A Shadow on the Wall

by Jonathan Aycliffe

Some things are best left undisturbed . . .In the countryside of Victorian England, Edward Atherton, rector of Thornham St. Stephen, has taken on the arduous task of restoring the ancient church. But he should never have meddled with the tomb that lay beneath the church's crumbling walls. The moment the workman raised the tomb lid, an unspeakable horror escaped. At a loss to explain the unsettling noises and frightening visions that begin to plague the church, Atherton calls upon fellow antiquarian and Cambridge professor Richard Asquith to help investigate the strange events that began in the.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Mystery, Ghost Stories, Paranormal

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2000

About the author

aka Daniel Easterman

Jonathan Aycliffe (Denis M. MacEoin) was born in Belfast in 1949. He studied English, Persian, Arabic and Islamic studies at the universities of Dublin, Edinburgh and Cambridge, and lectured at the universities of Fez in Morocco and Newcastle upon Tyne. The author of several successful full-length ghost stories, he lives in the north of England with his wife, homeopath and health writer, Beth MacEoin. He also writes as Daniel Easterman, under which name he has penned nine bestselling novels.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a masterly written gothic ghost story in style of the 19th century! We have all the ingredients it needs: University life of Cambridge, the renovation of a tomb in an old abbey, Thornham St Stephen, a mysterious abbot named William de Lindesey long dead, an absolutely eerie atmosphere. Does Prof Asquith, the main character of the short novella, succeed in getting rid of the evil relic? This is the right stuff for cold winter evenings. Spooky, grim, very 19th century. I also liked the numerous quotations from Latin in the book. I was absolutely surprised how good and compelling this book was. The author did a superb job with this sinister ghost story. Hats off! Absolutely recommended!

[Vicki Herbert - Vacation until Jan 2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Shadow That Should Not
Have Been There...

A SHADOW ON THE WALL: A Novel
by Jonathan Aycliffe

No spoilers. 5 stars. The tomb of 14th century abbot William de Lindesey should never have been opened...

One snowy afternoon...

Prof. and historian Matthew Atherton showed up trembling at the door of his friend Prof. Richard Asquith...

Atherton needed Asquith's help with his brother, Reverend Edward Atherton, who was rector at Thornham St Stephen in the fens on the isle of Ely...

The largest tomb on the grounds, built in 1359, housing the remains of William de Lindesey was cracked and eroding...

Edward was given the task of restoring the dilapidated tomb. The repairs were so extensive that the tomb needed to be opened and dismantled...

This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it...

It was at that time...

Edward knew that he had disturbed something that he should have allowed to remain at rest...

Mishaps and deaths in and around the church followed. Edward became ill and would only sleep with candlelight...

...Whosoever touches a bone of a man or grave shall be unclean...

By the time they arrived at St Stephen, Edward was already dead and resting in one of the bedrooms upstairs at the rectory...

Next day...

In the early morning hours, Asquith and Atherton left the Windmill Inn for St Stephen...

In the darkness, Thornham St Stephen was utterly still. Nothing moved or breathed, the moon coming and going from behind clouds...

They entered the locked church through an open window. Its atmosphere was the very essence of hushed wakefulness that is found only in sacred places...

They immensely felt the presence of something old, cunning, and full of malice...

It was waiting quietly for them to go upstairs...

A voice in Asquith's head urged: Run!

Instead, he and Atherton climbed the stairs to check on Atherton's dead brother...

Halfway up the stairs...

They heard someone moaning as if in pain. At the top of the landing, it became apparent that the sounds were coming from Edward's room...

They knew they had to go in...

Edward's body was lying just as they'd seen it yesterday, but his eyes were wide open. His lips were parted as he moaned...

Matthew Atherton screamed: He's alive!

Asquith grabbed Atherton's arm and said: That thing is not your brother...

The corpse that once was Edward Atherton lay in the shadows on the bed watching them and listening...

Asquith spoke to the thing: Who are you? What do you want here? Its eyes locked on Asquith, then spoke to him...

An end is coming. An end is come. It watcheth for thee. Behold, it is come.

