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Lychford #6
Gnomes of Lychford
Gnomes, witches, and podcasters clash for the future of the village of Lychford in this delightful conclusion to the Witches of Lychford series.
An unlikely group of supernatural creatures terrorizes the sleepy village of Lychford.
Ok, they're gnomes. That's not a you worked it out it from the title.
When an ancient prophecy clashes with an unfortunate modern design aesthetic, the people of Lychford must band together to put out fires (both literal and metaphorical) to save their town before the king of the Gnomes (King Greg, and it's dangerous to laugh at a gnome) calls in the terms of an old promise.
Trouble no one knows what the promise is, nor how to fulfil it.
It's going to be a long night.
An unlikely group of supernatural creatures terrorizes the sleepy village of Lychford.
Ok, they're gnomes. That's not a you worked it out it from the title.
When an ancient prophecy clashes with an unfortunate modern design aesthetic, the people of Lychford must band together to put out fires (both literal and metaphorical) to save their town before the king of the Gnomes (King Greg, and it's dangerous to laugh at a gnome) calls in the terms of an old promise.
Trouble no one knows what the promise is, nor how to fulfil it.
It's going to be a long night.
156 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2025
28 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Paul Cornell
616 books1,501 followersPaul Cornell is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy prose, comics and television. He's been Hugo Award-nominated for all three media, and has won the BSFA Award for his short fiction, and the Eagle Award for his comics. He's the writer of Saucer Country for Vertigo, Demon Knights for DC, and has written for the Doctor Who TV series. His new urban fantasy novel is London Falling, out from Tor on December 6th.
via Wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cor...
via Wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cor...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 4, 2025
I am so confused that this book even exists, because this series “ended” five years ago with Last Stand in Lychford. But who am I to look a gift horse (book?) in the mouth (pages?)? I mean, whoo hoo! Another Witches of Lychford novella!
Gnomes of Lychford is a little different from previous installments, however, as it focuses less on the witches and more on, well … gnomes, duh. Autumn and Reverend Lizzie are still major characters this go round, but other town residents also get their moments in the spotlight. After all, things changed a lot in Lychford at the end of book five (if you can't remember what happened, no worries, it's all recapped in this one), and residents are now aware that other mystical realms exist. Everyone is still a little surprised when gnomes show up in Lychford with gnome-information pamphlets and a list of demands, however. The gnomes have a few issues with the town and its residents, and they seem especially offended by the garden gnomes found in local yards. One of the gnomes' demands? Get rid of the offensive fake gnomes … or else.
What follows is an entertaining and lightly humorous attempt by Lychford townsfolk to pacify some very angry gnomes. It's a lot sillier than I remember the other Witches of Lychford novellas being (although it's been years since I've read them so don't quote me on that), but it's still a lot of fun. Dave (Lychford's mayor) and Loz (the town clerk) are a fantastic pair and I really enjoyed their parts in the story. It's also nice to revisit Autumn's character now that she's taken over Judith's role as town Wise Woman. Trigger warnings include: immolation of innocent garden gnomes and excessively mopey reverends.
If you haven't read the previous Witches of Lychford novellas, I highly recommend that you read them before starting this one. While it's probably technically possible to read Gnomes of Lychford as a stand-alone (major events are superficially recapped), you'll miss out on a lot of backstory. Honestly, I kind of wish I'd gone back and reread the first five books in the series, as I had trouble remembering all of the details.
My overall rating: 3.9 stars, rounded up. If you've enjoyed previous Lychford novellas, this one is definitely worth a read. I'm so hoping for another “conclusion” to this series in a few years.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 9, 2025.
Gnomes of Lychford is a little different from previous installments, however, as it focuses less on the witches and more on, well … gnomes, duh. Autumn and Reverend Lizzie are still major characters this go round, but other town residents also get their moments in the spotlight. After all, things changed a lot in Lychford at the end of book five (if you can't remember what happened, no worries, it's all recapped in this one), and residents are now aware that other mystical realms exist. Everyone is still a little surprised when gnomes show up in Lychford with gnome-information pamphlets and a list of demands, however. The gnomes have a few issues with the town and its residents, and they seem especially offended by the garden gnomes found in local yards. One of the gnomes' demands? Get rid of the offensive fake gnomes … or else.
