Pagan Tama
Robin Herne, A Dangerous Place
(Moon Books, 2013)
A Dangerous Place has one of the cleverest and most original premises I’ve seen in Pagan-related fiction for a very long time. It’s a collection of short stories, all murder mysteries, which all take place in different periods of history (from Iron Age right up to present day) but in the same place – Ipswich in Suffolk, East England. What makes this book of interest to Pagans is that every story has some kind of occult, magical or Pagan aspect. There’s ancient Anglo-Saxon religion, Druidry, Kemetism, traditional witchcraft, Jewish folklore, spiritualism and the modern New Age movement. It’s almost like a darker, bloodier version of Bernard Cornwell’s Stonehenge.
What I liked particularly about the stories is that they are all inspired by real historical events or local legends, which is explained in a brief afterword after each story. Even Robin Hood shows up in one narrative! The stories range considerably in style and tone, from eerily Gothic to vaguely satirical (there’s definitely something amusing about the concept of warring New Age practitioners, which we see in the final story). They do at times feel a little rushed and given their short nature, it’s rather a shame that we don’t see much in the way of development among some very interesting character concepts, but they are still interesting, especially when one reads about their historical connections afterwards.
While it is somewhat rough around the edges at times, A Dangerous Place is an imaginative, original and intriguing work showing both talent and a passion for Ipswich’s local legends. A very worthwhile contribution to the world of Pagan fiction.
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