This was a very atmospheric Victorian Gothic novel. Shadows moving by candlelight were everywhere. I haven't read a Victorian Gothic story this chilling in a long time. Readers looking for fast-paced stories may not connect with this novel because of its slow burn, but I was scared out of my wits at times. It was well worth waiting for the payoff.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy Haunting Mystery!

Small backstory:

Time era of story: 19th century England

Richard Asquith an antiquarian and Cambridge professor becomes wrapped up with a tomb that is discovered under an ancient church. Edward Atherton along with some workers were restoring parts of the church when the tomb is discovered and they open it to see what is inside but they do not realize that they released a great evil and when Edward ends up missing, his brother Matthew comes calling for the help of Richard hoping that he can help him find out what happened to his brother and to solve the mystery of the tomb beneath the church!

That is about all I can hand out on a small backstory, so if you are intrigued then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I have owned this book for a few years now. I loved the gothic setting of the story and the detailed descriptions of the background story for that time period as the author made me feel like I had been whisked away to that time era.

Loved all the characters in this story and the story was written in such a way that it just pulled me straight into the story line. There was a deepening mystery and a haunting tone that stayed with me for most of the book and there were lots of creepy and spooky shivers up my spine while reading this book which made me want to snuggle down more into my cozy chair as I was starting to get creeped out! Looking forward to reading more by this author as it seems he has a few more books out there to read. Giving this book five "Spooky Shivers" stars!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you dig gothic horror, you should check out Aycliffe's work. While I still liked his Naomi's Room the best of all his work, A Shadow on the Wall comes pretty close. Narrated first person by the 19th century academic Richard Asquith, a don at Cambridge, the story tells the tale of the events circa 1894 or thereabouts, starting with him meeting one Edward Atherton, a colleague of his at Cambridge.

Edward Atherton tracked down Richard as he knew he had an interest in the paranormal; the two knew each other vaguely, so this came as a surprise to Richard. Atherton explained how his older brother, a clergyman, recently became a pastor at an old, historic church deep in the Fens. In the process of his brother renovating the old church to restore its Norman roots, the workmen disturbed a old tomb, and something emerged with a horrible smell. Months later, people start dying in the little village around the church and Atherton's brother seems to be either going mad or struggling with something unworldly. Desperate, he comes to Richard as a last resort.

Richard, recently injured due to a fall on the ice, puts Atherton off until once again Atherton comes pleading for help after he gets a telegram stating his brother died. So, Atherton and Richard head out to the village in the Fens and start investigating what happened...

I really liked the narration structure of this. Richard, the only character developed in detail, has an interest in the paranormal, but a very skeptical one. Nonetheless, he has encountered things that defy rational explanation. The mystery of the old tomb, an abbot from the 14th century, sparks an interest; casual at first (he really owes nothing to Atherton), but soon enough becomes absorbed as he realizes that the ghost or whatever (the shadow on the wall) may threaten himself and family. Aycliffe does a great job in capturing the spirit of the era, and his gothic tales rival the best of them. The architectural details were illuminating, as were the religious discussions surrounding the 14 century (the specialty of Richard) Good stuff! 4 spooky stars!

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description; Edward Atherton, Rector of Thornham St Stephen, should never have meddled with the tomb of the 14th century Abbot of Thornham. From the moment the workman raised the tomb lid, the horror began. Atherton is pursued by a malign shadowy presence to his untimely death a few weeks later.

Opening: Atherton appeared in my rooms two or three days after my accident. He had heard about it from Burridge, which meant the news must have travelled around most of Cambridge by then.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won A Shadow on the Wall by Jonathan Aycliffe in a GoodReads Giveaway. I received a beautiful hard-bound book designed to appeal to gothic horror books of yesterday. A full-color, embossed, satin-finished jacket features splatters of blood and a woodcut illustration of an old church.

A Shadow on the Wall is a horror story mixing classic elements of unsettled ghosts, evil rising up out of a church, and good old-fashion gothic storytelling. Nothing fancy, nothing presumptuous - just people trying to get on with their dismal, mundane lives and being interrupted in the most creepy of fashion by unfinished business from beyond the grave, business that is - as is so often the case in these beyond-the-grave situations - evil.

