Hub 134 by Various

Author:Various
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science fiction, Horror, Fantasy
Publisher: Right Hand Publishing

The Devil’s Plague

by Mark Benyon

Abaddon

rrp £6.99

reviewed by matthew fryer

I’ve read several of the Tomes of the Dead range from Abaddon books, and the quality has been increasingly high. Despite its title, “The Devil’s Plague” by Mark Beynon isn’t one of the bleakest, but presents an interesting alternative history to the series of gut-wrenching apocalyptica.

We’re in 17th century England during the civil war, and Oliver Cromwell’s drunken excuse for an army is flagging beneath the onslaught of the Royalists. So like any good commander finding himself up the creek without a paddle, he throws consequence and ethics to the wind, and sells his mortal soul to the devil. In exchange, he is awarded the help of an ancient demonic army of mounted warriors: the terrible Kryfangan.

But despite the temporary glory, Cromwell learns that he can’t control these bloodthirsty wraiths, and that their slain victims are rising from the mire. Soon England is falling to a zombie horde that makes the original Great Plague look like a sniffle, with the Kryfangan battling both living and dead. It’s a great idea to toss a couple of new supernatural factions into an already violent period of English history, and the floundering, wartorn survivors have no idea whose side they’re supposed to be on.

Delivered in short, effortless chapters, this is the kind of book than can easily be read in snatches – on the bus, in a waiting room, a cheeky cigarette break at work – without us either losing track of the plot or becoming too involved.

The main player is an actor named Davenant, a fugitive knight of the dethroned king. Despite the constant threat of arrest (theatre has been banned under Cromwell’s ruling), he tours an underground show across England along with his daughter and acting entourage. Their story begins before the outbreak, and is a nice slice of cat and mouse as the group village-hop to evade Cromwell’s acolytes. King Charles Stuart himself, his burly aid and an elegant trio of condemned witches soon become part of the unlikely band of outlaws.

The tour of Stuart-era England is brilliant. We visit filthy taverns, blood-stained battlefields, the dripping chambers of the Tower of London, and as the plot mainly evolves through the eyes of either the hunters or hunted, it has a nicely tainted atmosphere. But despite this, the mood is generally light-hearted. There are comically inept guards, drunken pranks and indignant arguments, and the author uses a smooth combination of modern slang and slightly antiquated language to good effect: it captures the period yet is still perfectly accessible.

When the humour relents, the genuinely unpleasant scenes stand out all the more. For example, during a witch trial, the women are subjected to the torture of “pricking”, and I grew angry with the hypocritical injustice and absurdity, whilst silently urging the bystanders to intervene. This proved a sobering and effective break from the fun. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough, and there were times when I wished the wisecracks would take a back seat and just let me get spooked by the gothic surroundings.

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