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Apparitions
An island off the Irish coast - an island called Inishwrack. A deserted island, but for the Druid remains at the top of a hill - the last sign of a population long dead.
It was to this island that brought his eight young followers to set up a shrine to the Guru Pradavana. They turned the remaining broken cottages into roughly habitable buildings, and converted the disused church into a place of meditation.
And then Rosemary died. None of the other disciples knew why. Nor why S had her burned on a funeral pyre. Or was Ursula right: had she merely been in a trance? Had she been burned alive?
And who controlled their lives? It began to seem as though the island itself had come alive, as though the recent horror had awakened something far worse, something evil . . .
It was to this island that brought his eight young followers to set up a shrine to the Guru Pradavana. They turned the remaining broken cottages into roughly habitable buildings, and converted the disused church into a place of meditation.
And then Rosemary died. None of the other disciples knew why. Nor why S had her burned on a funeral pyre. Or was Ursula right: had she merely been in a trance? Had she been burned alive?
And who controlled their lives? It began to seem as though the island itself had come alive, as though the recent horror had awakened something far worse, something evil . . .
- GenresHorror
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1984
7 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Noel Scanlon
5 books2 followersNoel Scanlon is an Irish writer living in the wonderfully scenic West of Ireland.
Though he always wanted to write he started off with a career in international banking in the Middle East and India over a period of twenty years.
After graduating from MECAS, the British Foreign office Arabic language and culture institute in Shemlan, Lebanon, he lived in Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Aden, Mukalla in the Hadhramut, the Oman and other parts of the Gulf where through his work he became acquainted with a number of the Gulf Sheikhs, in particular Sultan Qaboos of Muscat and Oman.
Though he was mostly in the Middle East he also lived in India in Bombay, Calcutta, and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
All of these places provided him with the settings for his novels.
Because he didn't find banking fulfilling on account of always having had a compulsion to write, he gave up banking and went to live in a cottage in Achill, in the west of Ireland.
After many years in Achill Island in the West of Ireland, he now lives in Newport, Co Mayo.
Though he always wanted to write he started off with a career in international banking in the Middle East and India over a period of twenty years.
After graduating from MECAS, the British Foreign office Arabic language and culture institute in Shemlan, Lebanon, he lived in Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Aden, Mukalla in the Hadhramut, the Oman and other parts of the Gulf where through his work he became acquainted with a number of the Gulf Sheikhs, in particular Sultan Qaboos of Muscat and Oman.
Though he was mostly in the Middle East he also lived in India in Bombay, Calcutta, and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
All of these places provided him with the settings for his novels.
Because he didn't find banking fulfilling on account of always having had a compulsion to write, he gave up banking and went to live in a cottage in Achill, in the west of Ireland.
After many years in Achill Island in the West of Ireland, he now lives in Newport, Co Mayo.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 14, 2024
This 1984 horror novel, the first of two from Irish author Noel Scanlon, maintained such an ominous, otherworldly atmosphere throughout its 208 pages, that I doubt it would have been as effective for me had I only read a chapter here and there. This is meant to be experienced in just a couple sittings so the spell doesn’t have time to wear off.
I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first, as it’s told in the first person by an utterly unlikable narrator, a follower of a revered Indian guru, who decides to set up a commune/spiritual community of like-minded people on a small, “shunned” island a couple miles off the coast of Ireland (the group is mostly Western, though there are a handful of Indians as well). Within the first few chapters our hero beats a woman as he couples with her, punishing her for tempting him sexually, even though she was basically just existing when he initiated. We the reader are meant to see the hypocrisy between his supposed enlightened state and his true self, but I generally prefer a protagonist I can actually root for in a horror novel. I was eventually able to get past that, thankfully, and it becomes apparent that the island itself may be playing a role.
The townspeople over on the mainland are reluctant to talk about why the island is shunned, but it may have something to do with the ancient Druidic circle atop the large hill that overlooks everything. And the giant “stone man” standing guard over it. The new settlers soon find out the reason, as before long the vibes take a turn toward the sinister, and there is the constant unnatural feeling of being watched. And did the stone man just move, or was it just the ever-present fog playing tricks? Too bad they’re pretty much secluded.
There are a couple layers of unreality to this, which I found quite effective. First, our narrator is unreliable, with hints of magical thinking, and so focused on his inner thoughts and spiritual enlightenment that his observations of the material world can’t be trusted. Second, there might be hallucinogenic properties in the plants that grow there. But even that may not account for the pure evil and menace emanating from the hill.
