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The Spirit of the Age
Town meets Country. But are they ready for each other?
Married off and exiled, young Muslim townie Skandi Khan starts a new life in rural Dorset. Her neighbors - hapless James, charmless Roger, prickly Stephanie, and soul-eating sea-demon Sireen - are friendly, and Skandi takes to the police force as if born to it. If she can just sort out her marriage.
But after a local gangmaster turns up dead, events take increasingly shocking turns. Among the cast of thousands there are posh people... a lot of them. And possibly witches.
In the midst of murder, mayhem and marriages, can anyone win through to happily ever after?
Praise from readers:
★★★★★ - "One of the most unique novels I've read in years. Hugely imaginative, very entertaining, and has plenty of humor to boot."
★★★★★ - A beautifully crafted tale that forces the reader to face the stark realities of country life in modern Britain one minute, then suspend belief in reality the next. Thoroughly enjoyable reading."
451 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2014
13 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
David Melville Edwards
1 book7 followersThis is me, as I present myself to my customers.
"Mr Edwards has spent the last thirty five years as an Independent IT Consultant (www.e2-systems.co.uk), carrying out assignments all over the world. He is a trouble shooter ... extensive consultancy experience ... occasional speaker at User Groups... designed and developed software products ... Supernat ... PATH ... strategic vision ... mastery of detail ... blah, blah blah"
Were we to meet socially, you would learn that I have been married for thirty eight years, have four children, all now in their thirties, and that I swapped the last one for a demented parent when moving out of our family home last year.
In 'The Spirit Of The Age', my first completed novel, a disparate group of people, thrown together in darkest Dorset, strive for a sense of community against a post-pastoral backdrop of shady goings on and murder in austerity Britain.
I have written a book that I enjoy reading. Whilst I hope my readers will find it funny, and it includes many elements of farce, it addresses themes that I care about. Peoples' relationships with each other and society at large. How these are influenced by nature, proximity, and belief, in healthy and unhealthy ways. How proximity builds community. And aspects of our society that, based on my observations, could work better.
There are elements of fantasy, to make it clear that this is a novel, not a documentary, and a knowledgeable reader will recognise that I have taken liberties with the geography of Dorset to the West of Poole. But otherwise I have tried to write honestly.
I have always wanted to write. I abandoned the novel I started the year after I graduated, feeling that with so little experience of life beyond school and university, I could have nothing interesting to say. I leave others to judge whether this remains the case.
"Mr Edwards has spent the last thirty five years as an Independent IT Consultant (www.e2-systems.co.uk), carrying out assignments all over the world. He is a trouble shooter ... extensive consultancy experience ... occasional speaker at User Groups... designed and developed software products ... Supernat ... PATH ... strategic vision ... mastery of detail ... blah, blah blah"
Were we to meet socially, you would learn that I have been married for thirty eight years, have four children, all now in their thirties, and that I swapped the last one for a demented parent when moving out of our family home last year.
In 'The Spirit Of The Age', my first completed novel, a disparate group of people, thrown together in darkest Dorset, strive for a sense of community against a post-pastoral backdrop of shady goings on and murder in austerity Britain.
I have written a book that I enjoy reading. Whilst I hope my readers will find it funny, and it includes many elements of farce, it addresses themes that I care about. Peoples' relationships with each other and society at large. How these are influenced by nature, proximity, and belief, in healthy and unhealthy ways. How proximity builds community. And aspects of our society that, based on my observations, could work better.
There are elements of fantasy, to make it clear that this is a novel, not a documentary, and a knowledgeable reader will recognise that I have taken liberties with the geography of Dorset to the West of Poole. But otherwise I have tried to write honestly.
I have always wanted to write. I abandoned the novel I started the year after I graduated, feeling that with so little experience of life beyond school and university, I could have nothing interesting to say. I leave others to judge whether this remains the case.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2017
The storyline jumps from one improbable happening to another while you ponder the strangeness of the human and nonhuman race. What is it about selkies that brings out the sexual writings of an author? This is the third author I’ve read using a selkie as a main character, and, of course, like the others, sex is immediately introduced. Not that I’m against that. I just wonder why that is the trigger. The writing is excellent, the characters funny and well developed, but the long chapter on cricket left me limp and bored. Play by play of any sports game is boring in the extreme. Then the murder wasn’t exactly solved, nor was the fate of the stolen statue. The poking fun at certain software updates was amusing. You won’t be bored except for the one chapter. If you love cricket, you will like that chapter best of all
July 28, 2016
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE is one of the most unique novels I've read in years. It really took me by surprise. It is hugely imaginative, very entertaining, and has plenty of humor to boot.
