What do you think?
Rate this book
The Forest Lord #4.6
The Heretic of Haltemprice Priory: A medieval winter tale. Includes The Christmas Hunt novelette!
TWO EXCITING WINTER TALES IN ONE COLLECTION!
England, c. AD 1330
Winter fast approaches in East Yorkshire and the dark, cold nights have brought more than just frost to the newly founded Haltemprice Priory. An oppressive pall hangs over the area like a smothering blanket, prompting one of the anxious monks to seek help from an old friend.
Robert Stafford, a friar from nearby Wakefield, has some experience in dealing with strange mysteries, having helped solve a number over the past few years. As he settles into Haltemprice however, things begin to escalate and the friar fears he might have bitten off far more than he can chew this time. Calling on his friends Will Scaflock and the bailiff John Little to work with him it seems they may face more than just earthly enemies as they battle the gloom crushing the spirit, and perhaps the very life, from the inhabitants of the priory.
One monk with a library of eldritch books seems to know much about the progressively more deadly troubles afflicting windswept, frostbitten Haltemprice, but is he a lunatic, a heretic, a murderer, or perhaps something even more terrifying?
The Heretic of Haltemprice Priory is the ideal story for a frosty winter evening beside the fire, but if that's not enough, this collection also includes a second, bonus tale, The Christmas Hunt!
Will Scaflock has gone missing after chasing three outlaws off his property and, as the day draws to a close with no sign of his return two old friends arm themselves and set out into the blizzard to find him. There's sure to be a Christmas miracle in this fast-paced, snowy adventure, but it might not be what John Little and his friends expected!
England, c. AD 1330
Winter fast approaches in East Yorkshire and the dark, cold nights have brought more than just frost to the newly founded Haltemprice Priory. An oppressive pall hangs over the area like a smothering blanket, prompting one of the anxious monks to seek help from an old friend.
Robert Stafford, a friar from nearby Wakefield, has some experience in dealing with strange mysteries, having helped solve a number over the past few years. As he settles into Haltemprice however, things begin to escalate and the friar fears he might have bitten off far more than he can chew this time. Calling on his friends Will Scaflock and the bailiff John Little to work with him it seems they may face more than just earthly enemies as they battle the gloom crushing the spirit, and perhaps the very life, from the inhabitants of the priory.
One monk with a library of eldritch books seems to know much about the progressively more deadly troubles afflicting windswept, frostbitten Haltemprice, but is he a lunatic, a heretic, a murderer, or perhaps something even more terrifying?
The Heretic of Haltemprice Priory is the ideal story for a frosty winter evening beside the fire, but if that's not enough, this collection also includes a second, bonus tale, The Christmas Hunt!
Will Scaflock has gone missing after chasing three outlaws off his property and, as the day draws to a close with no sign of his return two old friends arm themselves and set out into the blizzard to find him. There's sure to be a Christmas miracle in this fast-paced, snowy adventure, but it might not be what John Little and his friends expected!
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2024
55 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Steven A. McKay
52 books446 followersI was born in 1977, near Glasgow in Scotland and live in Old Kilpatrick with my wife and two young children. After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts degree I decided to follow my life-long ambition and write a novel. The Forest Lord series now has four novels, and various short spin-off tales.
My new book "The Heathen Horde" is the first in a brand series following Alfred the Great. It comes out on October 26 2023 so please check it out and pre-order if you can!
I play guitar and write all my books while listening to extreme metal.
In 2022 I started a podcast with fellow historical author Matthew Harffy. You can subscribe to Rock, Paper, Swords! on all the usual podcast outlets and also find the audio on Youtube every fortnight.
My new book "The Heathen Horde" is the first in a brand series following Alfred the Great. It comes out on October 26 2023 so please check it out and pre-order if you can!
I play guitar and write all my books while listening to extreme metal.
In 2022 I started a podcast with fellow historical author Matthew Harffy. You can subscribe to Rock, Paper, Swords! on all the usual podcast outlets and also find the audio on Youtube every fortnight.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 16, 2024
The Heretic of Haltemprice Priory is a novel set in the world of The Forest Lord series by Steven A. McKay.
