The Famine Witch

by Stephen Black

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Pub Date Jan 25 2024 | Archive Date Mar 08 2024

Quill and Crow Publishing House | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Sci Fi & Fantasy

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Description

Belfast, 1847. They would come to call it Black ‘47.

A town on the brink, ravaged by the Great Hunger sweeping across the island of Ireland. A town living in fear as a crazed killer stalks the streets at night, butchering young women. They call him Bloody Hands.

Amidst the chaos, nineteen-year-old Maggie Malone and her young brother, Jinks, fight to survive each day. But there is worse to come when a mysterious ship limps into port, having miraculously emerged from a savage storm. A ship carrying death itself, summoned by a malevolent force that has haunted the mountain overlooking Belfast for centuries, hellbent on devastation and ruin. They call her The Black Lady.

Maggie and Jinks become unwitting pawns as Bloody Hands and The Black Lady take their ancient feud to new levels of barbarism, threatening the future of Belfast and its hapless population. Can Maggie unlock the dormant power within her and save Belfast from toppling into the abyss? Can she transform into the savior that the people so desperately need?

Can she become The Famine Witch?

Belfast, 1847. They would come to call it Black ‘47.

A town on the brink, ravaged by the Great Hunger sweeping across the island of Ireland. A town living in fear as a crazed killer stalks the streets...

A Note From the Publisher

Illustrated by Fay Lane

Edited by Cassandra L. Thompson

eBook: 9781958228500

Paperback: 9781958228517

Hardcover: 9781958228524

Advance Praise

“In elegant prose, Black weaves a tale of intrigue and morality, presenting a magical legend through themes that are as relevant to our modern world as they were to the one in which this masterpiece is set. Black completely transports the reader to another time, establishing the setting with striking descriptions of an environment in which fully realized characters flourish. There is heart in this tale, but there is also horror, and Black is able to spellbind his readers with a deep and compassionate tale that displays not only the brutality of mankind but also its goodness, reminding us that morality is sometimes more subjective than it is impartial and finite.”

- Brooklynn Dean, author of The Word of the Rock God

“Set in the time of the Great Famine, The Famine Witch throws us into a world of bleakness, sorrow, and desperation from the first page. The horrors of historic Ireland mix seamlessly with the added terror of an unknown entity searching for new victims and the harrowing figure of the Famine Witch herself. Black adds threads of hope and courage with Maggie Malone, whose strength and strive for a better life for her and her brother against dire odds are commendable. There is light against the bleak, some dark humor there, too, and it weaves itself perfectly into this historic horror. A gripping read.”

- L.V. Russell, author of The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses

“Stephen Black cleverly harnesses Irish mythology, dark fantasy, and a vivid cast of characters to immerse the reader in the devastation of the Great Hunger…magnificently done.”

- Catherine Fearns, author of All the Parts of the Soul