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The Witch, the Seed and the Scalpel
Edinburgh 1841.
Reaching out like a hungry white worm it twisted and spiralled, tasting the air. Then, evidently attracted by the flow of warm blood, it squirmed its way under the surface of my skin.
Every autumn without fail, a strange seed appears on the chestnut tree that marks the spot where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered.
Legend states that anyone who catches this nut before it hits the ground will be blessed with untold riches, but when it falls into the eager hands of botanist Joseph Ware, the seed unleashes a terrible curse. In his quest to find the cure, Joseph discovers a resistance group battling to save the last of Scotland's witches from a sinister order of surgeons who believe the key to all magic lies hidden somewhere within a witch's anatomy.
The conflict quickly tears apart the bonds of family, friendship and even reality itself, as Joseph fights to save his soul and avoid the anatomists' dissecting table.
Ideal for readers of The Last Witch in Scotland, The Witches of Vardo, Bram Stoker or for those with an interest in witchcraft lore.
Reaching out like a hungry white worm it twisted and spiralled, tasting the air. Then, evidently attracted by the flow of warm blood, it squirmed its way under the surface of my skin.
Every autumn without fail, a strange seed appears on the chestnut tree that marks the spot where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered.
Legend states that anyone who catches this nut before it hits the ground will be blessed with untold riches, but when it falls into the eager hands of botanist Joseph Ware, the seed unleashes a terrible curse. In his quest to find the cure, Joseph discovers a resistance group battling to save the last of Scotland's witches from a sinister order of surgeons who believe the key to all magic lies hidden somewhere within a witch's anatomy.
The conflict quickly tears apart the bonds of family, friendship and even reality itself, as Joseph fights to save his soul and avoid the anatomists' dissecting table.
Ideal for readers of The Last Witch in Scotland, The Witches of Vardo, Bram Stoker or for those with an interest in witchcraft lore.
280 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2025
About the author
Scott O'Neill
3 books18 followersScott O'Neill is a Scottish author of contemporary and historical fiction. Published by McNidder & Grace, his latest novel - The Witch, The Seed & The Scalpel - is a horror story steeped in the gothic tradition.
Earlier works include the novels The Buzz Building (2014), The Hectic Headspace of Abigail Squall (2018), and the screenplay for the 2017 horror film ‘The Circle’. A sequel, ‘The Circle: Awakening’, is due for release in 2026.
Scott is currently working on a sequel to The Witch, The Seed & The Scalpel.
Earlier works include the novels The Buzz Building (2014), The Hectic Headspace of Abigail Squall (2018), and the screenplay for the 2017 horror film ‘The Circle’. A sequel, ‘The Circle: Awakening’, is due for release in 2026.
Scott is currently working on a sequel to The Witch, The Seed & The Scalpel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 30, 2025
After catching a chestnut of legendary proportions from a tree, a young botanist’s life is changed in unthinkable ways in The Witch, the Seed and the Scalpel by Scott O’Neill.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Joseph Ware has grown up learning everything there is to know about plants from his parents, a famous duo with his father gathering samples from around the world to write about in their books while his mother paints the illustrations to accompany the entries. But botanical knowledge isn’t all that occupies his mind; Joseph has also been schooled repeatedly in the lore of the chestnut tree, or the Witch Tree, where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered by Gladius Dei, a group of witch hunters, and upon whose branches a legendary chestnut hangs that’s said to bring untold riches to whosoever catches it. After successfully catching the elusive chestnut with the help of his cousin Molly, Joseph finds himself cursed, experiencing the horrific deaths of living things that comprise the goods of daily life, consuming dirt, and undergoing bodily changes that bring him ever closer to becoming a tree. While trying to understand what’s happening to him, Joseph discovers that he’s now at the center of a long-standing battle between forces fighting over the continued existence of witches, and what he learns about the Circle, the protectors of witches, and Gladius Dei will test the bonds of family and friendship as Joseph fights to remain alive and undissected.
An eerie, engrossing exploration of the interplay of and conflicts between nature, science, and religion play out in a narrative with interwoven elements of the supernatural and conspiracy that foster intrigue. Offering vivid depictions of the experiences Joseph had communing with nature in a deep way through innocuous touches of inanimate objects, deeper thought is encouraged into what living things go into the creation of items used every day, filling the story with descriptive imagery that fuels the imagination of the horrific and the surreal. Incorporating lore on witchcraft, through both orally told stories passed down within fireside or bedside tales and the written pages of a book, the story thoroughly builds out the role of witches within the historical setting of Edinburgh, and the world, as well as those who plot against them and seek to find the heart of their magic. With gradually developing and periodic scenes of more intense action with high stakes, the narrative concludes at a point of reasonable resolution, though there remains a major revelatory aspect, newly pursued, that would likely bring a more permanent and satisfactory resolution to the chaos recently unfolded.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Joseph Ware has grown up learning everything there is to know about plants from his parents, a famous duo with his father gathering samples from around the world to write about in their books while his mother paints the illustrations to accompany the entries. But botanical knowledge isn’t all that occupies his mind; Joseph has also been schooled repeatedly in the lore of the chestnut tree, or the Witch Tree, where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered by Gladius Dei, a group of witch hunters, and upon whose branches a legendary chestnut hangs that’s said to bring untold riches to whosoever catches it. After successfully catching the elusive chestnut with the help of his cousin Molly, Joseph finds himself cursed, experiencing the horrific deaths of living things that comprise the goods of daily life, consuming dirt, and undergoing bodily changes that bring him ever closer to becoming a tree. While trying to understand what’s happening to him, Joseph discovers that he’s now at the center of a long-standing battle between forces fighting over the continued existence of witches, and what he learns about the Circle, the protectors of witches, and Gladius Dei will test the bonds of family and friendship as Joseph fights to remain alive and undissected.