What follows is an entertaining and lightly humorous attempt by Lychford townsfolk to pacify some very angry gnomes. It's a lot sillier than I remember the other Witches of Lychford novellas being (although it's been years since I've read them so don't quote me on that), but it's still a lot of fun. Dave (Lychford's mayor) and Loz (the town clerk) are a fantastic pair and I really enjoyed their parts in the story. It's also nice to revisit Autumn's character now that she's taken over Judith's role as town Wise Woman. Trigger warnings include: immolation of innocent garden gnomes and excessively mopey reverends.
If you haven't read the previous Witches of Lychford novellas, I highly recommend that you read them before starting this one. While it's probably technically possible to read Gnomes of Lychford as a stand-alone (major events are superficially recapped), you'll miss out on a lot of backstory. Honestly, I kind of wish I'd gone back and reread the first five books in the series, as I had trouble remembering all of the details.
My overall rating: 3.9 stars, rounded up. If you've enjoyed previous Lychford novellas, this one is definitely worth a read. I'm so hoping for another “conclusion” to this series in a few years.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 9, 2025.
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October 11, 2025A lighthearted series coda after the death of a crucial character in the last book. Lychford (near and quite like Cricklade) is on the border of faerie and its people can see the supernatural now, which becomes an issue when the gnome population gets stroppy about, among other things, cultural appropriation in lawn ornaments. Quite daft in a Pratchetty way.
December 12, 2025
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S GNOMES OF LYCHFORD ABOUT?
The people of Lychford have a new challenge facing them—podcasters.
Yes, that's right—after the events of the last book, rumors have started spreading about Lychford. They've caught the attention of podcasters who love debunking supernatural urban legends and the like. So they're wandering around, asking questions that no one wants to answer.
And they're not the worst thing facing the citizenry. They've annoyed the Gnomes, too. And they have demands. Not only do they have demands, but these tiny aggressors have the ability to back up their threats. If only any of the humans in Lychford could understand the demands (other than the ones about the garden gnomes).
THE GNOMES
These gnomes are ridiculous; their threats, however, aren’t. And they seem to be able to follow through with them. You can easily bounce between chuckling at them and then being glad they don’t really exist.
Cornell shows us this new race and new world in a very economical fashion—he spent book after book setting up everything else for us (that’s not a complaint), and he does almost as good a job in this book in just a few pages. Sure, a lot of that is building on the foundation from those other books—but not all of it.
So not only did I enjoy his gnomes and gnomish culture—I’m impressed by how he gave it to us.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK OF GNOMES OF LYCHFORD?
One of the best parts of this series has been its awareness that this is a somewhat silly idea, but Cornell’s largely addressed it in a serious way. And that combination works well. It’s done particularly well in this volume—better than in some of the earlier works. There’s a strong stream of comedy throughout—but the dangers to the town are never a joke, and everyone treats them accordingly.
I do not like the way Lizzie was handled here—in almost any way. From the way she’s dealing with her romantic issues to the way she reacted during the crisis, it didn’t feel like her—she was the reader’s entry point to this world, and for her to be so off puts a dampener on a lot of the book. Her inner monologue about faith and comfort, I should add, was fantastic.
That said—just about every other thing made up for it. The town meetings—just great. The town’s involvement in everything else, too—and the way the events of the previous book clearly altered things (for many) are just cool to see. The discovery that there’s more supernatural activity (and connections with humans) in Lychford was a great bonus. The Gnomes and Gnomish culture—again—just fantastic. I worried about the podcaster idea at the beginning, but I really came around to it. The return of Zoya and her daughter was wonderful to see—I’d honestly (sadly) forgotten all about them, and getting the memory jogged was wonderful. The out-of-nowhere love story worked so well, too; it just charmed me no end.
Basically, aside from Lizzie, this was just great (and her stuff wasn’t bad, per se, just disappointing).
I always enjoy a quick visit to Lychford, and this is one of the better—you’d do yourself a favor if you picked up this series. I look forward to the new direction it seems to be taking.