I’m getting used to the author belting out a cracking novella each year, I have a soft spot for the series as I still remember picking up the first book in the series and finding my love for Robin Hood and his band of men.
That being said.. how can the author give us something fresh and new.. but also make the reader feel at home? Well I’m not quite sure how he keeps coming up with these cracking storylines but he certainly knows how to keep the series going.
Friar Tuck has been contacted by an old friend to help with some strange events happing at a new priory. Tuck has had a fair share of adventures into the weird and wonderful so it’s no surprise he’s there.. ready to hunt out the truth.
The thing is.. with the previous happenings you always felt it could perhaps by explained.. somehow.. but this…there’s a strange melancholy in the area and everyone is affected.. how could this be anything other than supernatural? It’s darker from the off but that just intrigued me even more.
Things quickly escalate when some animals are stolen and sacrificed. Tuck knows he needs help so seeks out some old friends to help him.. none other than Will Scaflock and the bailiff John Little… these three have been friends for years ever since they followed Robin Hood.. it’s been many years but they haven’t lost their touch and quickly set about finding the culprit.
But.. yeah it’s not that easy. If anything things get worse and the sacrifices continue.
Tuck has a suspect.. but no real evidence but as time goes by things just get more creepy,.. the melancholy.. the smell..death.. disturbed graves.. it’s enough to send shivers down the spine.
For me the tone was perfect, it’s dark and gloomy but perfectly balanced with detail, polished plot and character development.. add in the wow factor ending..a mad dash to put an end to things.. and a twist at the end to lift the spirits.
The best gift an author can bestow is imagination and McKay is the ultimate gift giver!
Quite honestly it felt like a short story but it's not.. I think I just felt so at home.. back with Tuck that time just didn't register, so you definitely have enough story to really get to grips with.. don't say I didn't warn you.. you'll not be able to put it down.
To top it off the reader gets an extra novella thrown in and it’s another adventure for some of our favourite characters when Will goes missing!
Pace wise the whole book flows well and engages your mind. For fans of the series you are transported right back to the authors previous works and it just reminds you just what we are missing but offers hope to the readers for more. What I loved is that again the author manages to give the reader what we want but also leaves a lot to our own imagination.. what comes next could be anything and It will great to see what the author comes up with next. next.
I’m getting used to the author belting out a cracking novella each year, I have a soft spot for the series as I still remember picking up the first book in the series and finding my love for Robin Hood and his band of men.
That being said.. how can the author give us something fresh and new.. but also make the reader feel at home? Well I’m not quite sure how he keeps coming up with these cracking storylines but he certainly knows how to keep the series going.
Friar Tuck has been contacted by an old friend to help with some strange events happing at a new priory. Tuck has had a fair share of adventures into the weird and wonderful so it’s no surprise he’s there.. ready to hunt out the truth.
The thing is.. with the previous happenings you always felt it could perhaps by explained.. somehow.. but this…there’s a strange melancholy in the area and everyone is affected.. how could this be anything other than supernatural? It’s darker from the off but that just intrigued me even more.
Things quickly escalate when some animals are stolen and sacrificed. Tuck knows he needs help so seeks out some old friends to help him.. none other than Will Scaflock and the bailiff John Little… these three have been friends for years ever since they followed Robin Hood.. it’s been many years but they haven’t lost their touch and quickly set about finding the culprit.
But.. yeah it’s not that easy. If anything things get worse and the sacrifices continue.
Tuck has a suspect.. but no real evidence but as time goes by things just get more creepy,.. the melancholy.. the smell..death.. disturbed graves.. it’s enough to send shivers down the spine.
For me the tone was perfect, it’s dark and gloomy but perfectly balanced with detail, polished plot and character development.. add in the wow factor ending..a mad dash to put an end to things.. and a twist at the end to lift the spirits.
The best gift an author can bestow is imagination and McKay is the ultimate gift giver!
Quite honestly it felt like a short story but it's not.. I think I just felt so at home.. back with Tuck that time just didn't register, so you definitely have enough story to really get to grips with.. don't say I didn't warn you.. you'll not be able to put it down.
