Witchazel by T.C. Roberts-Finn
Blurb:
Inspired by The Witcher, Blade Runner and Bloodborne - Witchazel begins the episodic story of Kaleb Slow, a pilgrim for The Temple of the Moon, as he traverses a life of violence, demons and corruption.
“You’re evil. It’s in your blood. It’s festering in your brain. It lingers wherever you go and rots wherever you stay. I’ve got to put you down, Silas. You know that. I just wish you made it easier for yourself.”
“Easier?” the necromancer screamed. “Nothing about this is easy.”
Kaleb Slow is on a religious pilgrimage. Lacking clear direction beyond the destruction of foul things that stalk the night, he has settled into an uncomfortable rhythm of hunting and slaying, living a life somewhere between private investigator and highway ranger.
Author T.C Roberts-Finn lays out an introduction to a world beset by corruption and rot. An evocation of life on the frontier and the justice of vigilantes. It is at once the tale of destruction, passions and vengeance. But is his purpose truly divine? Or will his pilgrimage lead him down an endless road of nightmares and bloodlust?
Review:
“Inspired by The Witcher, Blade Runner and Bloodborne…”
Now that is as good a selling point as any! I mean all three of the aforementioned are stalwarts in their respective genres, and have made a significant impact on pop culture as a whole. How could I ever turn a blind eye to such an intriguing work? I just had to have a go at getting my hands on it, and I’m grateful to the author for providing me with a digital copy.
Trust me, you totally don’t wanna miss out on this debut whatsoever.
What’s it about?
“Does it ever stop bloody raining in Witchazel?”
Probably not. But that’s not what you should be worrying about in the least… Demons, foul magic, things that go bump in the night… and that’s not even the worst of it.
Unless you happen to be Kaleb Slow, that is.
He’s a Slayer that walks from place to place, hunting wicked and vile things in the most dreadful of surroundings. He always thought he was ready for death, but he wasn’t. He had just chosen a lifestyle that toyed with it. And wherever he went, death usually wasn’t far behind. Oh, and coffee is one of the few things in life that he enjoyed. Not to forget a good roll-up/tobacco too.
I have been searching for answers ever since I stepped foot in this kingdom, but I have only found more questions about what I saw, or what I didn’t.
Something is happening in Witchazel, and whatever it is, it is beyond my knowledge.
Slayers didn’t show up for no reason, have been taught to adapt to the worst of environments, and idle chit-chat was not only unnatural for them, but felt like a pointless expenditure.
But even a man like Slow isn’t ready for what’s coming…
Here’s a quick sneak-peek into the 8-episodes: -
A blessing or a Curse – Hunting down a dangerous necromancer might seem challenging enough for Slow. Yet something ancient and evil awaits him…
A Small Favour – A reunion with an old friend, and an investigation into a missing child in a small town, where something sinister is lurking…
Guilt & Blood – The Great City of Turnbull. A ripper is on the loose, stalking and killing ruthlessly at night…
The city stood in the middle of central Witchazel, between Erinfall, the capital, and Culv, a large and wealthy coastal city. In the time before Blight ravished the land and weathered the remaining three kingdoms to their brittle and bloody bones, Turnbull served as the main execution ground for all of Dermol. Hundreds of prisoners were sent to Turnbull every week, to be hanged, beheaded, flayed, boiled and burnt for the city's amusement. But now it was a city without reason and without purpose, held captive by religious fanatics.
That sounds like a fun place to be, eh?
The night was going to be difficult. It was going to be bloody. It was going to be long.
Blackstone – An abandoned hospital ravaged by the Blight is nasty work indeed…
Master Plan – The search for a pyromancer leads Slow to the town of Berxley…
Slow, having let the coffee cool down some, downed the cup and poured himself another. “I like honesty,” he said. “But I do not trust this town. Not yet. Most of this kingdom is full of fools, liars, bastards. I have no reason to believe that Berxley isn’t brimming with all three.”
Darkness Upon these Hills – Slow travels to a small village where people are disappearing with no end in sight…
“… The end times are coming, Slayer, ye mark me words.”
“… There’s a darkness upon these hills. Can ye feel it?”
Stranger in Burdock – I was left a bit speechless by the end. Reminded me of H.P. Lovecraft. I’ll leave it at that…
The Blighted & the Broken – A fitting conclusion to what’s been an amazing opening chapter.
“… There are greater things coming. There is so much ahead, all we need to do is open our eyes.”
As I’ve said before, you absolutely don’t wanna miss out on this 8-episode journey as you follow Slow through the dark, evil, and mysterious lands of Witchazel.
The good
Everything from start to finish. Simple as that.
First of all, the world is so well-written! WOW. I was sucked into it right away, and I wanted to explore more of it page after page. The worldbuilding/lore was added bit by bit, episode after episode, and by the end, I fell in love with it. The various settings, and the numerous demons/creatures on display were a treat. Simply too good, and I totally need more of it!
Kaleb Slow isn’t a superhuman. He’s a madman on a suicide mission, pretty much. And he has his flaws. And that’s what makes him relatable. The Witcher vibes are there alright, and I ain’t complaining! Other characters are equally well-written, introduced subsequently each episode.
The plotlines for each episode were really, really good. And yes, each episode is linked to the next one and so on, making it one heck of a story.
Not to mention the amazing writing throughout.
The “not so” good
A flawless debut by all means. I enjoyed it IMMENSELY!
Highlights
“Monsters are pretty much like animals. I'm scared of them the same way I'm scared of a sabre jumping out of a bush. It’s humans that frighten me. You never know what they really want.”
“For the balance of all things. For the balance of light and dark. For the balance of life and death. For all things in balance.”
Other info.
I love me some good maps, and there’s a great one present here to begin with.
As mentioned above, the episodes are continuations of each other, with referencing present to the previous ones as you go along, making it one story. Each episode in turn is divided into chapters.
Content warnings: - Blood/gore, profanity, mature themes, etc.
Final thoughts
Witchazel – A Slayer’s Pilgrimage I took me by the scruff of the neck, and never let go until the very end. It is THAT good of a debut. Talk about some legendary inspirations to begin with, and actually give off the right vibes throughout. The writing was just top notch overall. The characters (humans and demons alike) were very well-written, the individual episodic plots were a treat in themselves, and the world… oh, it was so amazingly executed that I fell in love with it. I totally need more of it for sure! Fast-paced, with high drama, morbid mysteries, and hellish horrors right around the corner, Witchazel is an AWESOMELY FUN debut. One which I very highly recommend that you check out.