---
Autumn quickly filled in some gaps in her knowledge of supernatural beings. “They’re usually incredibly laid-back. What do they want?”
Lizzie read from the leaflet. “They demand that ‘the old promise must be kept,’ whatever that means. That ‘crude depictions of their bodies and culture’ must cease—”
“Do they mean—?”
“Garden gnomes.”
“Around here, that’s a big ask.”
WHAT'S GNOMES OF LYCHFORD ABOUT?
The people of Lychford have a new challenge facing them—podcasters.
Yes, that's right—after the events of the last book, rumors have started spreading about Lychford. They've caught the attention of podcasters who love debunking supernatural urban legends and the like. So they're wandering around, asking questions that no one wants to answer.
And they're not the worst thing facing the citizenry. They've annoyed the Gnomes, too. And they have demands. Not only do they have demands, but these tiny aggressors have the ability to back up their threats. If only any of the humans in Lychford could understand the demands (other than the ones about the garden gnomes).
THE GNOMES
The gnome king was about half a metre tall, and wore a golden, ceremonial version of the work apron and tool belt she’d seen on a lot of gnomes; plus, of course, more facial hair than seemed feasible. His little blue eyes peered from a mass of it like he was a particularly perplexed beagle. His name, oddly to Autumn’s ears, was Greg. That was bound to happen from time to time, though. The chosen names of other races would sometimes seem very like human ones.
These gnomes are ridiculous; their threats, however, aren’t. And they seem to be able to follow through with them. You can easily bounce between chuckling at them and then being glad they don’t really exist.
Cornell shows us this new race and new world in a very economical fashion—he spent book after book setting up everything else for us (that’s not a complaint), and he does almost as good a job in this book in just a few pages. Sure, a lot of that is building on the foundation from those other books—but not all of it.
So not only did I enjoy his gnomes and gnomish culture—I’m impressed by how he gave it to us.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK OF GNOMES OF LYCHFORD?
I'm worried about her. And I'm worried about her dropping the ball. When ‘the ball’ might be, I don’t know, the universe.”
One of the best parts of this series has been its awareness that this is a somewhat silly idea, but Cornell’s largely addressed it in a serious way. And that combination works well. It’s done particularly well in this volume—better than in some of the earlier works. There’s a strong stream of comedy throughout—but the dangers to the town are never a joke, and everyone treats them accordingly.
I do not like the way Lizzie was handled here—in almost any way. From the way she’s dealing with her romantic issues to the way she reacted during the crisis, it didn’t feel like her—she was the reader’s entry point to this world, and for her to be so off puts a dampener on a lot of the book. Her inner monologue about faith and comfort, I should add, was fantastic.
That said—just about every other thing made up for it. The town meetings—just great. The town’s involvement in everything else, too—and the way the events of the previous book clearly altered things (for many) are just cool to see. The discovery that there’s more supernatural activity (and connections with humans) in Lychford was a great bonus. The Gnomes and Gnomish culture—again—just fantastic. I worried about the podcaster idea at the beginning, but I really came around to it. The return of Zoya and her daughter was wonderful to see—I’d honestly (sadly) forgotten all about them, and getting the memory jogged was wonderful. The out-of-nowhere love story worked so well, too; it just charmed me no end.
Basically, aside from Lizzie, this was just great (and her stuff wasn’t bad, per se, just disappointing).
I always enjoy a quick visit to Lychford, and this is one of the better—you’d do yourself a favor if you picked up this series. I look forward to the new direction it seems to be taking.
October 2, 2025
I really liked the last 5 books but this the 6th in the Witches of Lychford series, just fell a bit flat. It felt like I was reading a short and odd Thursday Murder Club, with confused old locals starting a mob to a very lack lustre storyline.
It spent more time with Lizzies (the vicars) dilemma of being gay and loving her friend and her constant state of fear of the world than anything else. None of the characters grew in anyway and it seemed like this was an after thought of a book.
I think the series has had its day.
It spent more time with Lizzies (the vicars) dilemma of being gay and loving her friend and her constant state of fear of the world than anything else. None of the characters grew in anyway and it seemed like this was an after thought of a book.