To top it off the reader gets an extra novella thrown in and it’s another adventure for some of our favourite characters when Will goes missing!
Pace wise the whole book flows well and engages your mind. For fans of the series you are transported right back to the authors previous works and it just reminds you just what we are missing but offers hope to the readers for more. What I loved is that again the author manages to give the reader what we want but also leaves a lot to our own imagination.. what comes next could be anything and It will great to see what the author comes up with next. next.
November 24, 2024
Remember 'way back when if you were reading a mystery, you always knew that "the butler did it" and the fun in reading the book was finding out how? Occasionally, the author would toss you a curve and the cook did it - it was always that surprise ending that grabbed you and made the book memorable. That's what you get here with Steven McKay's 2024 Christmas gift to his readers, a surprise ending you didn't see coming! And this time, you can only say "Wow" or "Holy cow" or whatever else you say when you're surprised. That's all I'm going to say about that - if you want to find out that surprise ending, you definitely have to get the book.
Every year, Steve McKay, a leading writer in the genre of historical fiction (he keeps getting better with each book) comes out with a Christmas-oriented story in novella form for those of us who are avid readers of his books. Last year was the exception, but have no fear, if you missed it, last year's super-short story which went out to people on his e-mail list is included as a bonus, so you get two stories for the price of one......the title story which at 200 pages falls into the full-length novel category more than novella and last year's story.
As usual, this involves three of Robin Hood's Merrye Men, Little John, Friar Tuck and Will Scarlett, all of whom are no longer outlaws but upstanding citizens. And this time around, we get into the fantasy genre a bit with a priory that isn't quite what it seems, monks, and a bit of sorcery and other nastiness. Want to find out more? Pick up the book, you won't be sorry!
If you haven't read the 4-volume "Forest Lord" series, what are you waiting for? That series sets the tone for the annual Christmas book. And while you're picking up those, you may as well pick up the nine novellas that have come out at the rate of one per year, then start in on this one. It would make a great Christmas gift for yourself. And if you haven't discovered Steven A. McKay, you don't know what you're missing.
Every year, Steve McKay, a leading writer in the genre of historical fiction (he keeps getting better with each book) comes out with a Christmas-oriented story in novella form for those of us who are avid readers of his books. Last year was the exception, but have no fear, if you missed it, last year's super-short story which went out to people on his e-mail list is included as a bonus, so you get two stories for the price of one......the title story which at 200 pages falls into the full-length novel category more than novella and last year's story.
As usual, this involves three of Robin Hood's Merrye Men, Little John, Friar Tuck and Will Scarlett, all of whom are no longer outlaws but upstanding citizens. And this time around, we get into the fantasy genre a bit with a priory that isn't quite what it seems, monks, and a bit of sorcery and other nastiness. Want to find out more? Pick up the book, you won't be sorry!
If you haven't read the 4-volume "Forest Lord" series, what are you waiting for? That series sets the tone for the annual Christmas book. And while you're picking up those, you may as well pick up the nine novellas that have come out at the rate of one per year, then start in on this one. It would make a great Christmas gift for yourself. And if you haven't discovered Steven A. McKay, you don't know what you're missing.
May 29, 2025
Two very different tales in one book!
The first tale is a dark one in involving necromancy & death. It is set is a lonely priory nestled in most sad & depressed place in North Yorkshire. It opens with Friar Tuck riding out to assist an old friend in deciphering a mystery. Soon, Tuck meets a dark, mysterious monk named Magnus. Old bones are dislodged from a secret cemetery & strange rites ensue. Will Tuck be able to smoke out the heretic & save his friend? The odds are against him! The second tale is much lighter, taking place on Christmas. It seems that Will Scarlett is missing in a snowstorm , after chasing bandits. It’s up to Tuck & John to find him before he freezes or is done to death by the outlaws. The result is a happy ending for all. A sweet short tale, in the happy spirit of Christmas.
