Wine of Angels & Candlenight

by Phil Rickman

Omnibus edition of The Wine of Angels (Merrily Watkins, #1) and Candlenight, an unrelated novel by the same author.

THE WINE OF
The Revd Merrily Watkins had never wanted a picture postcard parish - or a huge haunted vicarage. Nor had she particularly wanted to walk straight into a local dispute over a controversial play about a strange seventeenth-century clergyman accused of witchcraft . . . a story that certain old-established families would rather remained obscure.

But this is Ledwardine, steeped in cider and secrets. A paradise of cobbled streets and timber-framed houses. And also - as Merrily and her teenage daughter discover - a village where horrific murder is a tradition that spans centuries.


'Corpse candles, phantom funerals. The knocking, the moaning, the bird of death. It was insidious...'

For Bethan, the schoolteacher, the old superstitions woven into the social fabric of her West Wales village are primitive and distasteful. Which is why she's pleased to welcome the sophisticated newcomers, London journalist Giles Freeman and his wife Claire. Surely they'll let in some fresh air? But the Freemans are keen to absorb this different culture, a whole new way of life - rejecting the advice of an old colleague who warns them of a hard and bitter land where they'll always dance on the edge of the abyss. 'We're really not meant to be here, you know, the English...'

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Crime

429 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Phil Rickman, also known under the pen names Thom Madley and Will Kingdom, was a British author of supernatural and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Lesley Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Merrily Watkins, not your average single mum. You see she happens to be a vicar as well as deliverance counselor, advisor on the paranormal or to be blunt, an exorcist. Assigned to a quaint little village called Lewardine, Merrily finds her first official posting anything but routine for this village is steeped in local tradition that is fighting to survive amongst a flood of incomers who want to implement their own ideas to attempt attract more business into the area. Roles in this village have been passed down over the centuries & thus emotions/tensions are running high. Particularly when it comes to a play the new people want to put on that drags an event that the villagers would rather leave in the dark, to light regarding the 17th century vicar accused of witchcraft. A cleverly woven tale tale that dances around supernatural twists to create a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat & up all night.

[Blasr · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Wine of Angels" only. It is the first in the Merrily Watkins series, but I'd already started the second "Midwinter of the Spirit". Decided to pause "Midwinter" and read the first book.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars are in minority because most of us prefer “The Wine Of Angels”, which I reviewed separately. “Candlenight” delivers a strong cultural tableau. Phil Rickman imparts successfully, a struggle to sustain a language only some citizens of one country know. Resentment is understandable: everyone finds Wales gorgeous but foreigners dilute it and render land unaffordable or unavailable to her people. Y-Groes is an alluring town that admits only Welsh and hates English. Bring an English person by marriage and they die. This is a spooky, if not prejudiced premise; if only Phil had followed through. I loved immersing in a country unknown to me. Their axis is the past more than the future or present.

The closest they came to self-governing was in the 1400s through a hero named Owain, an exile rumoured to be buried in Wales by four men. Simultaneously, a fanatic of the extinct Druid religion reinvented a misinterpreted, evil version. Townspeople maintained it, requiring that a descendent carry on. In 1991, a Granddaughter inherits a house with an English spouse. Everyone but Claire, including Giles' colleague Barry, who takes about 200 pages to resolve as our protagonist, finds it too scary to stand. This detail joins many others that are contradicted. It turns out Granddad had a heart. His house could not be dangerous. It also pans out that a relative with twice as much Welsh DNA, dies. Hm, maybe fleeing the village is what's pertinent. Wrong again. A townswoman dies, well away from Y-Groes. One villain is a descendant's spouse.

Red herrings are fine for a mystery villain: not the workings of your story's world. Although Phil's immense cast is put to use, it shouldn't take hundreds of pages to identify a pair of protagonists, after acquainting us with one who perishes and a counterpart we hardly revisit. We start with a fascinating archaeological quest; seeing who is in the cathedral's tomb. This best, most relevant thread isn't reprised until about 300 pages and the point of the novel is unclear for almost as long. Can Barry & Bethan end the town's evil? By opening that tomb, or ensuring some of the four descendents are extinguished? There is a great deal of relief but none of the fundamental premises are resolved. On the verge of an exciting finish, unclear threads reduce the novel to ambiance; neither solving a mystery, nor concluding a mission.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rating is really for Wine of Angels, because Candlenight just did not grab me. I read a few chapters but left me feeling disinterested in any of the characters and nowhere near a plot.
Wine of Angels, on the other hand was a delight which left me wondering why no-one has made this into a gentle TV series yet. This is the first novel about Merrily Watkins, recently ordained, widowed lady vicar and her teenage daughter. They have just arrived at her new parish, a small village in Hereford, in the throes of tensions between the established families and the wealthy newcomers from the city. Full of wonderful characters and gently evocative of the atmosphere, at once quaint and creepy. Secrets abound, the vicarage appears to be haunted, a scandalous play is to be performed in the ancient church. That is just the beginning.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual choice of genre, but I was on vacation overseas and this was the only thing I could find in English that wasn't a bodice-ripper or western, and I was desperate.

Phil Rickman is a pleasant suprprise for me. His books are dark, richly atmospheric, and spooky. There's no "creature of the week" answer to his stories in spite of the decided supernatural feel.

This omnibus edition contains a standalone novel (Candlenight), as well as the introduction to Merrily Watkins, the protagonist of his current series. Sometimes hard to read, always hard to put down.

[Gooddeeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wine of Angels gets 2 stars at the most - I never really cared about any of the characters and it wasn't at all creepy.

I'd give 3 stars to Candlenight which was a good creepy story with great baddies and a great mystery.
It felt really satisfying to read about Buddug's head being blown off! yeah!
Donated to Newcastle PDSA shop.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book very much. I have never read any of Phil Rickman's books before, but look forward to reading the rest of Merrily Watkins.