Our main character and story’s center, Richard Asquith, narrates the tale in which he is sought to consult strange occurrences after an ancient evil escapes a tomb beneath a church during renovations. Asquith reluctantly agrees and becomes intertwined in supernaturally horrific events well past the point of his own volition. Even after he abandons the work and the local altogether, the horror plagues him and follows him and forces confrontation.

A Shadow on the Wall has pitch-perfect narration and is reminiscent of the psychological old horror stories of Poe, Lovecraft and Jackson. There’s no blatant gore here, no shock and awe, but a building suspense and looming dread serving up a right proper case of the creeps that lingers long after the story is finished. While reading I was reminded of the literary works of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Name of the Rose, and The Oblong Box to name a few.

In all fairness, A Shadow on the Wall can be a little slow paced for modern day readers, but for lovers of literary craft it will be a true pleasure.

Recommended as a good read for lovers of gothic horror and classic literature.

[Donnelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not at all a fast-paced story, but the atmosphere is rich and foreboding throughout, and there are a lot of genuinely chilling moments. It's a ghost story with ties to religion, family, possession, and a whole host of other issues. It's definitely a psychological ghost story, as opposed to the more in-your-face, blood-and-guts variety that has become so commonplace. Even even when the most obvious instances of horror in this book transpire, there isn't any gore, which was refreshing. All in all, it's frightening and creepy, and the suspense - though it builds slowly - continues until the very last page. It's a great book for people who enjoy ghost stories without an overabundance of violence.

[Shalini Gunnasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very old-school Gothic horror, with more than a passing resemblance to M. R. James' style. I must admit it was comforting to read a story in that style, as James is one of my most beloved writers.

This is an extremely slow burn book, with a main character who is.. not selfish, but not heroic. He is far more concerned for his own affairs and that of his family's, which is completely normal and commendable, but for a protagonist, that can create a little less bonding. But there's another reason why the main character did not appeal to me: this character is the only one who appears to know what's happening and what to do about it. I place all the deaths subsequent to his knowledge of the horror squarely at his feet, especially the man who came to him for help, was monstrously neglected and died a horrible death, because he was too slow to react. This can be frustrating to other readers as it was to me.

The horror is not quite explained - there are only possibilities and conjecture based on records. I found myself wishing for fewer explanations, not more, as a lot of the old masters believed in their readers' imaginations and that made the atmosphere more dreadful.

Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable book, and I recommend it to fans of M. R. James.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the same reason I read Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black," they are both ghost stories written in the style of M. R. James, something far more difficult to find than stories in the style of Lovecraft for example. I would say this is far more "Jamesian" in my opinion than is Hill's novel.

Aycliffe builds atmosphere and a sense of place, the pace is rather slow and one could almost refer to this as "cozy horror." There's a few scenes which are creepy, others which are full of merely full of unsettling details, with a lot of waiting in-between. There's evil abbots with lingering supernatural influence, old haunted cathedrals, curses and characters driven to madness by the increasing dread which the novel effectively builds.

[R.Z. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing simulates a medieval style and seems stuffy. There is lots of description for its own sake, and it is difficult to relate to any of the characters. The pacing of the story is slow.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow on the Wall is a ghost story about a professor from Cambridge, who is dogged by a demon after helping a friend exorcise his brother.

The writing was very descriptive and clearly well researched. However, it wasn't my typical read and at times I found the story rather slow.

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great supernatural horror set in Victorian Cambridge. Our hero a bachelor don is resting after spraining his ankle when he is approached by an acquaintance in need of help.
A spooky setting in the fens, when a tomb in a church is opened the evil inside is released.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars -- the beginning was a bit of a slog (probably not helped by having gone straight from a relatively fast-paced true crime memoir into a gothic-style ghost story reminiscent of M.R. James), but once it got going, the second half was really good. :)

[robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was recommended to me as "Jamesian" which it most emphatically is not. Even on its own merits, it's not great, just okay.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah Jonathan Aycliffe. I've read 7 out of 8 of the books he published on his own name. And he is a master in slow built, gothic feel novels. The way he writes is of a person who can speak in many forms. You've got this that has some hints of late 1800's feel, the Matrix in contrast has a more recent feel or The Vanishment\Talisman a 60/70's feel. It's quite good.

