of the novel are drawn from the 17th-century English witch-hunts and the infamous witch-hunters behind them including Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General. At a time when magic was widely believed in, I found it fascinating to see Stacey's take on the question: what if magic really did exist?

Stacey Thomas is a Press Officer for HMRC and a staff writer at Bad Form Review. She recently graduated from the CBC novel writing course. She has also acted as a consultant on independently published books. She is working on her second novel, set in the aftermath of Oliver Cromwell's death and just weeks before King Charles II was restored to the throne. A young man arrives at a sanctuary for debtors where a murder occurs. Set to uncover the truth behind the death, he comes into conflict with the residents who have just as much reason to get rid of him as he does to solve the crime.