A silent-film star begins an affair with the Aztec god of the dead...
1910. Actress, occultist, and bohemian adventurer Ingrid Redstone travels to the fledgling city of Los Angeles in search of a legendary Hole in the Sky, said to be a portal to the Aztec afterlife. On the far side of it Ingrid meets Mictlantecuhtli, an ancient and bloodthirsty deity who soon becomes dangerously fascinated with the first living woman he’s ever met. Ingrid is no less entranced by ‘Mickey’ and his realm, where the totality of human remembrance is theirs to explore. But their dangerous relationship may have unforeseen consequences for both this world and the next when Ingrid is faced with the choice of becoming the privileged yet powerless queen of the dead, or attempting to thwart her supernatural lover’s unnatural ambitions.
*A Metaphysical Quest* *A Surreal Romance Gone Wrong* *A Genre-Bending Trip Across Time, Myth, & Memory*
Ingrid Redstone is a liberated witch facing a collision with life and death at the dawn of a strange new era. Her wanderings in the underworld bring her into contact with a cast of notables from the city’s past, including Dorothy Parker, Alfred Hitchcock, and Califia, the pre-Columbian Queen of California. From the ancient history of LA to the glittering future of the film industry, Ingrid goes where no one has gone before... and lived to tell about it.
SEAN PATRICK TRAVER is a native of Los Angeles. His writing explores the hidden worlds that lurk behind the sleek facade LA presents to a casual observer. In addition to the traffic jams, the film studios, and the cookie-cutter suburbs, there are opulent courtyards and private gardens high up in the Hills, as well as blank, black-market warehouses crouched down in the Valley below. There are ritual shrines hidden near the hiking trails and secret practitioners who summon the spirits left over from a thousand years of history. Suburban shamans, rogue necromancers, criminal cabals and computer-savvy witches all populate the pages of his fiction. Learn more at seanpatricktraver.com
I admit I grabbed this title mainly because of the gorgeous cover and was amazed that there weren't more glowing reviews after I began, but by the end of the read, I was flabbergasted. Why? Because I can see why there might be two camps for a tale of this scope and magnitude. It's non-traditional all the way down the board. That's not to say it wasn't easy to follow, either, just that it does very well to bend all kinds of genres.
We can assume, first of all, that it's a really dark fantasy with romance, and this is absolutely true. But it's also epic in scope and because of the in-depth exploration of the world of the dead and the peculiar qualities of timelessness there, this book also fits neatly into time-travel and segues even better into a well-thought-out piece of historical fiction going all the way back to Aztec sacrifices, through the silent age of film, the World-Wars, druggie sixties and the modern world of Indiana Jones and lasers, and all of this can be accessed through the door of the dead. It's pretty awesome.
But most importantly, this is a love story between the King of the Dead and a modern occult witch right out of Aleister Crowley's pagebook, full of passion and misunderstanding and disillusionment and even a few surprise twists in the span of their relationship. It's not a simple relationship, either, but it certainly felt like a genuine one. Even if it does sour.
So much happens and so much is explored in this book, I'm not going to be able to touch on even a fraction, but I can say that it's pretty epic. It's also one of the most unique and fascinating takes on necromancy that I've ever read. This is not a simple tale. It's actually rather emotional and brilliant.
If the world had any justice, then complicated and exploratory adventure/romance/horrors like this would fill all the shelves of the world. We'd be steeped in the glories of more truly creative fictions that aren't afraid to cross all those silly boundaries of the genres. :)
Red Witch is dark, gritty, and intense! You will find yourself lost in the intriguing tales of Ingrid Redstone. Prepare yourself for magic, action, betrayal, and death. This one is sure to impress!
The Plot: Red Witch: The Tales of Ingrid Redstone is actually split in to "episodes" entailing Ingrid's adventures through time, after beginning a relationship with the Aztec god of death. Ingrid is a witch, and a special one at that. She is one of VERY FEW who can cross back and forth between the boundary of life and death in Mictlan, the kingdom of death. This ability allows her to travel in time, and meet those who have already crossed the threshold. But this ability to time travel may have consequences far beyond her imagination.
Oh man, did I love this one!! I'll admit, it was a hefty read, but it was so worth it!! I loved the mix of dark fantasy and horror, and the imagery used was outstanding! To say this one was intense would be an understatement. It captured me in its grips and didn't let me go until the very last page! Even then, I was left wanting MORE!