This book we follow a scholar (a Dean) as he is trying to help understand what is happening in a small church from the times before England. People connected to the church are dying with strange illness and they are seeing black shadows , things that should not be there.

Our main character, Asquith is something of a character. He is what we envision a dead, focus on academic with no life besides it. Atherton a rector askes Asquith to investigate the brother's death and strange situations that envelop him.

My main issue I had in the first 100 pages was that it was a bit too slow and I couldn't understand the reason for the slow pace. Then the book progress a bit more afterward the middle part - probably with the inclusion of the love interest of Asquith.

Asquith had to go forward and really help, which at this point he was just listening and although he investigate a little here and there, nothing major happens.

If you had told me that this book was written in the late 1890's I would have believe. It has the same voice, the same way of writing and my initial criticism was the slowness in the beginning. I can imagine some people not enjoying this but I did. I did enjoy and It's a shame that I hve only one more book to read from the author as he, unfortunately died, a couple of years ago. 87/100

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent gothic story by Aycliffe.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Atherton was the rector of a historic church. He began restoring it when strange things started happening. His brother Matthew becomes concerned and seeks help from the narrator who really doesn't want to be involved. The two men go to the church after Edward dies suddenly and they hear the strange tale of his death. It seems that the restoration of a tomb has released the soul of a possibly godless Abbot. The narrator says a brief prayer and goes on with his life but the Atherton family continues to need his assistance. Edward's mother has seen her son's ghost. Soon a shadow haunts Matthew and then strange things begin happening at the narrator's house. When his wife falls gravely ill, he knows he must risk his life to vanquish the Abbot's spirit. This book was not as good as The Vanishment but I will read more books by Aycliffe.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

M R James brought up to date, but only just. An evil from the distant past. A crusty old academic who meets a beautiful young, (and French) widow. A family who seem to be paying a high price for something they don't understand. And a race against time to save a life.

This is effectively an extended short story. Given that it's 240 pages or so, nothing much happens - but it happens in a really interesting and engaging way.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author's writing style and imagination. Spooky stories are so much fun.

[Beth The Vampire · Rating 3 out of 5]

ACTUAL RATING 3.5 STARS

Richard Asquith, Cambridge Professor, is visited one evening by Matthew Atherton, a man mostly unknown to him. Matthew is asking for Richard’s help in a rather difficult matter, mainly the sickness of his brother after he opened a tomb at an accident church. Matthew believes that there is something supernatural afoot, and Richard is drawn into the mess whether he wants to or not. Upon the death of Matthew’s brother in curious circumstances the pair venture out to the small town or Thornham and the church within in order to discover the secret of the tomb. But something follows them back, something ancient and evil, and it starts placing all those the men love at risk.

This was an interesting gothic tale that was more focused on churches than haunted houses, which was a pleasant change. And the style of writing fit the tone of the story. It was just a bit of a trial at times to read, like the writing could be so heavy. Considering the story as a whole from beginning to end, there were likely passages that really were just there to extent it a few pages and could really have done without. There are a few scenes that were really creepy, such as when Richard’s step-son catches sight of a figure standing in front of his mother’s bedroom, and when the figure approaches the step-son from behind almost galloping after him on all fours to push him into a lake.

The church scenes and the history behind the ghostly abbot were less appealing and could sometimes drag on. The second half of the book was a lot more engaging, especially since Richard gained something to lose. At the start he appeared more of a spectator, but by the end the whole story hung on his shoulders. The ending was okay, if a little fast paced given the rest of the book, but it reached a satisfying conclusion. But to me, this just didn’t really stand out. It was creepy at times, yes, and was written very well, but the story did not resonate with me, and neither did the characters. I liked the minor characters more than any of the major ones. This wasn’t a bad book, not at all, it just didn’t have a lasting impact with me.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Interesting Read

I am a huge fan of M.R. James and this story and the way it is written is very reminiscent of his style. Set mainly in Cambridge and nearby Ely the main character is a scholar who finds his academic lifestyle plunged into darkness after a fellow Don begs him to help his brother who has woken something dark in the church he is the priest of.