The first tale is a dark one in involving necromancy & death. It is set is a lonely priory nestled in most sad & depressed place in North Yorkshire. It opens with Friar Tuck riding out to assist an old friend in deciphering a mystery. Soon, Tuck meets a dark, mysterious monk named Magnus. Old bones are dislodged from a secret cemetery & strange rites ensue. Will Tuck be able to smoke out the heretic & save his friend? The odds are against him! The second tale is much lighter, taking place on Christmas. It seems that Will Scarlett is missing in a snowstorm , after chasing bandits. It’s up to Tuck & John to find him before he freezes or is done to death by the outlaws. The result is a happy ending for all. A sweet short tale, in the happy spirit of Christmas.
January 1, 2025
Fascinating and gripping read
Wasn't sure what to expect on this one, but it turned into a great read. You are reunited with old characters who are propelled through mysterious goings on, and satanic practices. There are many surprises right up and till the end
Wasn't sure what to expect on this one, but it turned into a great read. You are reunited with old characters who are propelled through mysterious goings on, and satanic practices. There are many surprises right up and till the end
January 15, 2025
Two great stories in one book!
I thoroughly enjoyed both tales, and the variety of them. After the intense story of the priory (I know you say you aren't pursuing the demon? But I hope you will!), the light-hearted happy ending of the second story left me satisfied. Well done!
I thoroughly enjoyed both tales, and the variety of them. After the intense story of the priory (I know you say you aren't pursuing the demon? But I hope you will!), the light-hearted happy ending of the second story left me satisfied. Well done!
December 14, 2024
Absolutely brilliant . Loved it. Can't wait to read more
December 25, 2024
Another Christmas holiday novella from Mr McKay, and a great one at that. Spooky and fun, but can we talk about that ending?
Oh yes!
Oh yes!
October 3, 2025
OMG! I loved it. A mix of supernatural and everyday troubles.
March 28, 2025
Steven A McKay has done it again crafting another thrilling book ,this time centred around the dark mysterious happenings occurring at a priory.
Robert Stafford a Friar from Wakefield has received a request to look into the matter, not knowing what he might face and rather than take any unnecessary risks he elicits the help of two good friends Will and John.
things turn out to be much worse than expected they find a shroud of evil hangs over the priory and the surrounding countryside .
in addition to this Steven has also included in this book a novelette The Christmas hunt, after chasing some wolfs heads loitering around his farm Will has gone missing , wills wife tells Robert and john of his disappearance
thoroughly enjoyed it
Robert Stafford a Friar from Wakefield has received a request to look into the matter, not knowing what he might face and rather than take any unnecessary risks he elicits the help of two good friends Will and John.
things turn out to be much worse than expected they find a shroud of evil hangs over the priory and the surrounding countryside .
in addition to this Steven has also included in this book a novelette The Christmas hunt, after chasing some wolfs heads loitering around his farm Will has gone missing , wills wife tells Robert and john of his disappearance
thoroughly enjoyed it
December 18, 2025
The Ghastly Foreboding of Bone Hall
An enjoyable read. I found this to be a captivating tale as it took on the nature of alchemy and necromancer within the sanctuary of a priory. As Tuck journeys to help an old friend who is a monk in a new priory, he discovers a pall of gloom and forbidden grimoires . Tuck sends for Little John and Wil Scarlet to help him find the cause of the Satanic curse surrounding this new Benedictine monastery. Do the three friends find the the cause of this curse or is it just a case of fear mongering gone wild? Read it and you will discover the curse of Bone Hall. Its a wonderful tale of ghastly foreboding just before Christmas.
An enjoyable read. I found this to be a captivating tale as it took on the nature of alchemy and necromancer within the sanctuary of a priory. As Tuck journeys to help an old friend who is a monk in a new priory, he discovers a pall of gloom and forbidden grimoires . Tuck sends for Little John and Wil Scarlet to help him find the cause of the Satanic curse surrounding this new Benedictine monastery. Do the three friends find the the cause of this curse or is it just a case of fear mongering gone wild? Read it and you will discover the curse of Bone Hall. Its a wonderful tale of ghastly foreboding just before Christmas.
November 28, 2024
Nice to read something short and sweet for a change. I love this author. Must read more of his books. And perhaps start on his Robin Hood series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews