★ 08/31/2020
With this dark, transfixing supernatural thriller, Brogden (The Plague Stones) breathes new life into a classic horror setup. In 1915, Everett, a British Army deserter, finds sanctuary in the village of Swinley, where communal living and orgiastic sex are the norm—and where, every 26 years, the villagers raise the boar-headed god Moccus who grants immortality and superhuman strength to his followers. But these 26-year cycles are interrupted when Moccus demands a human sacrifice and the cult leader, Mother, balks at obeying. Everett and his lover, Ardwyn, abandon Swinley, intent on carrying out the god’s horrific demands. In present-day Staffordshire, 65-year-old Dennie Keeling, who has early-onset dementia, notices the strange goings-on of her new neighbors. When no one believes her reports of odd activities because of her failing mental state, it’s up to Dennie to save the residents of her small village from Moccus, even as her own mind plays tricks on her. Brogden’s writing is electric, masterfully weaving together dark humor and suspense, and the stalwart, down-to-earth Dennie serves as a perfect foil to the sinister machinations of Moccus’s followers. Readers hoping for a fright need look no further. (Nov.)