So, let's talk about the plot. Ingrid Redstone is an actress turned witch from the year 1910. She takes it upon herself to steal a map from an elite order of witches and warlocks. This map leads to a legendary Hole in the Sky in Los Angeles. It is here she meets Mictlantecuhtil, the Aztec god of death. "Mickey", as Ingrid calls him, is fascinated by her beauty, wittiness, and her inexplainable ability to cross beyond the threshold of life and death without the flesh falling off of her bones. Of course he would fall in love with her. So, they begin an intense relationship, and Mickey shows Ingrid how to travel in time, hoping to please her and keep her coming back to him. The book follows Ingrid's extraordinary, and sometimes dangerous, adventures as she meets people from the past, present, and future, but always under the watchful eye of Mickey. Have you ever read a plot as unique and intriguing as this?
This book and plot were so different than anything I have ever read. Sean Patrick Traver has done an incredible job with building this world within a world, revolving around a witch, a god, and historical times and people. I was blown away at the depth of the story and the character development!
Ingrid was such a complex character. She didn't feel like your typical, embellished story heroine. She felt like a real human. Even though she opened herself to a relationship with Mickey, she was still guarded with her inner most feelings. She made mistakes. She made a lot of mistakes. She had her past come back to haunt her, and she made conscious, moral decisions to try to make amends for those things. Through her adventures we got to see her many sides and layers. And, she was a pretty kick ass witch!
Mictlantecuhtil, or Mickey, was such a well written character. He was not what I would have expected as the god of death. He seemed to have human feelings and characteristics (when he allowed himself to have skin, that is). He showed jealousy over Ingrid's past love life. He showed compassion when Ingrid needed it, and he showed vindictiveness at times. He was also quite handsome when he wasn't in his true skeleton form.
Some of the other characters we met along the way were pretty awesome too. I loved Califia's fierceness. Dorothy Parker was so fun and snarky! And, Jimmy was an interesting conundrum and pivotal plot character.
I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! It was immersive, imaginative, and intricate. It had bits of horror, and humor, and definitely falls under the dark fantasy category. I recommend it to anyone with the time for a deep, dark adventure!
Thank you to Black Chateau Enterprises for providing me with this free review copy in exchange for my honest review.
I wasn't to sure when I first received this book as to if I would like it. Well within a few pages I was hooked and couldn't get enough of it. What an amazing story!! A red haired witch crosses the border between the lands of the living and the dead and somehow keeps her humanity. The god of death becomes enamoured of her and they begin a long relationship. As Ingrid traverses time and meets both the living and the dead she learns more about herself and her lover. This was a total psychological, metaphysical, thought inducing twist of a book. It's been so long where I was actually surprised by what was going on. At first Ingrid comes across as being greedy, spoiled, and self serving but as the story progressed I came to see her inner strength, fortitude, intelligence and loyalty to those she cares for. I really like her. I'm eager to continue her tale and see where she ends up. Such a fascinating story!! I thoroughly recommend this.
secret history noun 1. a version of historical events which differs from the official or commonly accepted record and purports to be the true version; Also called shadow history (from Dictionary.com)
Known by secret, shadow, or revisionist history, this storytelling structure is often employed in science fiction, fantasy, spy thrillers, and historical accounts of events in history. Occasionally, the plots will use time travel as a way of retconning history for its own use. Literary examples of this narrative structure includes Ken Follett’s Eye of the Needle, Jo Nesbø’s The Redbreast, and Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers; however, one can easily look to Rowan Atkinson’s comedic television series, Blackadder, the Fallout video game franchise, Crisis on Infinite Earths (DC Comics), and, of course, The Man in the High Castle, adapted from Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel. Intertwining historical facts and events into narrative fiction typically results in fascinating revisionist stories that explore alternative motivations by famous characters and true events. Los Angeles writer Sean Patrick Traver’s self-published Red Witch: The Tales of Ingrid Redstone is the latest entry to this narrative style.
Red Witch opens in 1910 with Ingrid Redstone in search of a large, ancient tree marking the location of the Hole in the Sky. A witch, a blossoming actress in early cinema, and seeker of obscure knowledge, Ingrid finds Mictlantecuhtli (nicknamed “Micky”) or the King of the Dead. Skeletal and wearing garlands of human eyes...
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Red Witch in exchange for an honest review.
Personally, I found the book's premise, albeit complex and highly unique, to be a confusing conglomerate of partially revealed facts which, out of necessity, I gradually attempted to piece together with my own wild and mostly unconfirmed assumptions. While I anticipated the element of deceit and surprise to play a factor in the narrative, I wasn't expecting to be thrust headfirst into an entirely unfamiliar world with little forewarning and even less explanation. Most disconcertingly, the main character, who was similarly forced into this entirely new environment which failed to obey the laws of the natural world, elected to tackle everything unquestioningly, never conveying alarm, surprise, or shock at the introduction of a new phenomena. I'm still at a loss as to how she gleaned information about the world around her that failed to be revealed by other characters. Regardless of how she stumbled across this knowledge, she didn't feel the need to share in most scenarios, further compounding my frustration.
One of the compounding issues with respect to my overarching confusion was the repeated references to a collection of coexisting "nows." While small fragments of information were gradually revealed and inferred by the characters regarding "nows," they were never fully explained, despite their integral role in the storyline. I would have preferred further clarification, rather than Ingrid's blind speculations, particularly due to the prevalence of "nows" with respect to Ingrid's repeated time travel. I felt as if I were blindly grasping at straws when attempting to comprehend how the "nows" aligned and compared to one another, which isn't the most desirable sensation while reading. Needless to say, I was utterly lost and left in the dust by page ten, which didn't bode well for the remainder of the book.
The characters, albeit possessing an interesting collection of traits with a tremendous amount of potential, showed a severely restricted range of emotions, embracing the unfolding events with seemingly dull nonchalance. As a reader, it was difficult to become emotionally invested in any of the characters as a result. Ingrid's failure to react to key plot points heavily influenced my sheer lack of interest in said plot points. Furthermore, the characters remained rather static throughout the book, failing to display evidence of growth or change in response to their environments. The establishment of more dynamic characterization would have further engaged readers, potentially compensating for their relatively muted emotional responses.
Additionally, I questioned several of Ingrid's choices throughout the book, namely her alarming willingness to whole-heartedly and unwaveringly trust Death itself, falling instantaneously head over heels in love with him. Had I been placed in a similar situation, I would have drawn the line at a romantic relationship, especially considering the sheer number of unanswered questions and unexplained occurrences. Ingrid's immediate and inexplicable attraction to Death was never addressed or questioned, and no rationale was provided for her eagerness to dive headfirst into an intimate relationship.
While I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the plot, I wish I had been able to appreciate the world-building and character development, with slightly less confusion along the way. Overall, the writing style was very description heavy, painting vivid scenes for readers but leaving something to be desired with respect to the disproportionate and relative lack of dialogue. I tend to prefer more dialogue intensive narratives, which made it difficult to wade through pages upon pages of giant, descriptive paragraphs that were broken up only intermittently by dialogue.
This review was originally published on NetGalley.
What a read! Unique, imaginative and very dark: what is there not to like?
The story takes place in 1910 where occultist and adventurer Ingrid Redstone travels to the City of Angels in search of the Aztec portal to the afterlife. She didn’t count on meeting Death on the side and get on a ride through the history of the city. As their relationship develops and grows deeper, Ingrid realizes that their worlds' weren’t meant to cross and in the end, she will have to choose between a life with the living or amongst the dead.
I admire the author for the work on the organization of the storyline; in the beginning, it was a bit tricky and complex to understand and follow but then it really drew me into the story. I think it’s the first time I read a novel that manages to mix dark fantasy with historical fiction, vintage times, mystery, supernatural and romance. It is a dangerous attempt but the author managed to successfully create a unique, refreshing and new style entirely. There is an exceptional view of the underworld, how it works, how time passes differently; details that built this dark world. The way the characters explore past times and meet several notables of the old days is a great idea. I wish I had the chance to sit with Alfred Hitchcock! The historical settings of the novel are also very well described and I really do enjoy a good story that takes place in the jazz days.
The characters are solid and their interactions are very human. It’s a love story but it’s not a fairytale either; they have communication problems, misunderstandings. It’s easy to see that Death isn’t used to interact with anyone, especially not with a human woman. I see Ingrid has a more quiet type and more hesitant when it comes to Death. She jumps into the unknown without thinking very much about it and how it actually might end for her but at the same time she lets him take all the initiative, which was a bit frustrating at times.
Overall, a great, unique, thrilling adventure that I recommend to all the fans of a more complex romantic fantasy.
Do you ever read a book and find yourself coming back to it day after day? Your mind wanders back to the places, the people, the events- you just can’t get them out of your head? This book got under my skin from the first chapter. I don’t know how Sean does it. He writes a character who would positively kidnap my brain during work, during my drive, even the moment after I would close the book... (also, my love of LA makes this book one hell of a fun read!). Enjoy!