Shadowmancer
G.P. Taylor, Faber and Faber 2003

Shadowmancer tells the story of two children thrown into a struggle between the evil sorcerer-cum-vicar Demurral and their new friend, Raphah, sent to recover a holy statue which gives Demurral the power to ascend to a higher command than God and unleash an unholy fallen angel to rule the universe.

Its mixture of 18th century North Yorkshire life and sacred mysticism could be rather charming if it weren’t for the religious indoctrination that dominates the whole book. Raphah is a fierce prophet and within his first conversation with Thomas, and our introduction to him, he has uttered the colloquial phrases:
“All I have is that which is given to me by Riathamus (God). Look again, my little fish, This is the power of all goodness. He who is will show you.”

The influence of the persuasive Raphah is continually demonstrated by the somewhat unexpected soliloquies of those who he meets. The children have issues common to many, and have to face these as a result of their experiences with Raphah. However, unlike many children of their age, their revelations as to how to continue their lives are rather elegant and spiritual. Thus Thomas, whist lying in the undergrowth hiding from a henchman Varrigal shares his new understanding with Kate:
“I’ve realised .. that we live in a world different from the one I thought. Its as if I was blind and suddenly all the blindness has gone. ..Now I know there is something more to life than me. I promised to help Raphah get something from Demurral. I don’t know why it is important but I know it is. Something worth living for, something full of hope, something that’s true.“

Crane, a burley smuggler, continually on the run from the law is similarly touched. Throughout the book his behaviour is typical of the traditional smuggler – practical decision made calmly with his personal safety and profit in mind. However, while talking with Raphah, he is led to exclaim:
“Well lad, you’re either insane or this world has completely changed, Two days ago I would have seen you in the madhouse for talking like this but now I’m sure that there must be some truth in what you say. We can fight only what we see. You’ll have to show us that which is unseen, our eyes are blind to the things you talk of and my heart has been hardened to your God by too many years of fighting and stealing”He then continues, in character, to almost shoot an excise man.

These speeches sit uncomfortably within the otherwise direct dialogue. Although the characters are being bombarded with manifestations of a spirit world that they had previously only imagined, the atmosphere of their surroundings is little changed by the movement of creatures from myth to reality. As the world in which we are absorbed is similar in style to that of Lyra or Harry, we are able to accept these beings as plausible, and at first it would seem that this was the case for the characters. It is therefore somewhat incongruous when they are led to spontaneously reversing their lives. The language that they suddenly use is more akin the converted characters of Gerald Plass!!

Unfortunately, these sentiments dominate an otherwise imaginative and compelling book, and the power of the fight between good and evil is smothered beneath badly camouflaged sermonising.