An eerie, engrossing exploration of the interplay of and conflicts between nature, science, and religion play out in a narrative with interwoven elements of the supernatural and conspiracy that foster intrigue. Offering vivid depictions of the experiences Joseph had communing with nature in a deep way through innocuous touches of inanimate objects, deeper thought is encouraged into what living things go into the creation of items used every day, filling the story with descriptive imagery that fuels the imagination of the horrific and the surreal. Incorporating lore on witchcraft, through both orally told stories passed down within fireside or bedside tales and the written pages of a book, the story thoroughly builds out the role of witches within the historical setting of Edinburgh, and the world, as well as those who plot against them and seek to find the heart of their magic. With gradually developing and periodic scenes of more intense action with high stakes, the narrative concludes at a point of reasonable resolution, though there remains a major revelatory aspect, newly pursued, that would likely bring a more permanent and satisfactory resolution to the chaos recently unfolded.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2025
I can honestly say this was one of the strangest books I have ever read. There were times when I almost gave up, as I found some of Joseph’s visions where he talks about animal suffering (which I can relate to as a vegetarian) very upsetting. But please don’t be put off. It’s only a small part of the story, and everything else was just brilliant.
It’s a masterpiece of storytelling and modern Gothic literature – it’s use of language poetic and lyrical. It flows with the grace of a winding river, and the main characters are beautifully written and sympathetic.
And I admit I cried at the end, though I’m not sure whether it was tears of sadness or happiness for Joseph. But my favourite character was his cousin Molly, still so young, but brave, steadfast and loyal. In fact the whole story is very women-focused, the men being mainly sadistic torturers of witches, while the women understand the powers of nature, herbs and healing.
*Interesting to note that Gladius Dei was a book by Thomas Mann, though there is no parallel with this story. On the other hand the Viscus of Devilry – the seat of evil in a witch – seems to be a total invention by the author.
Many thanks to www.mcnidderandgrace.com for an ARC.
It’s a masterpiece of storytelling and modern Gothic literature – it’s use of language poetic and lyrical. It flows with the grace of a winding river, and the main characters are beautifully written and sympathetic.
And I admit I cried at the end, though I’m not sure whether it was tears of sadness or happiness for Joseph. But my favourite character was his cousin Molly, still so young, but brave, steadfast and loyal. In fact the whole story is very women-focused, the men being mainly sadistic torturers of witches, while the women understand the powers of nature, herbs and healing.
*Interesting to note that Gladius Dei was a book by Thomas Mann, though there is no parallel with this story. On the other hand the Viscus of Devilry – the seat of evil in a witch – seems to be a total invention by the author.
Many thanks to www.mcnidderandgrace.com for an ARC.
December 31, 2025
Well, this was difficult to put down. I was totally enthralled by the story with its threads woven through time and the dark, dirty streets of Edinburgh in 1841. There are parts of this story that mix fact and fiction which was very smartly done. As I read, it was so easy to see the story play out as if it was a film. The characters were all well developed and totally believable, especially the main character Joseph. What an amazing journey he took, accompanied by women who were very strong, but tender. The ending was pretty brilliant and unexpected. I think this clever, enthralling story is about more than witchcraft but the environment, large companies and power hungry men. It's so relevant to today.
July 20, 2025
Fabulously told, this high gothic page-turner fuses witchcraft, nature and Victorian piety and arrogance in a thought-provoking and profound tale that leaves the reader thirsting for more. Relevant to today’s fissure between man and nature, Scott O’Neill’s book is sympathetic to the natural world and those who defend it, whilst at the same time evoking 18th Century Edinburgh in all its bloodied madness and cruelty. At times not for the faint hearted, this is a brilliant evocation and exploration of the witches in Scotland and their treatment.
April 5, 2026
Never thought goth horror would be something I'd pick up and enjoy reading but I was delightfully surprised reading Scott's book. I was captivated from the beginning and it turned into a wild tale full of twists and shocks. I loved the descriptions given, my favourite being the "gregarious trees"!
A great read and looking forward to the sequel.
A great read and looking forward to the sequel.
May 31, 2025
all hail the witches
October 21, 2025
The writing is magnetic and the plot inspired! Amazing!
April 15, 2026
I’ve read all of Scott’s books and this one especially had me gripped! A great read from beginning to end- definitely hoping that there will be a follow up book- would absolutely recommend.
July 27, 2026
Loved this book. The writing was fantastic and the storyline had me hooked until the end
March 31, 2026
As a newcomer to the world of Gothic horror, I was absolutely blown away by this book. From the very first page, I was hooked by Scott O’Neill’s rhythmic narrative which completely captivated me, painting vivid landscapes in my mind that shifted colour, shape and form as the story progressed. The exploration of nature versus science viewed through the lens of patriarchy and misogyny felt so powerful and resonated with me on a personal, visceral level.
Thank you, Scott O'Neill, for such an amazing first exploration of this genre!
Thank you, Scott O'Neill, for such an amazing first exploration of this genre!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews