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The Cleft Owl
This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN:
B06WD2G219
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here and here
Occult Deception in 17th-century Devon
The Cleft Owl – a tender discomfort and a gory crown.
Witness the work of a practitioner of the occult arts, a willing deceiver and interpreter of dreams, schooled in awe by a house of God rendered a charnel house by a fiery, dancing orb of light. Self-tutored in greed, and self-assured in his deceptions, ‘Dr’ Robert Tooley would have many think him able to command the dead and have them do his bidding, but as his demands grow greater, so the villagers’ doubts grow deeper; there will be an end to it all, and not a pretty one.
Based upon a little-known and strange case that unfolded in Widecombe-in-the-Moor during the late 17th century, a number of the characters here portrayed – Tooley, the Reverend Tickle and the Worshipful Sir William Bastard – all played a role in the life of this tightly-knit community. Lost in obscurity, this episode is here resurrected, and the dead pressed to speak.
This novella is a standalone work in the ‘West Country Tales’ series, and is also available in paperback, or Kindle ebook format, alongside four other tales in Anthology: Wry Out West.
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here and here
Occult Deception in 17th-century Devon
The Cleft Owl – a tender discomfort and a gory crown.
Witness the work of a practitioner of the occult arts, a willing deceiver and interpreter of dreams, schooled in awe by a house of God rendered a charnel house by a fiery, dancing orb of light. Self-tutored in greed, and self-assured in his deceptions, ‘Dr’ Robert Tooley would have many think him able to command the dead and have them do his bidding, but as his demands grow greater, so the villagers’ doubts grow deeper; there will be an end to it all, and not a pretty one.
Based upon a little-known and strange case that unfolded in Widecombe-in-the-Moor during the late 17th century, a number of the characters here portrayed – Tooley, the Reverend Tickle and the Worshipful Sir William Bastard – all played a role in the life of this tightly-knit community. Lost in obscurity, this episode is here resurrected, and the dead pressed to speak.
This novella is a standalone work in the ‘West Country Tales’ series, and is also available in paperback, or Kindle ebook format, alongside four other tales in Anthology: Wry Out West.
- GenresHorror
65 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2017
14 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
H.E. Bulstrode
40 books31 followersThe author's childhood and formative years were spent in the English West Country, a region in which reality and fantasy are frequently confused, and where what elsewhere would be taken as peculiar, regarded as nothing more than an everyday occurrence. Soaked in myth, folklore and cider, his imagination eventually whirred into life and prompted him to pen, or at least type, a number of understated tales of the uncanny, drawing upon his wry observations of esoteric subcultures and beliefs, and the rich store of lore that seems locked into the land itself.
From the mist, the frost, and the wind, comes something ambling through the murk, seeking to ensnare the unwary: a village cunning man; a malignant Jacobean mannequin; a psychedelic Crowley wannabe; the sickle-wielding spirit of old Dorset; a pious guide who emerges from the fabric of a venerable minster; a mediaeval animalistic heretic with a still beating heart. Ghost stories, bizarre rites, and mental disintegration populate a world in which the living and the dead meet in an eternal present, and the author dares - the most horrific thing of all - to use adverbs where appropriate.
His tales have frequently been compared to the likes of those encountered in Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone, but the Bulstrodian world, as you will discover, is a realm unto itself, and quite distinct from either.
He is currently working on a number of future publications, including a 1970s ghost story set in the Somerset Levels, a novel set in 17th-century Cornwall in which the reader will encounter a heady mix of superstition, piracy and religious fanaticism, and a third anthology of supernatural fiction.
From the mist, the frost, and the wind, comes something ambling through the murk, seeking to ensnare the unwary: a village cunning man; a malignant Jacobean mannequin; a psychedelic Crowley wannabe; the sickle-wielding spirit of old Dorset; a pious guide who emerges from the fabric of a venerable minster; a mediaeval animalistic heretic with a still beating heart. Ghost stories, bizarre rites, and mental disintegration populate a world in which the living and the dead meet in an eternal present, and the author dares - the most horrific thing of all - to use adverbs where appropriate.
His tales have frequently been compared to the likes of those encountered in Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone, but the Bulstrodian world, as you will discover, is a realm unto itself, and quite distinct from either.
He is currently working on a number of future publications, including a 1970s ghost story set in the Somerset Levels, a novel set in 17th-century Cornwall in which the reader will encounter a heady mix of superstition, piracy and religious fanaticism, and a third anthology of supernatural fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 11, 2017
This is a good story and well told with a lovely twist in the narrative. I found to be a light horror story in the vein of early-style horror, closer to “Tales of the Unexpected”. It holds the attention and leaves one with things to think about, not only in terms of the plot but the culture as well. It is set in Devon in the Middle Ages with all the cultural and language references that that entails.
From the explanation at the end, I believe that this is based on a true story of people who lived in Widecombe in Devon. The author’s research is thorough so that the details are embedded in the story as a natural part of the action and description rather than being laid on top like a veneer. As such it reflects not only cultural practices of the time, but language, legal practices, attitudes towards life, society, people and religion.
However, I did find this book unusual. I had done my usual trick of buying something that was on the cheaper side without doing more than a cursory glance to find out whether it might be something of interest to me. I found the language disconcerting at the start. It was flowery with older grammatical constructions that reminded me of literature styles that were in vogue fifty years ago but which have fallen out of fashion in modern literature. However, once I got past these and adjusted to the Devon dialect written into the spoken language, the story started to move at a good pace.
I would recommend this book. It is a light read, but educational and overall enjoyable with that frisson that comes from the tension of not knowing where a story is going to go.
From the explanation at the end, I believe that this is based on a true story of people who lived in Widecombe in Devon. The author’s research is thorough so that the details are embedded in the story as a natural part of the action and description rather than being laid on top like a veneer. As such it reflects not only cultural practices of the time, but language, legal practices, attitudes towards life, society, people and religion.
However, I did find this book unusual. I had done my usual trick of buying something that was on the cheaper side without doing more than a cursory glance to find out whether it might be something of interest to me. I found the language disconcerting at the start. It was flowery with older grammatical constructions that reminded me of literature styles that were in vogue fifty years ago but which have fallen out of fashion in modern literature. However, once I got past these and adjusted to the Devon dialect written into the spoken language, the story started to move at a good pace.
I would recommend this book. It is a light read, but educational and overall enjoyable with that frisson that comes from the tension of not knowing where a story is going to go.
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February 17, 2018No review from me, as I wrote it.
June 21, 2017
A captivating historical tale that manages to really capture the atmosphere of a small, rural community in the 17th century, beset by superstition and fearful of the dead. I felt transported back to the Dartmoor of the time. The authenticity of language and characters’ perceptions of reality rang true for the period in which it was set. There are moments that are truly horrific, while also being completely credible – Tooley’s macabre approach to magic is guaranteed to elicit at least a wince or two. His accomplices, while being in keeping with the time of the piece, are characters that we can all recognise in today’s society too: shiftless and without conscience.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews