By Wizard Oak

by Peter Crowther, Rick Hautala (Introduction)

It’s just a book that the folks of the small town of Magellan Bend recall reading. A little gruesome, perhaps … and, in more than one instance, not the reader’s usual fare. But it’s just a book. Nothing more.

But when the town’s resident sleeper awakes from an eight-year nap, his memories are much more than mere words and phrases in a cheap and gaudy horror novel. And as he becomes more and more aware of the shocking truth, the knowledge spreads like graveyard mist sending a clarion call far and wide … but not only to the townsfolk. No, indeed. There are other things out there, things that ride the night winds on All Hallows Eve … and they know a lot more about the events recorded in the fabled By Wizard Oak And Fairy Stream.

Clearly, there is unfinished business in Magellan Bend this October and, as the night turns smoky and the world settles down for the onset of winter, the visitors arrive. Again.

And no, it’s not just a book.

No way.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Halloween

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Peter Crowther, born in 1949, is a journalist, anthologist, and the author of many short stories and novels. He is the co-founder of PS Publishing and the editor of Postscripts.

Reviews

[J. P. Wiske · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shines brightest when the author can indulge his talent for arresting images and inventive accessories to golden-age horror tropes. Like Ray Bradbury, Peter Crowther is a natural storyteller whose style is simultaneously vivid and accessibly conversational.

Where this book stumbles is in dialogue and pacing. In sharp contrast to his prose, Crowther's idiomatic dialogue feels overly self-aware and unnatural—alternately cutesy and awkward. It's easier to get over the hump of accepting ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy-beasties (and hook-nosed witches) than it is to get over that jarring feeling that real people don't sound like this! But this is an ostensibly stylistic shortcoming, so your mileage may vary.

The truly unfortunate problem—truly unfortunate because it's so easily fixable—is that it's a 60k-word book that ought to have been told in 30k words. Literally 75% of the book is prologue, setting the scene and establishing the conflict, padded with unimportant characters fed to the victim chipper-shredder. These characters exist completely apart from any of the protagonists, with lives and experiences that in no way affect the evolution of the underlying narrative. Their sole purpose is to establish the mechanisitic qualities of the threat that the heroes face—which is necessary enough... but not at the cost of 75% of the story's run-time. A little editorial economy would've served this story well.

In the end, By Wizard Oak is serviceable Halloween read, but it could've been really fun...

[Thaydra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been a breeze to get through. I think how long it still took me is a testament to how much I did not like it. It was disjointed. I did not connect with nor like any of the characters. I did not like the narrator. It felt as though it was being told by a thirteen year old boy who had discovered a thesaurus. He explained how every aspect of the person's life disappeared so many times that by one point I found myself reciting it right along with him in a very sarcastic, annoyed manner. By the end of the book, I was pretty much rooting for the evil witches, which, by the way, I had a HUGE issue with all on its own: It was such a typical Hollywood portrayal of witches, and such a misuse and obviously un-researched topic into the world of witchcraft and Wicca it was utterly disgusting.

The only thing this book had going for it was that sometimes he did some good work with that thesaurus. Just, way too much of it.

Maybe you will like it. I thoroughly did not.

[Rick Hautala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the introduction for this, so obviously I love this book ... but I'm not kidding ... This is one of the freakiest books have EVER read ... Whatever you think it might be, it's not that ... It's more than that ... It's so beyond what you can imagine .. Seriously ... It will freak you the F out! Please find and read this book!

[Stinkatron5000 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a short read but one that I was completely drawn into. Surprised it’s not got a higher rating, to be honest. Perfect Halloween reading but, my god, those mouths!!

[Monster]

By Wizard Oak is Earthling Publications’ annual Halloween title. The little town of Magellan Bend was once besieged by witches on a Halloween’s eve. Parents had their children taken away and eaten before their very eyes. Years later the witches have returned to Magellan Bend, and terror spreads in their wake. It is up to a young man just waking from a coma, a young lady who has stayed by his side and a grandmother to save the day.

By Wizard Oak taps into two different fears quite effectively- first, of being erased, forgotten by family and friends with no hints of your existence; and second, of having a loved one taken away from you never to be remembered. Crowther’s witches are vile creatures that play with their prey and easily top the most horrific creatures out there. The book starts in a disjointed manner, and the reader initially struggles to get an idea of what exactly is happening. It is disorienting, but you immediately get the idea that things are amiss, although you will fail to truly comprehend until you delve deeper into the book.

I would recommend By Wizard Oak, but readers should be aware that there is lots or urinating, sexual imagery, cannibalism, and language that that might make a sailor or two blush. It is a creative twist for Halloween readers, and an interesting and creepy tale for a night’s read.

Note: Kelly Fann gives us a second look at By Wizard Oak by Peter Crowther.

Eight years ago, an All Hallow’s Eve parade filled with hungry witches devours the children of Magellan Bend as the townsfolk look on, laugh, and seem not to care . That’s the power of the witches: they come for your children, hungry and ready to feed, and then wipe out all traces of their existence with the blink of an eye, with none the wiser. That is, until Jeremy DePlage wakes up from an eight-year coma remembering exactly what happened to everyone that fateful day. With Jeremy’s awakening, the witches are back, and ready to finish off the town.

By Wizard Oak is a unique tale. Crowther puts a different spin on the practices of witches and creates an incredibly terrifying depiction of their abilities, capabilities, needs and wants. He alters our view of what is real, and what is not, and reminds us why Halloween is, and should be, the most frightening of nights. Crowther has brought back the scary witches with hideously disfigured faces, grotesque sights and smells, and their flair for dark magic, and he’s brought them back with a vengeance.

Recommended for a public library’s adult horror collections.

Contains: cannibalism, sexual content, graphic language, frequent scenes of urination and other bodily functions.

Reviewed by: Kelly Fann

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never judge a book by it's cover. When I first encountered this on the shelf at the public library I thought that an employee must have mixed up one of the children's novels in the adult's area but found I was wrong after a quick look over. I'd never heard of it and quickly became intrigued when I noticed that it was numbered and signed. Checked it out and rather enjoyed it for it was quickly devoured, not that it's terribly long. As a lover of horror I tend to prefer novels that are... mostly ghostly. I did find this a rather refreshing change in a genre that seems to be flooded with zombie and vampire tales.

[Robert Mingee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really unusual but fun read for Halloween. It centers around a group of witches and their dealings in a small town. It has a number of different story lines woven into a fairly short work, which sometimes bothrs me, but I was OK with it here, because it really did give you a full picture of the town and the impact of "the event". Definitely recommended for folks who love Halloween-themed fiction that's not meant to be taken too seriously (I hope, anyway :-)

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very strange and very weird but I couldnt put it down!