“24th March 1703. A place far from the sea. She is awake. And I must remind myself of how it began. The end of all things. It was a time of witches, it was a time of saints. …The world was turned upside down, or so some said.” - ‘The Leviathan’ by Rosie Andrews.

In 1703 the elderly Thomas Treadwater reflects back upon the events of 1643. With civil war about to tear England apart, Thomas is summoned home to Norfolk by his sister, Esther, to deal with a family crises. Esther has accused their new servant, Chrissa Moore, of improper conduct with their widowed father.

When Thomas arrives home he finds that his father has been rendered insensible by a stroke and Chrissa is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft. Thomas is disturbed by this as he prides himself on being a rational man, who is not prone to such superstitions. As Thomas seeks to unravel the mystery, he is unprepared for what he discovers. In order to understand the nature of an ancient evil, he seeks assistance from his former tutor, John Milton. Yes, that John Milton. No further details to avoid spoilers.

From the opening pages I was completely captivated by Rosie Andrews’ exquisite use of language. I felt that it evoked the formality of this period of history while remaining accessible to a modern reader.

While the focus is upon events taking place in Norfolk, the political and religious turmoil of the English civil war is never far away. Added to this is the fervour surrounding the witch trials of the period. Given the novel’s themes of good and evil, I found the inclusion of Milton interesting. Thomas does briefly reference both ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained’ in his present.

It was clear from the outset that Andrews had undertaken extensive research into the period. She also richly captures the atmosphere of the Norfolk landscape including the stark beauty of its coastline.

Overall, I found ‘The Leviathan’ a powerful work of literary fiction that embraced elements of myth and supernatural horror alongside its grounding in historical events. A very promising debut and I certainly will be looking forward to Rosie Andrew’s future projects.

Highly recommended.

A wicked 4 star novel where nothing is quite what it seems or what you would expect !!!

An intriguing tale of the supernatural and suspected witchcraft that is fascinating, spine chilling, and creepy, and set in a war-torn England in 1643 when the country is politically and religiously unstable and economically devastated. A story of witchcraft told with great pace against an atmosphere of prevailing unease and evil that is accretive and penetrating.

With twists and turns that just keep coming the reader is assured of a book that is utterly gripping and totally absorbing. Until it comes to that ending!!!, and we have what I consider a clash of horrors, as the creature from the black lagoon meets Hocus Pocus which just did not come together in my opinion.

Thomas Treadwater is a soldier convalescing after an injury, when his receives word from his sister, Esther, to return home immediately because all is not well, and their father has succumbed to the spell of the new servant Chrissa Moore. Arriving at the family estate, he is presented with a field full of dead sheep, his father has had a stroke and unable to communicate while the new servant, who is denounced as a witch, is in jail pending an investigation.

Esther provides evidence to the witchfinders of Chrissa’s sorcery, while Chrissa herself offers little defence to the accusations levied at her and their friends. As for Thomas, well he is born sceptical and doubts the version of events presented to him, so starts his own investigation, as he learns more about the servant and his sister.

First of all, the characterisation was perfect. Thomas is cast as the ‘doubting Thomas’, who doesn’t believe in religion, politics and witchcraft. However, it is his questioning nature that brings the story alive as he portrayed as a fair and sympathetic character who wants justice. Esther is the mild-mannered daughter, and a loyal sister who is held in high esteem within the community. Then we have Chrissa ‘the servant, and picklock’, who lived in a brothel which conjures up images of a woman seedy, without morals and capable of evil and witchcraft.

The writing style in the book is excellent, which is used to create the perfect atmosphere and historical backdrop, conjuring up vivid images in our minds of the 1643 England after the civil war. Even the hysteria around witchcraft and the insidious nature of the witch trials is perfectly captured while the duty of family is sympathetically nuanced and told with real sentiment.

The downside was ‘The Leviathan’, the sea serpent, it added nothing except the title. In my opinion it should have been left out of a perfectly good story and the book renamed. The timeline of 1703 was also the weaker of the two timelines and added very little extra to the overall story.

Nevertheless, the book was atmospheric, tense, chilling, and addictive with some interesting twists. Most of the book was a 5 star read, it was 'The Leviathan' ironically that reduced this to a 4 star.

I enjoyed this book but it’s a very slow burn. It took a good 100 pages to get into and then I’d say the story didn’t fully get underway until 200 pages in leaving the ending quite rushed I felt. I think the author probably could have expanded on certain aspects as some plot points felt either rushed or not fully explained, and for a book of 308 pages it was a bit disappointing.

I did however enjoy the premise of the book, and the story was interesting. I’d be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

Leviathan begins compellingly, with wounded protagonist Thomas returning from the English Civil Wars, only to find his farmstead in a state of decay, and his family tormented by symptoms of witchcraft. In order to protect his loved ones from the depredations of the devil and to avoid persecution from the local populace, Thomas turns to former mentor John Milton, whose own metaphysical obsessions drive them all towards a startling and monstrous conclusion.

The latter parts of “Leviathan” attempt to connect the narrative to the eponymous demon of the deep, and Ms Andrews is only partially successful in this. I feel more could have been done to strengthen the themes of the sea and its mythical denizens, and more foreshadowing in the earlier parts of the novel might have helped to achieve this. But that is only one opinion and a minor quibble, as otherwise this is a compelling tale with beautifully-drawn characters and a pervading atmosphere of horror, impending doom, and ultimately, a meditation on the sorrows of age and loss.

It took a while before this book hit the spot and I was almost going to give up before eventually the story started to unfold and to become interesting. I found the initial part boring, confusing and a bit pedantic but after this poor start, the story became really interesting and I love it. This books combines interesting elements and nothing is what is seems to be initially. I have found the ending a bit rushed and not as interesting as the core part of the book. Maybe the author was not too inspired when she started writing, then found the inspiration but was forced to rush the publication. That would explain the poor start, great middle and rushed ending to me. In general, however, it is a pleasant reading.

Good

Set in the mid 1600s to the early 1700s, 'The Leviathan' follows returning Norfolk soldier, Thomas Treadwater, on his tumultuous journey embroiled in witchcraft and biblical lore as he fights to save the family he loves.

This powerful debut novel by Rosie Andrews is compelling as it is unique; set apart from other recent explorations witchcraft in the current literary trend, the twists and turns in the plot keep you on your toes throughout. There is a richness of language and description within this novel which retains its natural conversation throughout, completely hooking you into Thomas' narrative.

Whilst the biblical and uncanny elements of the novel may not suit every reader, particularly the embodiment of the Leviathan, I immensely enjoyed this novel and all the undulating chaos it depicted. I found it an excellent debut novel and I will be looking forward in anticipation to Rosie Andrew's future writing.

The characters were very good but I could never got John Milton serious. The story line was very good. I could not get the transition of the main character from a boy to a man how could he changed so fast within a year from a delinquent to a gentle caring man.

Loved it great book good condition

I'm glad that the book arrived on time and in proper packaging. Am in the middle of the book and amazed that it's a debut novel. The story grips you from the very start. Hope to read more books by Rosie Andrews in future.