This is a slow burn in many ways, but the eeriness and tension steadily mounts throughout, and rises to a fever pitch by the end. If you can get past the assholish main character, this is a creepy, fun weird tale that’s quite different than most mass-market horror fiction of the 80s, closer to something by Machen or Blackwood (only a bit more over the top) than the Stephen King comparison on the cover, at least as far as the overall atmosphere is concerned.
I’m just glad I didn’t let the mixed reviews and dickhead protagonist deter me from sticking with it. I’m not sure it’s quite a 4 star read, but it’s definitely higher than a 3, especially when judged against other novels of its type from the era.
I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first, as it’s told in the first person by an utterly unlikable narrator, a follower of a revered Indian guru, who decides to set up a commune/spiritual community of like-minded people on a small, “shunned” island a couple miles off the coast of Ireland (the group is mostly Western, though there are a handful of Indians as well). Within the first few chapters our hero beats a woman as he couples with her, punishing her for tempting him sexually, even though she was basically just existing when he initiated. We the reader are meant to see the hypocrisy between his supposed enlightened state and his true self, but I generally prefer a protagonist I can actually root for in a horror novel. I was eventually able to get past that, thankfully, and it becomes apparent that the island itself may be playing a role.
The townspeople over on the mainland are reluctant to talk about why the island is shunned, but it may have something to do with the ancient Druidic circle atop the large hill that overlooks everything. And the giant “stone man” standing guard over it. The new settlers soon find out the reason, as before long the vibes take a turn toward the sinister, and there is the constant unnatural feeling of being watched. And did the stone man just move, or was it just the ever-present fog playing tricks? Too bad they’re pretty much secluded.
There are a couple layers of unreality to this, which I found quite effective. First, our narrator is unreliable, with hints of magical thinking, and so focused on his inner thoughts and spiritual enlightenment that his observations of the material world can’t be trusted. Second, there might be hallucinogenic properties in the plants that grow there. But even that may not account for the pure evil and menace emanating from the hill.
This is a slow burn in many ways, but the eeriness and tension steadily mounts throughout, and rises to a fever pitch by the end. If you can get past the assholish main character, this is a creepy, fun weird tale that’s quite different than most mass-market horror fiction of the 80s, closer to something by Machen or Blackwood (only a bit more over the top) than the Stephen King comparison on the cover, at least as far as the overall atmosphere is concerned.
I’m just glad I didn’t let the mixed reviews and dickhead protagonist deter me from sticking with it. I’m not sure it’s quite a 4 star read, but it’s definitely higher than a 3, especially when judged against other novels of its type from the era.
May 27, 2020
This reminded me of a 19th century ghost story, written almost like a Turn of the Screw style (not as good as Henry James, obviously). This is a true horror novel, in that it slowly builds a feeling of horror in the reader. The strangeness of the community, credulity of the main character, and the xenophobia of the locals makes the reader question whether any of the occurrences/hostility are actually happening, or are in the mind of the narrator (thus the comparison to Turn of the Screw). I think some of the devotional descriptions of India could have been dropped, since they didn't add anything to the story, and actually cut the tension.
May 16, 2025
Good prose, ok characterization, good world building, decent story, no theme(?).
It's a slow burn with an unreliable narrator having an overactive imagination and possibly under the influence of psychedelic plants. It builds and builds, quite successfully, but I was expecting more from the ending.
Hat tip to Jack Tripper.
It's a slow burn with an unreliable narrator having an overactive imagination and possibly under the influence of psychedelic plants. It builds and builds, quite successfully, but I was expecting more from the ending.
Hat tip to Jack Tripper.
June 29, 2015
This was a not so valiant attempt at the writing of a horror novel in its full 20th century glory.
The premise: a young follower of an Indian Guru sets off with several neophytes to make a religious community on an isle shrouded in myth off the coast of Ireland.. It's a good premise. The storyline however was rather poorly executed. I was sadly disappointed but at 208 pages this short novel only took up a few hours of time.
The premise: a young follower of an Indian Guru sets off with several neophytes to make a religious community on an isle shrouded in myth off the coast of Ireland.. It's a good premise. The storyline however was rather poorly executed. I was sadly disappointed but at 208 pages this short novel only took up a few hours of time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews