The Wine of Angels

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Fine Wine of Words
Review: After savoring the last drop of this Rickman offering, I looked back through my copy of the novel to find I had highlighted passages of text, written copious marginal comments and even affixed multi-colored page tabs throughout! I have never done this, even with King or Straub novels, so this was probably my recognition that I've set Rickman's works apart from others. Rickman's writing, in my opinion, does more than entertain; this writer consistently integrates the mythos of ritual and sacrifice, which link the temporal to the sacred, into the fabric of his stories in a way that no other contemporary author of popular fiction I've encountered thus far dares to do. I enjoyed this book so much because the characters, setting, imagery, tone and language work together so well to link contemporary "Ledwardine" to its past, just as most places and people are linked in the spiral of mythic time. One character, Lucy Devenish, understands the need to honor that link to the past through the performance of "right" ritual, a theme that, in my opinion, cannot be overdone in our world today. I think that there exists a profound hunger for ritual, albeit at times a subconscious one, as is evidenced by all the pathetic attempts at finding substitutes for what we've lost in the name of progress. Rickman so aptly captures this cultural void in his tale, set in the contemporary Hereford countryside, of the resulting bastardized festival that is disastrous from its planning stage to its tragic conclusion. The author exposes the residents of this town as well as their motivations for taking part in staging the festival, and he holds each character accountable for his or her involvement. I guess that's what makes this story so satisfying: in a mythic world like Ledwardine, a writer can address those individual lapses of judgment, violations of social mores and breaches of cultural propriety. In the real world, we don't often get or want to see the connections between our actions and the events they set in motion. Rickman metes out consequences that are appropriate but not heavy-handed. Another interesting aspect of this and other Rickman stories is the often painful yet inevitable nature of sacrifice, which occurs for the ultimate good of the community. Rickman's "victims" seem to have at their cores a gentle and perhaps imperfect wisdom that becomes almost holy through their deaths. This book is no exception. Again, Rickman's consistent articulation of the psychic significance of this theme has created a unique sub-genre within the horror/supernatural genre.

The themes of ritual and sacrifice are not the only ones that set Rickman's novels apart from others. This novel and its sequel, MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT, both explore the intricacies of the mother/daughter bond as well as maternal themes found in the mythos of the Anglican (and Catholic)Church. Rickman's "Merrily Watkins" novels have something for anyone who has ever felt that uneasy void in her or his soul and the need to re-connect to that sense of maternal comfort we often find in things spiritual.

I am anxiously awaiting Rickman's new novel, A CROWN OF LIGHTS, due out this spring.

Rating:
Summary: The Talented Mr. Rickman
Review: As always, Mr. Rickman provides us with elegant suspense, and a gothic mood without going overboard. December is, in my opinion, the best gothic fiction ever written. But this comes close. So close.

Rating:
Summary: Merrily Watkins, what a gal...
Review: First, let me say that I have not read a novel in over 8 years, although I have started to read many and just put them down half way through because the plot was too flimsy or the writing was over the top. When I picked up The Wine of Angels, I read about 5 pages and thought 'I can't read this, there is something about the way he writes...' but went on for another 5 pages...I couldn't put it down! He writes very descriptively, and I was not used to it! I ended up reading this and another novel of his in three days!

In order to read Mr. Rickman's work, you have to be prepared to 'read a movie' in the sense that he writes a very good picture and he puts his characters in situations that put you on edge emotionally- so well that you share the emotion of the moment.

He gives Merrily for one some very realistic obstacles and exploits them well. The main obstacle for her in this book is the fact that she is a female priest; she faces discrimination by the men AND the women of her parish. You can feel the weight of the situation on her shoulders and struggle with her as she responds to the challenges. She is very clear and calculated, always honest with herself.

Lol (not laugh out loud) has a past that haunts him in the present. His very timid manner is both the cause and result of the events that lead him to where we get to know him and make his obstacles all the more daunting and real to the reader.

Jane. Merrily's daughter at the tender age of fifteen, rebellious of her mother's ordination yet supportive of her mother as a woman, she gives Merrily another obstacle in the story as although she is not 'out of control' she does get herself in some situations. Jane is also introduced to another spirituality that becomes a point of argument and point of understanding between her and her mother.

All in all, this whole series is a very good read- I am still going strong!

Rating:
Summary: Merrily, Gomer, Jane, you are real
Review: I have a deep and abiding love both of realistic characters and true horror in books. The problem is that both are terribly rare commodities. Phil Rickman, I must take my hat off to you for handling both.

I have read books with characters who are admirable, heroic, likeable, believable, but that is not quite the same thing as realistic. Take Merrily Watkins for an antidote, however. Merrily is a very real woman. She's 35, a widow, a vicar in the Anglican church, mother to a 15-year-old daughter (who is a delightful and exasperating handful herself), and struggling with a serious appointment in a very small town. Yes, she smokes; yes, she swears now and again, but these are not affectations. Instead, Merrily is a complex person, one with private inconsistencies that make sense as time goes by as well as deep truths that both drive and guide her. Merrily is no superheroine, no master-of-all-situations, but rather a very real, very vulnerable, very tough, very reactive human being trying to make the best of the oddities life has thrown at her. Sometimes she chooses brilliantly, sometimes not. But when all is said and done, what actions she takes and what thoughts she has make sense for the person that she is. She is not a character who serves a plot, but rather a person caught with words on a page. Outside of "War & Peace" and "Crime & Punishment" I have not run across characters I love so deeply and react to on such an intense, human level as those created by Phil Rickman in this series.

Now on to horror...

Most "horror" writers use a lot of red ink. Blood is everywhere, torture abounds, and even ghosts throw things about with alacrity. In point of fact, most horror writers seem more interested in gross than in the tiny thrill of true horror, that moment when something is just a touch wrong, and you know it, but you cannot put your fingers on it, thus making it all the more terrifying for not being able to describe it. Mr. Rickman, conversely, understands this true horror. While many Big Things happen in this book, often the horror aspects are easily explained away -- a person with a psychological hang-up, a nasty public confrontation, someone fed a story about, say, rather nasty faeries in the apple grove at just the right/wrong time. You never actually /see/ a ghost, but you feel them. There is death and mayhem in this book, but that is not the real horror. The horror is a combination of the all-too-human side of reality that people often wish to deny and the subtle, very, very subtle misplacement of the senses, especially of what Is and what Isn't.

Of the books in the series, I give this one 4 stars, although I would probably give 5 stars to the others. There are a few times in this book that the writing weakens, leaving you to scratch your head for a moment or two over just which character is talking or exactly where the plot is heading, but then it gets back on track very strongly and directly. The later books feel more comfortable, confident and controlled -- I wanted to rate this one because it is where people begin the series, though I may get around to the others as well. In the end, this is very strong, very realistic writing and well worth the read.

Give it a try -- what could you possibly have to lose?


Rating:
Summary: Terrible disappointment
Review: I have bogged down halfway through this book and don't plan to finish it. Mr. Rickman appears to be a dour, misogynistist who has no sympathy or affection for his characters. Mean-spirited, bitter and twisted!

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Blend of Mystery, Thrills, and Character!
Review: I have just discovered the Merrily Watkins series of novels, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Phil Rickman manages to create the perfect blend: interesting characters with a lot of depth, mystery with a tinge of the supernatural, and charming recreation of English village life.

In this particular book, Merrily (a priest in the Anglican church) scouts out the village that will be her next post, and participates in a seemingly harmless ritual in an ancient apple orchard. Although the ritual is meant to embue the orchard with new life and increase the apple harvest, it is enacted by a yuppie couple who only intend to promote commercialism in the village and increase tourism. Something goes very wrong, and an old man dies in a particularly horrible and bloody way.

Throughout the rest of the book, we see this dynamic tension between the modern world and the darker, "old" ways of the English countryside. While all this is going on, we get to know Merrily and her feisty daughter who both have their own problems adjusting to small village life. Rickman does a great job of keeping us on the edge of our seat, as we wonder how Merrily will resolve her position in the church with the undeniably powerful dark forces that confront her.

I must say that I never saw the ending coming, and was pleased by the clever resolution.

Rating:
Summary: The Wine of Angels
Review: I've been buying Rickman novels from UK websites for a couple of years now. Years ago, after reading Curfew (until now, one of the few of his novels available in the States), I was hooked by the supernatural plots, on the mark characterizations, subtle humor and creepy settings. In The Wine of Angels Rickman introduces Rev. Merrily Watkins, who finds herself in the middle of a community uproar of the natural and supernatural type while trying to gain acceptance as a female vicar in a small, traditional village. One of the things I really like about Rickman's writing is the way he blends the supernatural with the mundane. In this case, Merrily faces the supernatural in a haunted vicarage while dealing with sexism and the challenges associated with raising a teenager. If you like Merrily here, try the next book, Midwinter of the Spirit.

I hope Rickman's cooking up some more clever thrillers for his readers here in the U.S.

Rating:
Summary: Phil Rickman - It doesn't get ANY better!
Review: Phil Rickman is the Stephen King of the UK (and certainly no misogynist!).
With his unusual blend of horror and mystery, Rickman easily draws his readers into the, at first, seemingly improbable world of the Reverend Merrily Watkins, the newly appointed priest-in-charge of the Welsh parish of Ledwardine.
He draws his characters well, and weaves contemporary influences (music is a favourite) into his storylines, heavy with folklore and dark with menace.
If you can't find him on the crime shelves, look under `h' for horror, but don't be deterred by the mis-filing of these great books in the wrong category. These are books that must be read!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book but not his best
Review: This is a great way to be introduced to the Reverend Merrily Watkins and her daughter Jane. The story moves well and there are a lot of twist and turns, but there doesn't seem to be quite as much paranormal involvement as I've become familiar with in Rickman's other novels. I love his settings in old Welsh or English towns... even the minor characters prove to be interesting and integral to the plot. Mr. Rickman also is a wonderful source to finding out more about older Celtic legends, myths and monsters.

I've been a fan of Phil Rickman's work since my sister turned me on to his books a few years ago (specifically DECEMBER, CURFEW and CANDLENIGHT). I love his lyrical style and attention to detail in those books. Unfortunately, he just didn't seem to have the same flow in this novel as he did in his others. I'm not saying that this isn't a good novel... its just not one of his better ones.