The Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split

by Benjamin Langley

Ever since an encounter with the Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split, Charlie has been plagued by nightmares in which she rises from the marsh. When he receives a call in the middle of the night, disturbing one of these nightmares, Charlie realises that he must go back to the village in which grew up, and there's only one thing worse than returning to the witch's domain: if he returns home, he might run into his father.

The Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split is a novella by the author of Dead Branches, Is She Dead in Your Dreams? and Normal.

Genres: Horror

94 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2021

Reviews

[Andy Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I don't read as much horror fiction as I used to but this novella is just the thing that could draw me back in again. This is a tale with a visceral, claustrophobic feel to it. I will certainly be following this read with more from Benjamin Langley - on this showing he is a talent to watch

[GJW · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split is a quaint horror novella about the dangers of small-town thinking and the long term consequences of childhood abuse.

The story introduces adult Charlie, receiving a call that a hometown friend has disappeared. This leads Charlie to embark on a journey back to his traumatic past and to the fabled Fen Witch whom he believes is responsible for a past family tragedy.

Straight up this story seems to lean inspiration from Stephen King’s ‘It’ with an anguished protagonist who is forced to open old wounds to unravel the mystery premise of the story. Author Benjamin Langley astutely navigates two different timelines in the novella - Charlie as a youth and adult realising he’s never truly overcome his resentment for his hometown. Many people come from places where they don’t fit in and feel ostracised by town ideologies and intolerances. Langley writes these pages with ease and conviction. This outsider mentality is goaded by Charlie’s brutish father who terrorised his son for being a not-we in the small town thinking.

Langley writes some great astute details to get into the mindset of both young and old Charlie, particularly in pages shared with Charlie and his disenfranchised brother Ollie. You get a clear the sense of detachment between the two brothers have have shared the same life traumas - but have responded in two very different ways to it - that Langley depicts with such realism and unpretentiousness.

Indeed I would have loved more pages between the brothers growing up and as adults to further flesh out the complexities of abrasive paternal relationships. The same could be said of the father, who is by far one of the more ambiguous characters of the novella. I wanted more details about his fall from (a once?) doting father and transformation into a bigoted bully; by far a representation of forgotten communities left to stew in resentment and malice.

The same feeling can be said about the titular Fen Witch, which Langley describes with a clear sense of dread and foreboding. The lore of the witch is explored well enough to still retain a sense of mystery and unknowingness akin to the styles of Shirley Jackson and Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Withered Hand’. The folk horror style of the novella alongside the Norfolk landscape truly builds on the uneasiness of the community Charlie must reintroduce himself to.

I do wish Langley had this story spread over three-hundred or more pages. There is a wealth of opportunities to further flesh out the characters of the novel - specifically the missing character of the plot being a more fully rounded character as opposed to being a martyr figure of oppression, as Langley’s writing style seems to be well-rooted in character study that overt horror and gore.

The story zips along at a dainty pace, but never quite slows down enough to grapple with the complexity of childhood abuse and the resentment of belonging to a town that despises outsiders.

Langley writes his best when showing the terror of the witch is preferable over an overbearing community that oppresses those who are different. Any author who explore the horror of the mundane is well worth keeping an eye on. It certainly gave a sense of unease in this reader.

The Fen Witch Of Goosefeather Split is a hopeful indicator that Benjamin Langley will build upon his skills writing grounded characters mixed with horrors waiting behind the corners of the ordinary as I’m sure there are further operatic and epic stories just grappling to get out!

[Kayleigh Marie Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin Langley hits another home-run for me with this story! He's so good at navigating dual timelines, character development, plot and pacing - everything. A great novella to read, especially after the sun goes down. Set a few hours aside, get a nice hot cup of something, and put your feet up with this book.

[Tom Rimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading Benjamin Langley's new novella, THE FEN WITCH OF GOOSEFEATHER SPLIT. This quick read features a quietly lurking terror from an equally quiet, seemingly harmless, sleepy-town & proves that, often, the source of evil is almost as scary as the monster itself. 5 stars.

[Happy Goat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review at Happy Goat Horror:
https://happygoathorror.com/2022/09/3...

A gripping story told by a very talented and skilled writer - dark, melancholy, and very spooky.

[Malibu Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split is a delightfully unsettling story inspired by the folklore and landscape of the fens. The detail in the physical and mental wounds that the characters suffer across both Charlie’s storylines as an adult and a child create a vivid and disturbing image as if feeling the pain in your own body. The reference to artists and songs throughout the novella provide a musical backdrop to the action and aids in understanding of Charlie’s character and relationship to Mick. A wonderfully crafted, short taste of the author’s talent.

[Brian Wagstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Fen Witch of Goosefeather Split Benjamin Langley takes us back once more to the East Anglian fens, whose vile foggy, noxious, malodorous, atmospheric ‘mush-scape’ he describes better than any other writer I know of, (though secretly he obviously loves it!). But the sinisterness of the natural surroundings is nothing compared to the evil of some of the inhabitants. This is the story of how Charlie, the protagonist, learns to stop running away from his fear of the past, of the fens and the secrets it holds, and to confront the truth about the death of his mother and his best friend. A gripping and beautifully told tale.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess i disagree with most of the ratings. Pretty good start to the story but became real hard to finish.

[Brenda Frueh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. Murder mystery paired with a witch hunt.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seit einer Begegnung in seiner Kindheit träumt Charlie von der Hexe. Als er schließlich nach Hause zurückkehrt, ist nicht nur die Hexe wieder präsenter, sondern er will auch die Vergangenheit mit seinem Vater ergründen.
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Charlie ist ein wirklich sympathischer Protagonist und man kann sich gut in ihn hineinversetzen. Da das Buch nicht nur in der Gegenwart spielt, sondern auch große Teile von Charlies Vergangenheit behandelt werden, wird so auch gut erläutert, wie er so geworden ist. Gerade wegen seinem Vater kann man deshalb wirklich nur Mitleid mit ihm haben, da dieser schon wie ein klassischer Haustyrann wirkt. Die Handlung ist wirklich spannend aufgebaut, die Atmosphäre ist intensiv und griffig und stellenweise war es sogar ein wenig gruselig. Ich konnte gut mitfiebern. Abgerundet wurde das Buch von dem angenehmen Schreibstil.
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Spannende Handlung