Gilbert has two problems. The first is that he died. The second is that he didn't stay dead.-Amazon's teaser for
The Witch WatchSet in a steampunk version of Victorian England,
The Witch Watch tells the story of Gilbert, a corpse who was accidentally brought to life. He finds himself being hunted by the people who revived him, the church that zealously opposes all magic, and the Ministry of Ethereal Affairs that is charged with destroying abominations like himself. What begins as a story of a fugitive corpse becomes much more as Gilbert learns about the cult that revived him, and the threat they pose to all of England.
This is a highly entertaining book. The plot is engaging, the characters are multi-faceted, and it contains all of the wry wit that fans of
Twenty Sided have come to expect from Shamus. The man spends a lot of his free time analyzing stories to see what works and what doesn't, and this hobby pays off. While
Witch Watch is far from perfect, and anyone who reads a lot will probably be able to peg it as a first novel (well,
technically third, but first written to be sold). That said it avoids many of the pitfalls that new authors fall into. Gilbert is not a Gary-Stu, Alice does not inexplicably have twenty-first century values in nineteenth-century London, the good guys all have flaws, and the villains are not evil for evil's sake.
The story does have some pitfalls. A few scenes feel a bit rushed, and certain decisions by the characters were not explained as well as they could've been. All-in-all, though, I think the good here
far outweighs the bad.
The Witch Watch is a self-published work, so you won't be able to find it in stores. There is a digital version for pretty much any ereader you may have, and it can be ordered in paperback. Details
here.
EDIT: You can now read the first few pages
here.