Release Date: May 18, 2011
[easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]The Black Witch[/easyazon_link] is a wonderful work of dark fiction. The eponymous vessel consumes its prey. Men are driven to madness with an all-consuming desire to possess this ship. They will go to any lengths to achieve their goals and those lengths get crazier and crazier. In the epic battle between good and evil, the balance is sometimes off. [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]The Black Witch[/easyazon_link] has the feel of a modern classic. Rivers’s writing style is vivid and insightful. The work had me constantly on the lookout for the subtext that would enhance, not fill in, the story. I didn’t know anything about sailing, and I am not usually a nautical fiction sort of fan, but Rivers’s rich storytelling kept me engaged and enthralled. His writing style in [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]The Black Witch[/easyazon_link] is of an author that loves the story he’s telling and just knows his readers will find the tale just as interesting.
The most interesting character is [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]The Black Witch[/easyazon_link] herself. She has a brutal history that unfolds for the reader. She is pure evil, determined to destroy spirits in an effort to satiate a weird hunger. She lures and destroys in such an efficient and complete manner that we know there is no saving those who become consumed with a desire to possess her. Her newest owners, Dorian and Diana Coe and Gale Ritchie, don’t stand a chance. This is not a spoiler, but a must-read kind of novel to truly appreciate the intelligence of the plotting and narrative.
Of course, the obvious call-back to a novel of obsession on the high seas is Moby Dick and there are parallels, certainly. In the case of [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]The Black Witch[/easyazon_link] there have been those that defeated the dark evil but obviously not in any sort of permanent way, which gives us a surprise ending and leaves the possibility of a second work open. Will Rivers return to [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051PYOIS” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]? I’m not sure, but there are some loose threads left, and I would love to see where he goes next.
Read an excerpt and pick up The Black Witch by Micheal Rivers today on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
For more information about Micheal Rivers, visit his website. You can connect with him on Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter @micheal_rivers.