I think the series has had its day.
November 7, 2025
Lychford was as entertaining as always with a bit of extra fun thrown in. This book was light-hearted when compared to the previous installments, but there was still a lot of truth about people on the page.
August 9, 2025
I'm new to the world of Lychford, but I will definitely be back to read the first five books!
The lives of the people in this stereotypically quaint Cotswold village are... different. In this book, there are gnomes. Not the garden kind, the actually living kind. And they're not happy. Beyond that, there are moments that just made me laugh (eg. the Vicar getting excited by a visit from a Jehovah's Witness, who is quite eager to get away from the Vicar).
This is less political than Discworld, but the sense of whimsy is very close.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
The lives of the people in this stereotypically quaint Cotswold village are... different. In this book, there are gnomes. Not the garden kind, the actually living kind. And they're not happy. Beyond that, there are moments that just made me laugh (eg. the Vicar getting excited by a visit from a Jehovah's Witness, who is quite eager to get away from the Vicar).
This is less political than Discworld, but the sense of whimsy is very close.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
September 28, 2025
7 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
Following the awakening rain from a few years past, the residents of Lychford have been opened to the supernatural, and everything that goes bump in the night. They may have banded together to defend the world before, but when the latest threat arrives, they don’t know how to deal with it.
Partly because, at first, the threat hangs out in the corners of rooms, or leaves friendly (if demanding) notes on doorsteps, windows, or in with the post. That’s right, the gnomes have arrived in Lychford, and they’re… mostly a curiosity. Harmless.
Their demands are ridiculous, of course. Demands that allude to a promise broken, and dire consequences in store. Humanity should quake in their boots and all that. But, seeing as how they’re gnomes… well, perhaps not.
But when things start exploding and catching fire, when the rest of the world starts to notice Lychford—the gnomes have to go. Problem is, no one knows how to make that happen.
But someone better find out—and quick.
—
A short, humorous, and somewhat surprising return to a Lychford series that seemed to already be completed rather nicely. Don’t get me wrong, Last Stand in Lychford left some questions unanswered and some lingering, niggling issues, but while Gnomes addresses some of these, it also leaves others, while simultaneously opening more doors it doesn’t bother closing afterwards.
If Gnomes didn’t feature the same cast, setting, and author, I would’ve almost pegged it as a parody. But Autumn, Lizzie, and Zola all return, along with a fair number of familiar faces. It features the humorous tone—I mean, it’s about the havoc wrought by a doncy of gnomes, after all—and somewhat humorous chaos, which suddenly turns very serious, before once again turning ridiculous. Entertaining, no doubt. Dramatic… kinda, yeah, after a fashion. Almost manages to be action-packed, even.
The plot is where Gnomes struggles. The story itself is fairly straightforward. There are gnomes, all of sudden, and all manner of mischief. A mystery unfolds and secrets abound. Then it’s just the matter of solving it. Nothing too complex; but it’s a novella, there’s not time for anything more. The overarching plot is a bit of an issue. See, things have changed in Lychford. And where Last Stand wrapped things up mostly well for our coven of witches, it didn’t really address the rest of the town. Gnomes provides resolution to some of these avenues, while leaving others unfinished. Lizzie’s story, in particular, chafed in its irresolution.
TL;DR
Despite being little more than an addendum upon an already completed series, despite offering little more resolution than Last Stand before it, Gnomes of Lychford tells a humorous, entertaining, and occasionally even dramatic story about the day that gnomes invaded the sleepy border town of Lychford. Recommended for fans of the series, or perhaps those curious about starting it—be aware, however, of spoilers from the main five books. Still, though, I enjoyed it. And for the $5 price-tag on the ebook, I’d definitely recommend Gnomes.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
Following the awakening rain from a few years past, the residents of Lychford have been opened to the supernatural, and everything that goes bump in the night. They may have banded together to defend the world before, but when the latest threat arrives, they don’t know how to deal with it.
