The Witch's Boy by Alex Beecroft

Our story opens in a fantasy world reminiscent of Anglo Saxon England right after the Norman (French) conquest of 1066.  An eleven year-old boy Oswy has been sold as a slave by his impoverished family to the witch-lord Sulien FitzGuimar who imprisons him to prevent his escape. 

Sulien, who may not be as evil as he seems, is very interested in Oswy's latent magical abilities and hopes to train him as an apprentice. But first he must gain Oswy's trust, which is difficult because everyone in the surrounding countryside fears Sulien. They all remember him as the enforcer of his evil master Tancred's sadistic commands. Now Oswy plans his escape.

But, first, some background. The conquering nobility in this land is the Holmr, and the oppressed are the Sceafn, of which Oswy is one.  Sulien is the bastard son of an Holmr lord and a Sceafn slave woman.  Once apprenticed to the much-feared witch-lord Tancred, Sulien managed to defeat his master and chase him into exile, seizing his property where Sulien has lived in quiet seclusion ever since.

All this unfolds in a suspenseful tale overheard by Oswy after his first escape ends with his capture by Holmr knights, hunting in the woods. They recognize him as Sulien's new slave, which prompts an exchange of sinister gossip before they haul him back to his master. Oswy would be inclined to succumb to complete despair but for the hope he finds in Sulien's knight Leofwine, an honorable man who clearly feels loyalty and love towards Sulien. Perhaps the witch lord isn't so evil after all.

Meanwhile, a parallel plot begins with a sheltered Holmr maiden, Adela.  She stands to inherit much land, which would be good except that the king plans to wed her to his advisor, Adam de Limoges. Adam is more than twice her age and exudes evil; he is a witch, and his powers have helped the king, who is a surprisingly decent man, come to power. Therefore, his reward will be Adela and her lands.

Poor Adela has no way to know that Adam is really Tancred, clawing his way back from exile to seek absolute power and revenge against Sulien.  However, she finds his presence repulsive enough to make her skin crawl.  Soon Tancred strikes out against the king. Adela must disguise herself as a boy and flee into the countryside alone. It is a journey of self-discovery that will test the limits of her faith in God as she encounters the perilous and magical realm of the elves.

In the meantime, Oswy's story with Sulien grows increasingly complex as the witch lord rescues a peasant named Gunnar from some Holmr knights who pursue him for the elf-talisman he wears. Sulien backs them down and takes one knight, Hugo, prisoner. The stories of Hugo and Gunnar go on to interweave into the overall story in satisfying and unexpected ways.

Also, Tancred sets into motion a plan to undermine Sulien by slipping past Oswy's defenses and taking possession of him. If this weren't enough to contend with, Sulien must resist a deep desire to join his hated master whose abusive treatment has warped and half-enslaved him.   One suspenseful question in The Witch's Boy is whether or not Sulien will have the strength to resist his master and seek redemption.

This is a dark fantasy that I here at ObsidianBookshelf.com found hard to read at times because of a couple of scenes of cruelty to children and little critters. Though much of its length, the book generates an atmosphere of fear, helplessness, and despair. It balances on the borderline between dark fantasy and horror.

However, those looking for original world-building will find much to praise here.  Many of us fantasy fans are overwhelmingly weary of the usual Celtic clichés in which the fantasy world has been wallowing for at least the past thirty years. You won't find that here.  This world is Anglo Saxon, and resonates with a detailed realism that comes from the author's extensive academic background studying and re-enacting Anglo-Saxon British history. But don't be afraid that you're about to encounter chunks of indigestible history and footnotes cluttering up the narrative; instead, the writing is beautiful and the pacing is fluid. You encounter the realism of this world like a movie unfolding around you.

I found the author's take on the elves especially fascinating. First, she has captured the essence of their amorality, decadence, and cruel detachment from human emotions:  they feel the despair and ennui of immortals who will never experience the release of death.  The centuries pass, leaching the novelty and passion from their lives as everything becomes routine. 

This type of persona has been explored by others writing about elves (and vampires, for that matter).  But here the author includes a Judeo-Christian take on the origin of the elves that had me sitting up in my chair and saying, "Wow …" because it provides the elves with the most crucial choice of all: whether to use their powers for good or for evil.  It gives the elves a whole new dimension, and it supports the book's overall theme of redemption.

As all the plot threads wind closer together, The Witch's Boy builds towards its powerful and satisfying conclusion.  Throughout, we get treated to some absolutely beautiful writing such as this one sentence (from page 282): "The presences which lurk unseen in nightmares were made visible; the beings who haunt night's shadows were coming down over the battlements with heavy reptilian purpose." Or take this description (from page 207): "Then Adela saw it: a heavy thing, scudding close to the ground, half scrabbling with its many clawed legs, half flying on membranous wings the color of gut."

The Witch's Boy is probably like nothing you've ever read before, and should provide an unforgettable experience.  Plus the cover is subtly beautiful.
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