I found the storyline extremely interesting and I couldn't help but read it in one sitting! The characters felt very true to life, at first stuffy and distant but quickly expanding as the evil is slowly revealed.
The language used can make it feel a little slow and perhaps not very reader friendly but luckily I am used to that after reading so many of the older greats. For anyone who isn't used to the style I would definitely urge you to persevere, you quickly become not only used to it but will probably find it immensely charming.

This is a book I can imagine curling up with on a winters night by a fire (the fact that I read it in August and don't have a fireplace doesn't change that, it's how I imagine reading all good ghost stories!) and I really did enjoy it. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good scare

[Dave Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like one of those Hammer films from the seventies — atmospheric, exploitative, and fun. Characterizations are barely more than rough outlines to serve the plot, especially poor Simone and Bertrand who suffer and are saved by the protagonist, over and over. Somehow it all worked in the end, so I couldn’t stop reading long enough to roll my eyes, the mark of any good horror yarn.

Stray observation: Aycliffe REALLY LOVES his Latin. He never misses an opportunity to drop song lyrics, hymns, prayers, inscriptions on tombs, and bible verses. After a few chapters, I realized that he was just showing off and that the quotations had little thematic value beyond gothic padding and spookiness cred.

[Toni Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had good parts and bad parts. Good parts, the ghost and the fear, but let down by suddenly swapping to day to day stuff or long rambles on the history of the monastery or church or whatever. I get that might have been to built up the story somewhat, give some context, but to me it felt like it was taking away from the story itself. Get to a good bit with the ghost and then... Stops. Wanted more detail, more haunting. I wanted a scary ghost story and got jibber jabber with mild heebie jeebies thrown in 😫

[BRANDON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solidly written, historical ghost story. Aycliffe is so adept at mimicking the voice and tone of a bygone age, I would be hard-pressed to differentiate A Shadow on the Wall from a story by E. F. Benson or M. R. James. In fact, I believe that I've read stories from both in a similar vein to A Shadow. The Englishs' distrust of Catholics (abbots in particular) is deep-seated indeed. I don't mind, I'd rather read a story about an abbot being driven to become an unholy spirit by his fear of the plague than the usual chittering about demons and pagan idols.

[M. L. Valard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The start was perhaps a bit slow and the entire thing is written in a very well done Victorian style somewhat reminiscent of Dracula. I like this particular style of writing though at first it tends to make the suspense seem a bit more mild. However, I feel it can lend to the build of a story and it did pick up considerably as it progressed. The story was definitely an interesting and eerie one that kept me turning pages to see how it would turn out.

[Squeaky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written like it was written in the 1800's, lots of descriptions, off topic discussions and is written as a diary. I guess this is a specific style, like M.R. James style- I'll have to learn more about it. Its definitely a creepy horror novel, with strong religious overtones- which I felt like I learned a lot about. I liked the idea of evil vs good and the tie in to the black plaque. Interesting premise, a bit long-winded for me but a good read.

[Kilgallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very atmospheric read. It relies om building tension rather than quick action to move the story forward. I can say that this reminded me of reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery as it seems to have a similar voice. This is probably not for the hard core horror fan as it is a bit too gentle with the reader, but it was a very good read.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the iconic ghost story. Delightfully spooky. Things go bump in the night. Dark shadowy figures creep through the English countryside. Hooded figures haunt decaying churches, noises arise from century old tombs, curses evoked during the black plague wreak havoc on the innocent, only breaking an ancient code engraved on a crypt can save the afflicted. Pure gothic bliss.

[Elana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of historical pastiche. If I want to read a Victorian ghost story, there are plenty of those written by actual Victorians. But this book is quite a tour-de-force. Had M. R. James ever written a novel (he did not), it might have been something like this.

[Adjectivebear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid horror story, wrapped in a wonderfully atmospheric package. There's just something about a snooty Victorian first-person narrative voice that makes everything just a little creepier, and the author wields it masterfully.