Rosie Andrews

The first page of this book completely blew me away and I'm convinced it was written purely and exclusively with me in mind! I loved it so much I insisted on reading it aloud (dramatically of course) to my husband, who agreed this sounded like the perfect book for me. Here's a taste:

"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. A time when rabbits hunted foxes, when children came into the world without their show more heads, and kings lost theirs on the scaffold. The world was turned upside down, or so some said. Weep, England, weep, the broadsheets cried, and the poets and philosophers, fearing for their own necks, delayed their poems and philosophies, or incarcerated them in Latin and impenetrable Greek, to be exhumed at a more enlightened date." Page 3

How could that not give you shivers down your spine? I was immediately captivated and compelled to read further and find out what could possibly have happened to warrant such an extraordinary introduction.

Set in Norfolk England and alternating between 1643 and 1703, Thomas Treadwater is a soldier in the civil war and is summoned home by his sister with word of trouble in the household. When Thomas arrives home, things take a sour turn with accusations of witchcraft thick in the air.

The Leviathan is a dark gothic mystery full of myth and superstition and I just love this kind of historical fiction. I agree that The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews will appeal to fans of The Binding by Bridget Collins and The Essex Serpent, but I honestly think this debut is much better than the equally atmospheric The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.

If you like your historical fiction dark and gothic, with terrific character development and superb storytelling, this is for you.

(If you'd like to read the prologue I quoted from above in full, the first 36 pages of the novel are available in a free extract on the publisher's website).

* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury * show less

Thomas Treadaway is a reluctant soldier for Parliament in the Civil War. Injured he returns home to find the family sheep dead, his father insensible and only his sister in the house. This is 1643 and accusations of witchcraft fly around the town, especially when two of the family servants die from poisoning in a locked jail cell. However on the death of his father Thomas realises that the danger is closer to him and linked to events that took place at sea.
This is a complex and clever book. show more For the first half it seems to be another novel about witchcraft during the 17th century, an odd romance and a set of family travails. In the second half though it changes massively and takes a supernatural twist with a mild horror element. Generally I really liked it and the author has great potential. show less

Rosie Andrews’ debut novel The Leviathan opens with a prologue set in 1703 – the work’s “present”, to which we will return at regular intervals in the novel. It then immediately takes us back six decades, to the final days of the year 1643, where the main storyline is set.

Narrator Thomas Treadwater, a soldier in the English Civil War, receives a barely credible letter from his younger sister Esther, alleging that their pious widower father is being seduced by one of the servants, show more “the harlot Chrissa Moore”, and urging him to come home without delay to the family farmstead in Norfolk. Thomas returns to find the farm animals dead, his father struck down with a debilitating stroke, and Chrissa and another servant jailed on suspicions of witchcraft. Thomas is a (relatively) learned man of his age, and is losing his faith in God, let alone his beliefs in witchcraft and old-fashioned superstition. But it will soon appear that truth is not a matter of black and white. Thomas’s beliefs – or lack thereof – will be sorely tested.

At this early stage in the novel, I was wondering where the narrative would lead. Would Andrews follow an Ann-Radcliffe-style “rational Gothic” and eventually show us how the charges of witchcraft were trumped up by a superstitious mob? Or would this turn out to be a work of supernatural fiction? I would not like to reveal much about the pleasurable twists and turns of the plot, but suffice it to say that The Leviathan turns out to be an unsettling piece of Gothic horror and that, yes, the evils it portrays are not (only) of this world.

The Leviathan is an exciting and gripping yarn which, despite its surprises, does not require much suspension of disbelief (naturally, within the parameters of a speculative novel). The narrative juggles ably between the “past” and “present” timelines until the satisfactory ending. The language used is archaic enough to give a sense of authenticity, without, however, making it any less flowing to the modern reader. That same sense of authenticity is reflected in details which, albeit not essential to the plot, serve to create atmosphere. In one scene, for instance, we witness the preparation of the evening meal of snipe; in others we get descriptions of an England ravaged by plague and civil war. This ability to provide “context” is surely the result of a good mix of research and imagination – the sights, smells and sounds of a distant era are well conveyed. The novel also raises interesting themes, such as faith, belief and doubt – although this is done with a much lighter touch than the “theological Gothic” of, say, Sarah Perry’s Melmoth.

Poet John Milton appears as a character in the novel, in the unlikely role of paranormal investigator. At one point he observes:

It has always been my weakness: a novel story, well constructed. I must congratulate you on the telling.

This could well sum up my reaction to this engaging debut.

For the full review go to: https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-leviathan-by-rosie-andrews.html

4.5* show less

England, 1643. When young Thomas Treadwell arrives at his family farm on leave from the army, he finds much chaos and turmoil that mystifies his mind. Approaching his father's farm, he sees hundreds of dead sheep sprinkled across the lawn. Upon entering his home, he finds his father lying in bed, eyes bulging, babbling nonsense, in a total state of apoplexy. The family maid is imprisoned accused of witchcraft. A woman and her daughter who are neighbors are also in a jail cell accused of the show more murder of a young girl; more witch threats!. His 16 year old sister does not seem normal and he is at a loss of words as to what malevolence has fallen upon them all.

Rosie Andrews sensational debut novel The Leviathan should hopefully soar right into landing her an Edgar Award in my opinion. This superbly well written and finely executed story is what I would tag as a historical mystery/horror combo. Its supernatural entity is quite unique and a breath of fresh air in a literary world of redundant plots. The eerie suspense in The Leviathan builds very slow and will keep you turning each haunting page quickly. I was totally mesmerized and captivated at the brilliance of this incredible story. For a debut novel Rosie Andrews knocks it out of the park with an unforgettable tale. 5 brilliant stars, standing ovation!

I treated myself to a Collectors copy from Goldsboro Books in the U.K. The Leviathan's cover art is gorgeous depicting blue and aqua entwined snakes with a touch of gilt. This copy is a signed 1st, numbered limited edition, with black sprayed edges with the words " she is awake"! It is a beautiful book. show less