Gorse

History is facinating, but we often focus on the big characters, the big battles. Whilst King’s were being beheaded and bombs dropped, people kept on peopleling. The history of the normal person can be forgotten, but we exist too. What happened to the normal person on the street when organised religion started to overcome the pagan ideals? Witchfinder generals and scarlet letters. Sam K. Horton takes a fantastical approach to an alternative history in Gorse when a local religious leader decides it would be a clever idea to annoy the local Fairie folk.  

Pel and his daughter Nancy are the protectors of Mirecombe. Their job is to keep the balance between humans and the magical creatures that live all around us. Only Pel and Nancy can see them, so when the local Church gains power people start to disbelieve that there is a Pixie keeping their hearth warm or crops clear of insects. Belief returns in the wrong way when locals begin to turn up dead with mysterious injuries, rather than turn to Pel, they turn to the Church. Are the killings the work of magic or man? 

The ebb and flow of organised religion and ‘superstition’ has been a theme that I have read a lot of, especially in historic fiction. Gorse takes this idea and places it in a fantasy alternative history setting. Although Reverend Cleaver does not believe, we know that the magic exists as we witness the story through Pel and Nancy’s point of view. They can see and talk to the creatures, and they can see that the balance is being upset. 

Using fairy magic in a book is always difficult as they are tricky creatures by nature who cannot be trusted. As a reader you are never sure what to trust and often anything can happen and does. This can undermine the structure of a book, but Horton manages to avoid this by giving the book a grounded historic context and feel. The magical creatures feel like they have been researched and have rules. Horton uses known concepts like The Hunt, meaning the magic does not feel like it is being made up on the spot. 

I consider Gorse to be Urban Fantasy set in the past, but it also has strong horror elements. Something is killing people and there is a fear spreading through the village. This is making them lash out at the unknown and Pel and Nancy become easy targets. We also see the horror in man’s heart as we learn more about the murderer. Everyone in the book has a reason behind their actions, even if they are wrong. 

Gorse leans very strongly into folk and fairy magic, therefore will appeal most to fans of this type of book. It has plenty of magical sayings and has an old world feel to it. The horror is also there, but with so many unusual types of boggarts and sprites, it really is a book for people who know their Fairy Rings better than their Lord of The. One of the purest Fairie magic based books I have read in recent years.