Transformation

by Rab Fulton

As Donnacha falls passionately in love with Eimir, so too a sense of wrongness in his life increases, growing steadily stronger and closer to the two lovers. The young man finds himself troubled by dreams, discorporate voices and other strange incidents. Finally the supernatural impacts directly on his reality; in a way that allows no room for denial or ambiguity. A terrible creature from Irish folklore, a pooka, threatens Donnacha and all those close to him.

With events swiftly unfolding against the backdrop of modern Galway’s vibrancy, multi-culturalism, poverty and divisions, Donnacha’s struggle with the pooka forces him to confront his own beliefs and values. As the beast uses its teeth and horns to gouge a bloody path through the city, it vows to stop only when Donnacha gives him his soul...

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2012

Reviews

[Icy Sedgwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this eerie novella by Irish writer, Rab Swannock Fulton. Transformation tells the tale of a young man named Donnacha, a young dishwasher in Galway who meets an enchanting young woman named Eimir. Much of the first half of the book reads as a romance novel as their relationship deepens, and I was prepared to be put off since romance is not a preferred genre of mine. However, there's a real sense of the supernatural about the whole story, and I felt on tenterhooks throughout, which is essentially what kept me spellbound. Fulton has a beautiful, lyrical style and the haunting quality to the romance kept me wondering what would happen to break the idyll he'd created.

You can't keep the supernatural out for long, and in Donnacha's case, he becomes persecuted by a pooka, a creature from Irish folklore and Welsh mythology. The use of the pooka, as opposed to a more familiar monster or beast, gives Transformation a sharp edge, as Donnacha battles to keep his soul and defeat the evil goat once and for all. The book makes full use of its Galway setting, and the contrast of the gentle romance and horror powers the story in a very visceral way.

Donnacha makes a convincing and likeable narrator, and his motivations are believeable, if a little naive at times. The introduction of the pooka was a masterstroke, since a more conventional creature could have seen the book become a retread of familiar themes, but as it is, the book becomes an original version of a twisted fairy tale, as well as a darker version of more popular paranormal romances - and one that also made me want to conduct further research into Irish folklore. It's a very absorbing and quick read (indeed, I breezed through it in three days) and I'll be very interested to see what Fulton does next.

[Billy Turkot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent bu definitely written by a man, if you know what I mean

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts out as a rather sweet and optimistic love story goes horribly, horribly wrong. Swannock's lyrical gift for the spoken word shines through in his writing. Whether one chooses to view this novella as a cautionary tale about obsessive love, or a dark, somewhat twisted fairy tale, or perhaps a little bit of both, it's a masterful tale that leaves one feeling scratchy behind the eyes and more than just a little bit disquieted.