An eclectic group of characters gather in the small English town of Dorset. The story winds through the happenings of this village and its people; its city politics, its intercultural relations, and the author has added some mysticism and love. Yes, in many ways it’s true to life, but also a fantasy. The descriptions of the town and terrain are vivid enough to take you there. The constantly evolving interactions between the town’s people never stops. Most appreciative, when I thought I new where the story was leading, it threw me a curve. It's one of those novels that, once you're into it, you never want it to end.
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE is a delightful read. Find a nice chair, sit back, and be ready for a wild and amusing ride.
An eclectic group of characters gather in the small English town of Dorset. The story winds through the happenings of this village and its people; its city politics, its intercultural relations, and the author has added some mysticism and love. Yes, in many ways it’s true to life, but also a fantasy. The descriptions of the town and terrain are vivid enough to take you there. The constantly evolving interactions between the town’s people never stops. Most appreciative, when I thought I new where the story was leading, it threw me a curve. It's one of those novels that, once you're into it, you never want it to end.
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE is a delightful read. Find a nice chair, sit back, and be ready for a wild and amusing ride.
January 6, 2017
I thought I could dive right in and tear through this book in a weekend, but I was outmaneuvered by its wildly creative author. Filled with vibrant, intricate descriptions that had me reading, then re-reading so I could immerse myself in the landscape, and a diverse, ingeniously developed group of characters that filled me with curiosity as well as confusion; the story transported me through time and place to a small village in Dorset, a place I’d love to visit at any invitation, though now, perhaps, more than usual.
The contrasting incidences and multifaceted relationships kept me intrigued even when I hadn’t a clue what was going on. Humorously recounted in a pace that made me want to settle back into a setae with a fine cuppa, this unique tale is definitely one for the bookshelf or TBRList. Spirit of the Age weaves a tapestry that will warm the heart.
The contrasting incidences and multifaceted relationships kept me intrigued even when I hadn’t a clue what was going on. Humorously recounted in a pace that made me want to settle back into a setae with a fine cuppa, this unique tale is definitely one for the bookshelf or TBRList. Spirit of the Age weaves a tapestry that will warm the heart.
February 24, 2017
I found this a most unusual read, crossing the boundaries of supernatural and traditional mystery with a sprinkling of crime and romance, all served with lashings of wry humour.
The central characters were well defined and interesting to a level that you really cared and needed to read on to learn what would happen to them. They were supported by a curiously strange range of characters to come together in a small Dorset village.
Descriptions were sometimes lengthy and detailed with the overall result being a very satisfying read
The central characters were well defined and interesting to a level that you really cared and needed to read on to learn what would happen to them. They were supported by a curiously strange range of characters to come together in a small Dorset village.
Descriptions were sometimes lengthy and detailed with the overall result being a very satisfying read
August 16, 2020
The Spirit of the Age by David Melville Edwards
Set in Dorset, this is a real mix of situations, some comical and others dark from murder, and caches of guns to sexual problems and choir singing.
With a real mix of characters including Muslims and mermaids, this sure is an eclectic group of characters. There’s Majid who runs the post office and his policewoman new bride Skandi. Not forgetting Sireen a mermaid, with less than dubious looks, who appeared one misty evening and entranced James into a relationship. There’s a female vicar who coerces most of the characters into the church choir, and the subsequent resurrection of the cricket club all add to the multicultural relationships in the village.
I loved the deliciously funny names of the characters from farmers (Mabel Gutbicket) to the upper class: Tara Bonkington and the Marquess of Fondlesham.
My one qualm would be that not being into sport at all (I even flick past the Quiddich matches in Harry Potter books) I found the description of the training and cricket match a little long, but the book is definitely an original read.
Set in Dorset, this is a real mix of situations, some comical and others dark from murder, and caches of guns to sexual problems and choir singing.
With a real mix of characters including Muslims and mermaids, this sure is an eclectic group of characters. There’s Majid who runs the post office and his policewoman new bride Skandi. Not forgetting Sireen a mermaid, with less than dubious looks, who appeared one misty evening and entranced James into a relationship. There’s a female vicar who coerces most of the characters into the church choir, and the subsequent resurrection of the cricket club all add to the multicultural relationships in the village.
