In the Shadow of the Witch

by Brian White

Your life will never be the same once the Coma Witch enters it. This is a fact Trevor, an innocent blacksmith, must face once forced to make a deal in order to save his son’s life. When the witch demands payment, Trevor is unable to deliver his end of the bargain starting a vicious cycle of revenge and retribution.

Driven to free himself from the witch’s shadow, Trevor seeks the aid of a fellow victim of the witch, a shaman, who trains him to manipulate the forces of darkness and light, turning him into a force of magical destruction capable of battling the witch.

This story of destruction and vengeance set in a dystopian post-modern West follows the trail of devastation and despair through this dark world where good deeds are twisted to evil ends and where Trevor ultimately finds the answer to the question: Is he a mystic in search of a dark revelation or is he the questing knight in search of justice?

174 pages, Paperback

Published September 29, 2016

About the author

Brian White is the author of The Strands, In the Shadow of the Witch, and Horn and Dagger. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.

Brian holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from FDU. Brian’s interest in psychology led to his studies of philosophy, mythology and mysticism, all subjects that have had a strong influence on his writing. He explores these subjects in depth on the Dark Thoughts page of the www.darkrevmedia.com site.

In addition, music has been an important part of Brian's life. In particular, his writing has been influenced by heavy metal music with its dark, frenetic energy, and thought-provoking themes and lyrics. On the Dark Tunes page of the www.darkrevmedia.com site, Brian explores the role that specific bands, albums, and songs have played in his creative, story telling process.

When not writing Brian enjoys reading, playing guitar and mountain biking.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making a deal with a witch must always be a last resort but once pushed there, Trevor finds himself in a situation he can’t escape. Once trapped in an impossible situation he finds he must do the impossible to make things right.

In his search for revenge Trevor finds he must become what he most hates in order to be capable of fighting the witch. He is trained in the dark arts by a shaman who also tries to persuade Trevor to search for forgiveness. When Trevor refuses to forgive the witch, he becomes locked in battle with the dark forces and monsters the witch controls as he is led into her world where he learns about her true purpose and the nature of darkness.

It is easy to identify with Trevor and his pain and understand why he feels compelled to do the things he does. White’s writing pulls you into these dark worlds, filled with monsters and magic, forcing you to take this journey with Trevor, sharing in his turbulent emotions as he struggles to understand the nature of the witch and her world.

This was a fast paced book that asks plenty of metaphysical questions along the way. There is not a lot of light at the end of this dark tunnel but I thought that was the point. Darkness only brings more darkness and the only way to transcend it is to go beyond judgement to find what the book calls the illumika. This was a great read that kept me thinking well after the last page was read.