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Ramskull
A Scottish tale of terror. When Sergeant Dave Wilkes and his constable, John Campbell, are called out to a remote island, it is to investigate a simple case of sheep worrying, what they think is a routine job. But upon arrival at Leita, they find the community to be empty, the shops and houses lying quiet. Before too long, they find disturbing evidence of violence and mayhem.They get some of the story when they find three survivors holed up in a farmhouse, but the tale they tell is almost unbelievable--a grisly story of ritual cannibalism, blood sacrifice, and a ram's skull that makes its wearer both invincible and irresistible.Soon they are in a fight for their lives, as the ram takes control of the island.Can they stop it and prevent it from spreading?Or will the ancient magic of the ram prevail and take its bloody promises to the mainland, and to the town that is waiting to be shown its glory?
- GenresHorror
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 22, 2017
14 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
William Meikle
410 books1,849 followersI'm a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 30, 2025
3.5 stars. Written extremely well, the content was engaging, although long-winded. Lots of creepy moments and really interesting visuals provided. Great lore and tons of intricate happening on this mysterious little island, Leita. But you know what I enjoyed most of all? The dynamics between Wilkes and Campbell. The old dog sheriff and younger rookie type getting into a no win situation. They were playful and completely compatible with one another as they navigated all of the horror they discover on the island. As I stated earlier, it was all done well, but had a tendency to drag on quite a few points, all of which gave me reader fatigue. Not sure exactly what could have been tightened up, but the pacing needed some adjustments, and while I understand the open ending, it didn’t thrill me. Not without some content issues, this is still a good showing from William Meikle.
January 28, 2018
RAMSKULL, by William Meikle, is an intensely atmospheric story of an ancient evil, alternate "places", cannibalism, and ritualistic rites.
When Sergeant Dave Wilkes gets a call from the small island of Leita about a sheep being found slaughtered in the field, he figures it will be an easy day away from his desk work. Taking with him a young Constable, John Campbell, the scene that greets them once they reach Leita is nothing like they were expecting. From missing townsfolk, to scenes of bloody remains that disappear when they turn their backs, Dave soon realizes that he was dead wrong about that "easy day".
Meikle shows us once again why he is known as a master storyteller in this fantastically detailed tale of an evil, centuries old, that manages to break through once more. The more time he spends on the island with a cantankerous farmer and his wife--almost the only other people he finds there--the more he begins to realize that this isn't just some teenaged prank. The entity that has returned demands ultimate loyalty, and those that do not acquiesce to his demands face a much worse fate . . .
Although Wilkes denies as long as possible the tale that the farmer and his wife tell him, eventually the truth becomes impossible to ignore.
". . . men are capable of much, much worse all on their own without needing anything supernatural to egg them on . . ."
The slow pull of this novel is impossible to avoid as you read on. Everything from the remote, sparsely inhabited island, to the focus of the manifesting evil breaking through, furthers the story along at the perfect pace. There are some truths that you simply can not deny.
". . . Chris went down into that cave . . . . and what came out wasn't the same as what went in . . . "
Another great tale of the supernatural from William Meikle!
Highly recommended!
When Sergeant Dave Wilkes gets a call from the small island of Leita about a sheep being found slaughtered in the field, he figures it will be an easy day away from his desk work. Taking with him a young Constable, John Campbell, the scene that greets them once they reach Leita is nothing like they were expecting. From missing townsfolk, to scenes of bloody remains that disappear when they turn their backs, Dave soon realizes that he was dead wrong about that "easy day".
Meikle shows us once again why he is known as a master storyteller in this fantastically detailed tale of an evil, centuries old, that manages to break through once more. The more time he spends on the island with a cantankerous farmer and his wife--almost the only other people he finds there--the more he begins to realize that this isn't just some teenaged prank. The entity that has returned demands ultimate loyalty, and those that do not acquiesce to his demands face a much worse fate . . .
Although Wilkes denies as long as possible the tale that the farmer and his wife tell him, eventually the truth becomes impossible to ignore.
". . . men are capable of much, much worse all on their own without needing anything supernatural to egg them on . . ."
The slow pull of this novel is impossible to avoid as you read on. Everything from the remote, sparsely inhabited island, to the focus of the manifesting evil breaking through, furthers the story along at the perfect pace. There are some truths that you simply can not deny.
". . . Chris went down into that cave . . . . and what came out wasn't the same as what went in . . . "
Another great tale of the supernatural from William Meikle!
Highly recommended!
January 22, 2018
It started out as a simple nuisance call...a bit of sheep worrying according to a cantankerous old farmer on the remote island of Leita. For Sergeant Dave Wilkes, it was a chance to get out from under some excess paperwork, nothing more. Along with an over eager young constable, he heads out to the island, expecting no more than a day out of the office.
He's going to wish he never left the mainland.
What they find is a community abandoned....signs of horrific violence, some of which disappears in the blink of an eye. When they discover they have been cut off from any and all assistance, or even leaving the island, Sergeant Wilkes sets out to solve the mystery....only to discover that an ancient evil, long forgotten....a force twice thought laid to rest centuries before by one familiar with the powers of darkness, has broken loose once more. An entity that calls out to the unwary, with a power that can't be denied or stopped by bell, book, candle or firearm....a bloodthirsty horror that only Sergeant Wilkes stands against in it's bid to leave Leita and contaminate the entire world.
Grand atmospheric horror with a fine sense of place from Scotland's greatest horror author.
Highly recommended.
He's going to wish he never left the mainland.
What they find is a community abandoned....signs of horrific violence, some of which disappears in the blink of an eye. When they discover they have been cut off from any and all assistance, or even leaving the island, Sergeant Wilkes sets out to solve the mystery....only to discover that an ancient evil, long forgotten....a force twice thought laid to rest centuries before by one familiar with the powers of darkness, has broken loose once more. An entity that calls out to the unwary, with a power that can't be denied or stopped by bell, book, candle or firearm....a bloodthirsty horror that only Sergeant Wilkes stands against in it's bid to leave Leita and contaminate the entire world.
Grand atmospheric horror with a fine sense of place from Scotland's greatest horror author.
Highly recommended.
February 8, 2018
Really immersive quick (ish) read, with a teeny bit of a 'Wicker Man' vibe (copper goes to isolated island, ancient religions, dodgy locals). I liked the chapter changes between the present day and several hundred years ago, and the stark, windswept setting of Leita. And the Ramskull itself put me in mind of the 'Leshen' from The Witcher series, so it's a YES from me. Just not quite 5 stars because I would've liked a bit more of an explanation of why the thing existed in the first place (and a couple of teeny typos, argh!).
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 13, 2018
THE POWER OF RAM IT IS....
Hello, this story started really good and continued like this for about 70% of the story. Then, it's like the author was late for a hot date or something similar and was trying like hell to get finished with the story. Information was put into the story on several occasions and never used again. I never could figure that out. Thanks.
Hello, this story started really good and continued like this for about 70% of the story. Then, it's like the author was late for a hot date or something similar and was trying like hell to get finished with the story. Information was put into the story on several occasions and never used again. I never could figure that out. Thanks.
April 9, 2022
Dave Wilkes makes the mistake of swapping boring paperwork, to investigate a problem on Leita. What he finds is an ancient mystery, with everyone missing and a strange cult like presence. Good story, that moves at a nice pace.
June 29, 2023
Definitely one of his best
Dark physical and spiritual horror. Much stronger than the author's usual joyfully cinematic pulpy horror stories, highly recommended for all lovers of both action and horror books.
Dark physical and spiritual horror. Much stronger than the author's usual joyfully cinematic pulpy horror stories, highly recommended for all lovers of both action and horror books.
July 3, 2020
William Meikle’s Ramskull is an intense cosmic horror tale. In 1494, Alexander Seton, on order from the King, visits the site where an abbey will be built so he can find out why the crew has ceased construction of the foundation. There he finds a barrow that they’ve unearthed, and he sets the loosed beast to rest. Or so he believes. In the present day, Sergeant Dave Wilks and Constable John Campbell are called out to the island of Leita because an irascible old farmer is having some sort of trouble with his sheep. When they get there, they can’t find anyone. There’s an awful lot of blood that’s been spilled in the bar, however. They try to get hold of more police, but they’re out of radio range, there’s no cell tower, the only laptops in town have been destroyed, and the town radio and landline have both been destroyed. Then their boat goes missing.
The story follows both Alexander Seton dealing repeatedly with the site over the centuries (he doesn’t age, as he has some of the “darkness” within him as well), and Dave and John dealing with it in the present. I’m hoping Seton shows up in some of Meikle’s other books, because he seems like a fascinating character and I’d like to know more about him. Dave and John are good characters. Dave’s the grizzled close-to-retirement cop, and John’s the fresh-faced new guy, but they both have more to them than those stereotypes. The farmer Grainger and his wife, Jan, are probably my favorite characters in here. They turn out very differently than how I thought they would! I find it amusing that in so many of Meikle’s books, you can tell when the main character hits a certain threshold of stress because they go back to smoking, which they apparently quit some time ago.
The good guys end up dealing with a man who has a ram’s skull for a head, and his crazed cannibalistic followers. They even find themselves getting sucked in by the creature’s magic. Of course they’re trapped on this island, with no idea at what point the cops might realize they’re missing and come to find them. Their armory consists of some flares, a shotgun, and some kitchen knives, and that isn’t likely to be enough! The pacing is excellent, building up from a creepy empty town to a slasher-fest.
There are some unanswered questions. In particular, early on Dave goes into a room and sees it filled with gore. Later he returns to the room and it’s spotless (although it’s obvious from a trail of blood leading up to the door that it really has been somehow cleaned). We never do figure out what happened there.
Content note for gore, cannibalism, and animal death.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/r...
The story follows both Alexander Seton dealing repeatedly with the site over the centuries (he doesn’t age, as he has some of the “darkness” within him as well), and Dave and John dealing with it in the present. I’m hoping Seton shows up in some of Meikle’s other books, because he seems like a fascinating character and I’d like to know more about him. Dave and John are good characters. Dave’s the grizzled close-to-retirement cop, and John’s the fresh-faced new guy, but they both have more to them than those stereotypes. The farmer Grainger and his wife, Jan, are probably my favorite characters in here. They turn out very differently than how I thought they would! I find it amusing that in so many of Meikle’s books, you can tell when the main character hits a certain threshold of stress because they go back to smoking, which they apparently quit some time ago.
The good guys end up dealing with a man who has a ram’s skull for a head, and his crazed cannibalistic followers. They even find themselves getting sucked in by the creature’s magic. Of course they’re trapped on this island, with no idea at what point the cops might realize they’re missing and come to find them. Their armory consists of some flares, a shotgun, and some kitchen knives, and that isn’t likely to be enough! The pacing is excellent, building up from a creepy empty town to a slasher-fest.
There are some unanswered questions. In particular, early on Dave goes into a room and sees it filled with gore. Later he returns to the room and it’s spotless (although it’s obvious from a trail of blood leading up to the door that it really has been somehow cleaned). We never do figure out what happened there.
Content note for gore, cannibalism, and animal death.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/r...
December 28, 2018
This would make a hell of a scary movie - it certainly did in my head
Scottish horror, staid police sergeant meets ancient other worldly horror from another dimension. Fast paced, spooky as all hell. Good shit, Maynard.
Scottish horror, staid police sergeant meets ancient other worldly horror from another dimension. Fast paced, spooky as all hell. Good shit, Maynard.
August 16, 2021
Another winner
Something creepy is going on a small island and when two coppers from the mainland go over to investigate they find the island
What happened at the old abbey and could the old legends be true?
Great story grabs you from the start
Something creepy is going on a small island and when two coppers from the mainland go over to investigate they find the island
What happened at the old abbey and could the old legends be true?
Great story grabs you from the start
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews