Book Review- Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I usually love myself some good, old-fashioned tales about witches. When reading the description and looking at the cover as I browsed the horror section at The Last Bookstore in LA, I thought Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell would be right up my alley. I am disappointed to say that this novella did not at all meet my expectations, so much so that I really did not think the book was worth finishing.

Firstly, the style of writing was rather awful. Cornell has tried to make a book almost solely of the characters’ thoughts, and, in my opinion, putting too much effort into it. He also provides too much explanation of mundane things while failing to explain important points to the plot at large. It would have been helpful to know more background on the town of Lychford in the beginning, whereas it is hard to know what it’s all about until about page 80 (more than halfway through the book already!).

Secondly, the progression of the plot with the implied themes of the book did not match up. I stopped reading on page 90, and still there are no mention of witches, only implications. What there is are hints at other worlds, similar to fairy worlds one would see in books about the lore of England or Ireland. But the way it is presented by Cornell is all very random. All of a sudden things start happening with no history or indication of why it should be, other than vague experiences hinted at by the characters. That is the big trouble, this book is one big hint, which makes for rather un-compelling reading.

I would go into more detail, but I think that covers a lot of the reasons why I do not like this book. I do not recommend to anyone, unless you like big hints.



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