The Chalice

I really liked the complex dark and creepy plot of this one. The author has drawn a real life picture of the tensions in the town between the long-time residents and the new comers brought by its mystical aura. He writes about Pagans, Christians, and New Age people who all have to deal with the horror and hatred that goes with fascism. Power goes to those who desperately want it and are willing to sell their humanity and immortal souls…but he conveys the message to never allow only one group to ever be in complete power. Good lesson in that one Mr. Rickman. One word of warning…the paperback addition is 500 pages of tiny print that you could go blind trying to read….so go for audio or hardcover if you can.

September 30, 2003
The Chalice
Phil Rickman

Very long and involved, as all Rickman’s books are. I love them, especially the Welsh / English settings that he seems to cast in a perfect light, a combination of past and present. This story features Glastonbury, home of the Holy Grail according to legend. A girl from a wealthy family who left years before has returned via a pagan caravan, and is being badgered by her father and brother because she’s an embarrassment to them.

That’s really just one part of the story, as there are so many characters and sub-threads – the woman who runs the New Age shop, the writer with a past, etc.

Rickman’s settings almost have a flavor to them – the coolness of an English night, the sense of the show more ancient and the hidden, the smell of wet grass and rain – and it really comes alive for me. I’m in such a Rickman mood that I’m going to read another one now… show less

Phil Rickman's Glastonbury is a scary and spooky place,but is also recognisable to anyone who's visited Glastonbury, as its populated by an anxious mix of locals and new-agers, many of who run specialist shops in the High Street. Although this is promoted as a horror story, as with Rickman's later novels, local politics and the clashes between incomers and locals are an important part of the plot.A long but fascinating read.

One of Phil Rickman's best novels, a thoroughly imagined Glastonbury with locals, hippies, ghosts, and a real struggle with evil. That lovely Joe Powys appears again (from Crybbe).

Great, spooky read, especially if you're familiar with Glastonbury and its history and legends.