Phil Rickman

Is anybody else as obsessed as I am with his Merrily Watkins books? I've just got the latest, Remains of an altar, and I'm already half way through it. Strange combination of mystery, detection and horror, but very addictive IMO.

well I am not sure i would go as far as horror, bloody creepy is about as bad as it gets but yes they are fun reads. In fact the refusal to escalate,but rather to leave everything at the level where sceptics can easily poo poo events. is one of the strengths of these books.

He is one my favorites. I have posted about him on the Thigamabrarians that Go Bump in the Night Group.

Haven't got that one yet--they're near-impossible to find in bookstores here, and I usually end up special-ordering. But yes--I've just gone on a rampaging re-read of the Merrily books, up through The Smile of a Ghost, since I managed to get a friend of mine reading them (after badgering him for a year, because I knew he'd love them like I do, and I was right--especially since he was a Nick Drake fan to begin with, and we often find ourselves throwing around related Lol-isms)

But...I can find nothing bad about these books, and everything good. I love the subject matter; I love the way he never takes sides in his writing; I love how strong and believable his characters are; and I think most of all, I love how his characters relate. Merrily and Jane remind me of myself and my mother when I was a teenager, and, as much as I hate to say it...in a non-spoilery way, there's another relationship in the books that in some ways reminds me of my own...

I make the bookstore order them :). They come in usually within 7 to 10 days and there is no shipping charge.

Phil Rickman also writes paranormal thrillers under the name Will Kingdom. There's 2. One is called Cold Calling and the other is Mean Spirit. Available in Amazon. Although I do wander around sometimes in Amazon UK because sometimes I can't wait for my favorite authors to be published in the US

I just saw on the Amazon.uk site that Phil Rickman has written a book for younger readers under the name Thom Madley called Marco's Pendulum, which getting good reviews from adults. too. It is set in Glastonbury.

I wonder why the guy writes under different names. His work is consistently good, no matter what he pens. And thanks for the heads-up, Quartzite. He is one of my favorite writers.

hmm of course I uploaded a picture of him in his Thom Madley persona complete with pendulum to the authors photos a while back. Sorry should have mentioned it.

This guy sounds interesting! Thanks for the recommendation.

localpeanut: because they write for a different audience, authors want a particular name associated with a particular genre. Imagine writing erotica and children's books under the same name. That could throw off a few parents :-)

Thanks for the Rickman recommendation. I'll try him. Any particular book I should start with, apart fromt he very first?

Well, if you want to start with the Merrily Watkins series (the protagonist is a Diocesian exorcist) . . . the first one is Wine of Angels, I think.

For more "horrible" horror fare, start with Curfew--if you're in the U.S. or Crybbe which is its UK title. December is really good too.

Going back to Rickman's pseudonym . . . his books under the Will Kingdom alias also deal with the paranormal.

A detective with the Sight (although he's inexperienced and untrained--unlike Merrily--in its use.)

So I'm still puzzled. But I suppose that's one mystery I don't have to trouble myself with. A writer like Rickman is entitled to his quirks.

Now, if I only had such talent . . . :-)