Partly because, at first, the threat hangs out in the corners of rooms, or leaves friendly (if demanding) notes on doorsteps, windows, or in with the post. That’s right, the gnomes have arrived in Lychford, and they’re… mostly a curiosity. Harmless.
Their demands are ridiculous, of course. Demands that allude to a promise broken, and dire consequences in store. Humanity should quake in their boots and all that. But, seeing as how they’re gnomes… well, perhaps not.
But when things start exploding and catching fire, when the rest of the world starts to notice Lychford—the gnomes have to go. Problem is, no one knows how to make that happen.
But someone better find out—and quick.
—
A short, humorous, and somewhat surprising return to a Lychford series that seemed to already be completed rather nicely. Don’t get me wrong, Last Stand in Lychford left some questions unanswered and some lingering, niggling issues, but while Gnomes addresses some of these, it also leaves others, while simultaneously opening more doors it doesn’t bother closing afterwards.
If Gnomes didn’t feature the same cast, setting, and author, I would’ve almost pegged it as a parody. But Autumn, Lizzie, and Zola all return, along with a fair number of familiar faces. It features the humorous tone—I mean, it’s about the havoc wrought by a doncy of gnomes, after all—and somewhat humorous chaos, which suddenly turns very serious, before once again turning ridiculous. Entertaining, no doubt. Dramatic… kinda, yeah, after a fashion. Almost manages to be action-packed, even.
The plot is where Gnomes struggles. The story itself is fairly straightforward. There are gnomes, all of sudden, and all manner of mischief. A mystery unfolds and secrets abound. Then it’s just the matter of solving it. Nothing too complex; but it’s a novella, there’s not time for anything more. The overarching plot is a bit of an issue. See, things have changed in Lychford. And where Last Stand wrapped things up mostly well for our coven of witches, it didn’t really address the rest of the town. Gnomes provides resolution to some of these avenues, while leaving others unfinished. Lizzie’s story, in particular, chafed in its irresolution.
TL;DR
Despite being little more than an addendum upon an already completed series, despite offering little more resolution than Last Stand before it, Gnomes of Lychford tells a humorous, entertaining, and occasionally even dramatic story about the day that gnomes invaded the sleepy border town of Lychford. Recommended for fans of the series, or perhaps those curious about starting it—be aware, however, of spoilers from the main five books. Still, though, I enjoyed it. And for the $5 price-tag on the ebook, I’d definitely recommend Gnomes.
September 22, 2025
Smurfs!
No, not really, and there would be a ritual burning in my garden if they heard me, but this very last (is it, really?) in the Lychford series is far more light-hearted than the earlier ones, with homage (or ridicule of) to a decent share of popular culture items, quite possibly including our blue friends.
It was a delight to re-enter the weird world of Lychford again; the characters are real enough to be credible, but Cornell is not too harsh on even the less savoury ones; the world-building, as usual, draws you straight in; the plot is well-paced, with enough danger and suspense to entertain - the only bad thing I could say is that it is too short, but in fact it is the perfect length for the story that's in it, I just wanted to stay there a little longer (that's why I've already bought it and can re-read at will).
A perfect Halloween read for grown-ups, my thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC, all gushing opinions are my own.
No, not really, and there would be a ritual burning in my garden if they heard me, but this very last (is it, really?) in the Lychford series is far more light-hearted than the earlier ones, with homage (or ridicule of) to a decent share of popular culture items, quite possibly including our blue friends.
It was a delight to re-enter the weird world of Lychford again; the characters are real enough to be credible, but Cornell is not too harsh on even the less savoury ones; the world-building, as usual, draws you straight in; the plot is well-paced, with enough danger and suspense to entertain - the only bad thing I could say is that it is too short, but in fact it is the perfect length for the story that's in it, I just wanted to stay there a little longer (that's why I've already bought it and can re-read at will).
A perfect Halloween read for grown-ups, my thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC, all gushing opinions are my own.
August 24, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
I was delighted to see another Lychford novella, and have the chance to read an advance copy.
As you can tell from the title, this entry in the series is somewhat more lighthearted than some of the others. There are gnomes, and they're not happy, and because everyone in Lychford knows about supernatural/otherworldly stuff now, there's a lot of different opinions about what to do.