I loved the deliciously funny names of the characters from farmers (Mabel Gutbicket) to the upper class: Tara Bonkington and the Marquess of Fondlesham.
My one qualm would be that not being into sport at all (I even flick past the Quiddich matches in Harry Potter books) I found the description of the training and cricket match a little long, but the book is definitely an original read.
April 6, 2019
I did want to rate this more than two stars but had to mark it down because in places it was overwritten. As much as I love the game of cricket the story didn't need a ball by ball description of a T20 match. The highly detailed lessons on the religious aspects in the book did not need as much detail. I nearly gave up the book at both those points.
The mysterious lady of the sea? Really?
The rest was a fun and enjoyable read for me.
The mysterious lady of the sea? Really?
The rest was a fun and enjoyable read for me.
May 17, 2019
How many readers will get past the first sentence, which starts "Chipboard base units run round two walls of the small, dark, kitchen ..."? Thereafter, the narrative shifts to an exposition of the glories of famously decaying multi-cultural Hounslow (possibly a homage to the Charles Dickens 'Fog' description in 'Bleak House') whose relationship to the rest of the novel only becomes clear in the penultimate chapter. The author's uncompromising pursuit of his artistic vision makes no concession to any notion of hooking the reader from the beginning.
This is not the only departure from accepted norms of novel writing. The author delights in alliteration, specifically contradicting readers' expectations as to the appearance of characters, and contrasting high-falutin' writing with clichés. If JRR Tolkien can inflict Tom Bombadil's execrable doggerel on readers of 'Lord of the Rings', David Melville Edwards has a license for similar, though in this case, there is less verse, and its execrability is clearly for comic effect.
But anyone who does give up will be missing out on a really good read. The characters are finely drawn and engaging, whilst the intricate plotting of the multiple story strands manages to find a plausible way through a succession of absurd, bizarre and sometimes comical situations. The treatment of magic is especially impressive, 'realist magical realism'. The writing is exuberant throughout.
In conclusion, the book addresses grand themes of identity, alienation, damnation, salvation and redemption without ever taking itself too seriously, and I cannot recommend it too highly. Five Stars.
This is not the only departure from accepted norms of novel writing. The author delights in alliteration, specifically contradicting readers' expectations as to the appearance of characters, and contrasting high-falutin' writing with clichés. If JRR Tolkien can inflict Tom Bombadil's execrable doggerel on readers of 'Lord of the Rings', David Melville Edwards has a license for similar, though in this case, there is less verse, and its execrability is clearly for comic effect.
But anyone who does give up will be missing out on a really good read. The characters are finely drawn and engaging, whilst the intricate plotting of the multiple story strands manages to find a plausible way through a succession of absurd, bizarre and sometimes comical situations. The treatment of magic is especially impressive, 'realist magical realism'. The writing is exuberant throughout.
In conclusion, the book addresses grand themes of identity, alienation, damnation, salvation and redemption without ever taking itself too seriously, and I cannot recommend it too highly. Five Stars.
October 7, 2016
I can write my own review of my own book? Seriously? Well, of course, reading this book will change your life. Members of whichever sex you are drawn to will instantly find you irresistibly attractive, people will shower you with money as you walk along the pavement ...
Or possibly not.
But at a ha'penny a page, what have you got to lose?
There are thrills, spills, and laughter aplenty as Probationary Police Constable Skandi Khan, her husband Majid, a cricket-mad rural sub-postmaster with doubts about his sexuality, her Islamic Scholar brother Khalid, hapless IT operative James, thrusting and charmless Financial Executive Roger, prickly Human Resources Manager Stephanie, and soul-eating sea-demon Sireen cut a swathe through rural Dorset.
Don't take my word for it; you can buy it at The Spirit Of The Age and see for yourself!
Or possibly not.
But at a ha'penny a page, what have you got to lose?
There are thrills, spills, and laughter aplenty as Probationary Police Constable Skandi Khan, her husband Majid, a cricket-mad rural sub-postmaster with doubts about his sexuality, her Islamic Scholar brother Khalid, hapless IT operative James, thrusting and charmless Financial Executive Roger, prickly Human Resources Manager Stephanie, and soul-eating sea-demon Sireen cut a swathe through rural Dorset.
Don't take my word for it; you can buy it at The Spirit Of The Age and see for yourself!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews