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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Silver Falls Library | FIC CLARK | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
"Waking Brigid" is a darkly evocative novel set in haunting Savannah, Georgia. Though the city was physically spared during the Civil War, its citizens did not come through unscathed. Into this dark and battered culture comes young Brigid Rourke, a beautiful Irish nun. Driven by the ravages of the famine, Brigid's family chose to give the girl up to the service of the Church to ensure her survival. But in order to do that she had to reject her people's pagan ways. The Church is all she has known and she seeks to do her duty...all the while fighting the lure of her people's legacy.
Brigid's resolve is tested when a prominent Savannah citizen is cruelly murdered behind a locked and bolted door in an insane asylum. The last words of the man chilled the blood of all who heard him, and the fact that he was murdered while he was alone in the cell defies all logical reason. What follows is nothing less than an amazing clash between the forces of good and evil--dedicated white magicians versus the entrenched devil worshippers--for the soul of a city.
Author Notes
Waking Brigid is Francis Clark's first novel. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he joined the Navy after graduating college, and served in the submarine force. Following a career in advertising and magazines, Clark devoted himself to full-time writing. Unfortunately, he passed away unexpectedly in the Spring of 2007.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
An intriguing premise-a group of magicians working secretly within the Catholic Church to combat evil occult forces-gets tepid treatment in Clark's sluggish dark fantasy debut. In 1874, a blueblood's spectacularly gruesome death shocks Savannah, Ga. The local clergy soon recognize it as the handiwork of Satanists who have for the past century been ritually sacrificing women around the town to the demon Belial. The stage is set for a showdown between the demon worshippers and a clandestine order of priests and nuns who still respect the beliefs of their pagan forebears and strive to suppress eruptions of ancient evil into the world. While Clark focuses on the experiences of Brigid Rourke, a nun initiated into the magic circle, the book is dominated by the backstories of the clergy and talky discussions of comparative magic that grow increasingly repetitive. In the end, the Satanist cult and its champion demon are too easily vanquished for this tale to thrill with any sense of supernatural horror. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Although Savannah, Georgia, suffered little damage from either Union or Confederate army, in 1874 many of its citizens are sorrowful and war weary. Others hustle their way to fortune in the postwar world. For Sister Brigid, an Irish nun, wartime responsibilities awakened thoughts and gifts that she thought she had left behind 30 years ago. She has the Sight and had been trained by her great-aunt, the village wise woman, to take her place. But the Starving Time came, and Brigid's parents thought they had no choice but to send her to a convent to ensure her survival. These many years later, when a prominent citizen of Savannah is viciously murdered behind a locked door in an insane asylum, Brigid discovers that she understands more about what happened than any of the official investigators does. She is drawn into the team the bishop summons to deal with the murder or murders, for the vicious creature soon strikes again. Clark uses language superbly and draws the characters expertly; they and the setting linger with the reader. Although the plot is a stock one, Clark increases the tension as the team members struggle among themselves and against the enemy all the way to a thundering climax.--Murray, Frieda Copyright 2008 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Post-Civil War Savannah, GA, stands largely intact, yet the scars of the long conflict run deep in the defeated city. Newly arrived to Savannah, an Irish nun named Brigid Rourke seeks to do God's work but finds herself caught up in a war between white magic practitioners and a cult of demon worshippers intent on giving the city to their infernal masters. Brigid and those who stand by her face the greatest test to their faith and resolve. This debut novel by a Savannah native depicts a richly detailed city peopled with colorful characters overlaid with a touch of the supernatural. Sadly, Clark died in 2007. Most libraries with a demand for supernatural horror will want this title. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.