This is an unusual story. A horror tale with a difference. Let us review the story.
Thaniel seems to be in pursuit of something sinister in the deserted streets of Victorian London. The Old Quarter was avoided by people at night. The creature he is hunting is a wych-kin, a demonic creature. He instead meets a wild girl. He takes her home. She seems strangely detached but does not appear to be a wych-kin victim, who, when scratched or bitten by one, turns into one himself/ herself. Rather like vampires.
He is intrigued by the girl and wants to investigate where she came from. She in uncommunicative. On a hunch, Thaniel meets the famed asylum owner Pyke and surprised to find hostility in his tone when he asked if one of the inmates had escaped. He also seems to know where Thaniel met the girl from even without Thaniel mentioning it to him. Curious.
His teacher turned friend Cathaline also was amazed to find the girl. She is Alaizabel. She seems to be possessed by an evil witch but the witch cannot seem to eliminate Alaizabel’s spirit from within so that the witch can live in total control of the body.
In the meanwhile, Inspector Carver realizes that his own boss in the police, Maycraft, is imitating the murders of Stitch Face, a notorious serial killer with, you guessed it, a stitched face. Thaniel investigates the pattern of the Ward murders by Maycraft and it turns out that his boss is part of the Fraternity and the Ward murders will complete the release of the evil power fully.
They go to Crooked Lanes to escape the evil spirits sent by the Fraternity. Lord Cotter, Thaniel’s father’s friend and a kind of a gang leader there agrees to give them protection. In the meanwhile, Thatch, who is inside Alaizabel uses a ward (magic spell in the novel speak) to open a door.
The last murder planned in the pattern is thwarted by Thaniel with Cathaline and Alaizabel in tow. In the confusion, the Fraternity, whose leader seems to be Pyke, captures Alaizabel and takes her to the Asylum, where Thatch is removed from her and put inside another girl who is more “willing to die” so that Thatch can occupy the body. Alaizabel escapes from the asylum using the same Ward Thatch used and falls straight into Stitch-Face’s clutches.
Stitch-Face releases her and she joins the group of seven who go to vanquish Thatch and the Fraternity. Detective Carver, knowing that his boss is untrustworthy, joins them. Various demons go past them and wolves attack with a frenzy. Pure supernatural melee of horror stuff. Finally, Lord Cotter and his dim witted assistant give up their lives to save the others.
They steal an air balloon to reach the castle, and Alaizabel uses Thatch’s knowledge to break all the wards protecting the castle.
When they reach the castle, the Devil Boy, who is blind but most knowledgeable of them all, dies in battle, and Carver is wounded. Even Cathaline’s hand is shattered.
On the evil side is Thatch, in the new girl’s body, Pyke, and the best witch hunter of them all, the cowboy Texas man. He challenges Thaniel for a duel but Thaniel outwits him and the whole gang.
Pyke wounds Thaniel and in the discussion that follows, reveals an amazing revelation about how wych-kins are formed.
Then the blimp pilot does some immense help by destroying both the fort and Maycraft. Thatch is killed by Thaniel and he and Alaizabel go away to live together.
Summary? A weird Gothic horror feel to the story. Parts of it are interesting but not the greatest horror I have read.
5/10
– – Krishna
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