California based David Barclay’s novella The Devil’s Mistress is a quick and involving read that left with me with a ton of questions I need answering, the most relevant one being: Is that it? Yes, I know it’s a novella, but there is so much mythos to explore in the story’s setting that I hope the author comes back for more.
The year is 1705, the town is Blackfriar, Virginia, in a country that has yet to shake off its British colonizers and puritanical roots. Isabella Ashcroft is in fear for her father’s life and when the story begins she’s making a dangerous late-night dash to the legendary and feared Lady of the Hill. The Lady offers to help Isabelle with her problem, but there will be a price–there’s always a price to pay when you deal with forces you can’t even begin to understand, and when words have more than one meaning.
Isabelle’s worries are not just confined to her father’s failing health, but she’s also betrothed to a man with such callous disregard for human life. Don’t forget, this is a time when rich white people had slaves and treated them abominably. For me, this is and will always be the real horror. Thomas Huxley and his mother, Marianne, are characters that are without redemption and will deserve their fate when it arrives. But I digress.
Events overtake Isabelle and she finds herself accused not only of murder but of witchcraft. The novella then races towards its grisly and brutal climax. Barclay finely balances his writing, mixing historical accuracy with the necessary components of a horror/revenge story. Overall I liked it, but for me, I would like to see a deeper exploration of the themes. Particularly in the story behind the story: there is so much to written and characters to be developed even before The Devil’s Mistress begins. In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of the novella is what we don’t yet know. I ask David Barclay to give us more.
The Devil’s Mistress was published on March 16, 2021, by Silver Shamrock Publishing, and I thank them for providing me with a copy to review here.
What I think About When I Think About Writing. 