Imagine Midsomer Murders meets Supernatural.
Read them all in order if you're not familiar with the series. This has also reminded me that I should reread the Shadow Police.
I was delighted to see another Lychford novella, and have the chance to read an advance copy.
As you can tell from the title, this entry in the series is somewhat more lighthearted than some of the others. There are gnomes, and they're not happy, and because everyone in Lychford knows about supernatural/otherworldly stuff now, there's a lot of different opinions about what to do.
Imagine Midsomer Murders meets Supernatural.
Read them all in order if you're not familiar with the series. This has also reminded me that I should reread the Shadow Police.
October 18, 2025
I really enjoyed this, although I see from other reviews that I’m not the only one who was surprised it existed, given the previous one was supposedly the final book in the series! Not that I’m complaining; it was a delight to return to the village of Lychford and its inhabitants!
I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Uncanny, er, Unworldly podcast and the gentle lampooning of Danny Robins, er, Robin Daniels; I was howling with laughter at some of their scenes!
Is this the final book in the series? Or just the “final” book? 🤔😉
I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Uncanny, er, Unworldly podcast and the gentle lampooning of Danny Robins, er, Robin Daniels; I was howling with laughter at some of their scenes!
Is this the final book in the series? Or just the “final” book? 🤔😉
October 28, 2025
A surprise coda to the previous five books! And a welcome one. We get more Lizzie, Autumn and Zoya, and we get to see what's gone on in Lychford since the end of book 5 -- which involves the outside world, and newcomers, and builders, and, out of left field, Gnome Nation.
A bit of a warning: if this book has cropped up in your Suggested Reading but you haven't read the previous books, do yourself a favor and go start with book 1. You don't get quite enough backstory in this one to appreciate the character arcs involved.
A bit of a warning: if this book has cropped up in your Suggested Reading but you haven't read the previous books, do yourself a favor and go start with book 1. You don't get quite enough backstory in this one to appreciate the character arcs involved.
November 13, 2025
I was so pleased that we got another Lychford novella. This was much lighter fare than the last couple in the series (minus Lizzie's anxiety) and the gentle humor was very welcome. The gnomes and their world were quite fun. Some old folks getting riled up to the point of forming a mob with pitchforks and torches because they were kindly asked to take down their garden gnomes is sadly very accurate human behavior.
December 4, 2025
This was a great little to-do about gnomes showing up in Lychford, maybe having an opinion about garden gnomes and also the local history monument, people being touchy over perception of local history, and also a random paranormal podcast showing up to fuck things up. Also, the newest member's kid might be a bit magic! Great combination of funny and soulful. This is also apparently the end of the series??
September 12, 2025
The Night of the Gnomes
Reality has come to Lychford and not everyone is happy. If you’ve tried this series, you will love this story. Everybody has a part in this night of crazy events. It’s a quick, easy read with lots of action, fun and magic. I’m looking forward to visiting Lychford again!
Reality has come to Lychford and not everyone is happy. If you’ve tried this series, you will love this story. Everybody has a part in this night of crazy events. It’s a quick, easy read with lots of action, fun and magic. I’m looking forward to visiting Lychford again!
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October 7, 2025A lovely return to the magical town of Lychford! The town has been issued some demands by the local gnomes and if they don’t figure out what they mean- the gnomes have threatened their war memorial with destruction… or have they? Several villagers have secrets and they need to share before the town is torn apart. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC . My opinions are my own.
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January 24, 2025Technically the newsletter version I read was an earlier draft, but the blurb suggests that this revision will retain the absolute monstering of a certain pseudo-spooky podcaster, so I have no hesitation in recommending this version too.
September 26, 2025
Enjoyable read
Great book ,I love the whole mythology of the Lychford series of books, was so glad to see this new one and bought it straight away. Thank you again to Paul Cornell for another great tale!
Great book ,I love the whole mythology of the Lychford series of books, was so glad to see this new one and bought it straight away. Thank you again to Paul Cornell for another great tale!
December 20, 2025
The references to the author's life and to the Uncanny podcast made this Lychford novel a special treat.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews