From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Phil Rickman
Phil Rickman
Phil Rickman is a British author best known for writing Welsh border village of Crybbe. Crybbe is a fictional
supernatural and mystery novels, often based on con- town, but Rickman suggests that curious readers visit
flicting forces of paganism and other religions. "Knighton and Presteigne in Powys, Clun and Bishop’s
Rickman was born in Lancashire in northern Eng- Castle in south-west Shropshire. It isn’t really any of
land.[1] He worked as a journalist for BBC World Service them, but you’ll get the idea." Rickman also concedes
TV and BBC Radio 4. His first novel, Candlenight, won that Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot was an influence on
critical acclaim and gained Rickman the title of Britain’s Crybbe.[citation needed] This novel introduces Joe Powys,
next great horror writer. He followed up with four more who also appears in Rickman’s novel The Chalice, and
standalone novels, then began the Merrily Watkins se- Gomer Parry, a regular in the Merrily Watkins novels.
ries. The Merrily Watkins books, about a down-to-earth • The novel features dowsing, ley lines, and the
female priest of the Church of England employed as an magical experiments of John Dee, as well as a version
exorcist, created a distinct new genre of crime thrillers of the supernatural black dog (sometimes called the
with supernatural and spiritual causes. He occasionally Gwyllgi) which appears in much British and even
writes under the pseudonyms Will Kingdom and Thom American folklore.
Madley. Rickman is married and lives on the Welsh bor-
ders, and currently has a radio show on BBC Radio Wales
about books, Phil the Shelf.
The Merrily Watkins Novels
Rickman’s novels often involve Celtic mythology, na- The Wine of Angels introduces Merrily Watkins, the
tive earthworks (especially stone circles), and opposi- new—and female—parish priest for the town of Ledwar-
tions of various spiritual forces. Characters often carry dine, in Herefordshire, as well as her bright, sarcastic
over from one novel to the next, usually as minor char- daughter Jane, their formidable neighbor Lucy Devenish,
acters in one or more novels and major characters in an- and the withdrawn musician Lol Robinson.
other. Novels generally revolve around small towns and • Three notable influences on this novel are Ella Mary
their spiritual legacies, often interwoven with current Leather’s Folklore of Herefordshire, the poetry of
political issues. Most of his novels address the tensions Thomas Traherne, and the music of Nick Drake.
between "locals," the longtime residents of rural areas, In Midwinter of the Spirit Merrily becomes the official ex-
and "incomers" who have recently moved to the area; orcist for the diocese of Hereford; although she continues
these conflicts have a socio-economic dimension remi- to be the parish priest of Ledwardine, she finds herself
niscent of gentrification, but in Rickman’s hands they of- spending a lot of time in Hereford, particularly at Here-
ten assume a supernatural or spiritual aspect as well. Mu- ford Cathedral, in the course of her new—and terrify-
sic is also an important theme in many of his books, from ing—duties.
fictional bands to Nick Drake. In A Crown of Lights, Merrily tries to negotiate a con-
flict between Neopagans and charismatic Christians
which erupts in Old Hindwell, a village near Radnor For-
The Early Novels est.
Candlenight is set in the strangely idyllic Welsh village Y • The title refers to the Neo-pagans’ planned
Groes and in the gritty, bleak town of Pontmeurig (based, celebration of Imbolc.
says Rickman, on "Bettws Cedewain, near Newtown in The Cure of Souls features an apparently haunted hop-kiln
Powys" and on "Llandovery in Carmarthenshire" respec- in Knight’s Frome, a village on the River Frome in the
tively.[2] In Pontmeurig, English "incomers" face hostil- Frome Valley. Prof Levin and Simon St. John, characters
ity; yet in nearby Y Groes, the English couple Giles and from Rickman’s novel December, both appear.
Claire are welcomed with utter serenity—and find that • This novel draws on Roma folklore, including the
they are the only "incomers" in the entire village. legend of the mulo.
• Rickman draws on various aspects of Welsh folklore, The Lamp of the Wicked concerns murders surrounding
including the Gwrach y Rhibyn (witch of Rhibin), the the village of Underhowle, near Ross-on-Wye, close to
Bird of Death, the toili (phantom funeral), and the the border of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Moira
Canwyll Gorff (corpse-candle) which gives the book its Cairns, a character from Rickman’s December and The Man
title. in the Moss, appears.
Crybbe, published as Curfew in the United States, concerns • Phil Rickman calls this "the Cromwell Street
the arrival of New Age enthusiasts in the eponymous novel";[citation needed] it also draws somewhat on the
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Phil Rickman
practices of Aleister Crowley, including sex magic, • - Formidably efficient secretary at the Bishop’s
and discusses the use of sigils. Palace
In The Prayer of the Night Shepherd Merrily’s daughter Jane • - The bishop in charge of Merrily in the later books -
is working at Stanner Hall, a hotel on the English-Welsh a man close to retirement who probably wouldn’t
border (near the village of Kington) which may or may have been promoted to bishop had an unexpected
not have been the model for Arthur Conan Doyle’s vacancy not needed filling as a result of an early
Baskerville Hall. book’s events
The Smile of a Ghost takes place not in Herefordshire, • - legend of the music industry, now running a
but in Ludlow, a town in Shropshire; the mayor of Ludlow recording studio in the border country and intent on
requests Merrily’s help after two suicides occur in the re- resurrecting Lol’s career. Levin initially appeared in
putedly haunted Ludlow Castle. one of Rickman’s pre-Merrily novels
Remains of an Altar, another Merrily Watkins novel, is • - Troubled fellow vicar, whose earlier history had
based around the Malvern Hills area of Herefordshire/ featured in December
Worcestershire. Its main plotlines focus on an apparent • - real-life British singer-songwriter of the 60s and
haunting by the composer Edward Elgar, and disputes 70s, dead at the age of 26, whose influence permeates
over whether a housing estate should be built across an the novels so greatly that his presence is felt almost
alleged ley-line in Ledwardine. as a living character
In The Fabric of Sin Merrily is asked to investigate a re-
port of haunting in a house owned by the Duchy of Corn-
wall (ie, The Prince of Wales), in the village of Garway,
Bibliography
which has links to the Knights Templar. • Candlenight (1991)
To Dream of the Dead picks up on the events of The • Crybbe (Curfew in the USA) (1993)
Remains of an Altar, in particular the proposed building • The Man in the Moss (1994)
of a new housing estate in Ledwardine, in the light of • December (1994)
real world archeological discoveries in the West Country • The Chalice (1997)
around the time of the Altar’s publication. • The Wine of Angels (1998)
• Midwinter of the Spirit (1999)
• A Crown of Lights (2001)
Cast of characters • The Cure of Souls (2001)
Apart from Merrily Watkins, numerous characters ap- • The Lamp of the Wicked (2002)
pear in multiple books. • The Prayer of the Night Shepherd (2004)
• - female protagonist, Anglican priest and Deliverance • The Smile of a Ghost (2005)
Consultant. • The Remains of an Altar (2006)
• - Merrily’s fiercely intelligent and strong-willed • The Fabric of Sin (2007)
teenage daughter, navigating her way through • To Dream of the Dead (2008)
growing up as the Vicar’s child along with the usual • The Cold Calling (as Will Kingdom) (1998)
pains of love and teenage angst • Mean Spirit (as Will Kingdom) (2001)
• - sometime love interest of Merrily, singer • Marco’s Pendulum (as Thom Madley) (2006)
songwriter with a scarred past • Marco and the Blade of Night (as Thom Madley) (2007)
• - a tenderly-drawn portrait of a local man who would • Merrily’s Border (with photographer John Mason) (2009)
otherwise have been lost in himself in encroaching • The Bones of Avalon (historical novel based on Dr. John
old age, but who has become Merrily’s confidante Dee) (2010)
and protector of "the little Vicar" and Jane. When
Gomer’s glasses start to shine, something interesting
is always about to happen...
Upcoming
• - ex-musician and now local handyman. • The Secrets of Pain (Merrily Watkins XI) (September
• - An ambitious police officer with a fast track career, 2011)
who has little sympathy for supernatural
explanations or Merrily’s interference
• - A more sympathetic, but slightly lower-ranked,
References
police officer [1] "Phil Rickman." Contemporary Authors Online.
• - Down to earth police sergeant Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center.
• - Retired policeman, father of Annie Howe. Now a Web. 21 Aug. 2011.
local councillor, who may have broken the rules [2] "Phil Rickman: The Others". Phil Rickman.
while he was in the force, and Andy Mumford was http://www.philrickman.co.uk/pages/
his assistant. The_Others.html. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Phil Rickman
External links Name Rickman, Phil
Alternative names
• Official Website
• The Official Phil Rickman Appreciation Society Short description
• Phil the Shelf official website Date of birth
• Interview from The New Writer, September 1997 Place of birth
• Interview with counterculture
Date of death
• Interview with BBC
Persondata Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phil_Rickman&oldid=467465021"
Categories:
• Living people
• Anglo-Welsh novelists
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