As the unsightly structures of Sirrenvaag unfurl amidst a dissipating mist, The Wanderer prepares to confront his own past in a town teeming with answers to questions that have plagued him for so many years.
Set within the iniquitous town itself, ‘Sirrenvaag’ is the third book in the ‘Words to the Wise’ saga and unearths both a forgotten and discarded fragment of the world. Faced by the relics of dark myth, insidious cults, menacing prophecies, preternatural discovery and terrifying Truths, The Wanderer begins to learn that even hope has its place amidst the residue of insanity and slaughter.
Some reviews from Amazon
"If you are reading a review of the third book in an on-going series then I am preaching to the converted. Nevertheless I can assure you that you will be astonished by this latest volume. At last we follow The Wanderer and his young and impetuous friend Rickard into that town of which we've heard so much. It is macabre in the extreme, both in the architecture and in the construction of the houses, being the product of a group of people obsessed with death. The revelations in the first day shocked and amazed me. I realised I had made assumptions about the creatures which share the human soul and they were incorrect. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope, when the shifting of one or two little pieces completely alters the picture. This is such brilliant writing. I knew I'd been cleverly misled but the fault was mine; the clues were there.
We learn about Sirrenvaag from the keeper of the House of Litithius and we also learn, through a narration by the Lighthouse Keeper, a Simeon-like figure, of the history of the town and its inhabitants' belief systems. At this point a lot fell into place for me. I realised how many assumptions I'd made and I now understand a great deal more. I was fortunate in receiving a preview copy of this book and in fact I have read it all again in the light of what I had discovered by the end; I'm so glad I did. Parts of the story now come together and demonstrate that Cornelius Harker has not only created a wide story arc but has given it depth too.
The story is faultless, the writing, as ever, combines that 18th century Gothic flavour highlighted by the author's own distinctive, creative approach to prose. Altogether this book is a Wonderful Thing and its author is a Class Act!"
"You are quickly drawn back into the world of The Wanderer as if you've never been away. Cornelius Harkers gift as a story teller is clearly demonstrated within this instalment mainly through a beautifully written narrative between The Wanderer and two characters that he meets in Sirrenvaag. Even though there is sheer horror in what he writes I felt this book was more of a gentler read than the other two but this does not lessen the depth of the world that you are taken to.
While I was reading, I kept feeling I was completing a dot to dot, where you gradually start to see the whole picture but you're not quite there yet. I was also put in mind on a few occasions of Philip Pullman's writings, I hope the author sees this as a compliment
I wish I had Harkers expertise of putting pen to paper as I feel I can't do his work enough justice with my limited writing skills, enough to say that I find his work as enthralling as any fantasy series I have read, better in many cases and I'm looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you Cornelius."
"...Everything is written in such a way that you really feel as if you are there. I can still see the walls and the floors of the houses so clearly. I don't even know what else I can say, this book is too good to describe.
This series really is a must read and keeps getting better and better."
"If you are reading a review of the third book in an on-going series then I am preaching to the converted. Nevertheless I can assure you that you will be astonished by this latest volume. At last we follow The Wanderer and his young and impetuous friend Rickard into that town of which we've heard so much. It is macabre in the extreme, both in the architecture and in the construction of the houses, being the product of a group of people obsessed with death. The revelations in the first day shocked and amazed me. I realised I had made assumptions about the creatures which share the human soul and they were incorrect. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope, when the shifting of one or two little pieces completely alters the picture. This is such brilliant writing. I knew I'd been cleverly misled but the fault was mine; the clues were there.
We learn about Sirrenvaag from the keeper of the House of Litithius and we also learn, through a narration by the Lighthouse Keeper, a Simeon-like figure, of the history of the town and its inhabitants' belief systems. At this point a lot fell into place for me. I realised how many assumptions I'd made and I now understand a great deal more. I was fortunate in receiving a preview copy of this book and in fact I have read it all again in the light of what I had discovered by the end; I'm so glad I did. Parts of the story now come together and demonstrate that Cornelius Harker has not only created a wide story arc but has given it depth too.
The story is faultless, the writing, as ever, combines that 18th century Gothic flavour highlighted by the author's own distinctive, creative approach to prose. Altogether this book is a Wonderful Thing and its author is a Class Act!"
"You are quickly drawn back into the world of The Wanderer as if you've never been away. Cornelius Harkers gift as a story teller is clearly demonstrated within this instalment mainly through a beautifully written narrative between The Wanderer and two characters that he meets in Sirrenvaag. Even though there is sheer horror in what he writes I felt this book was more of a gentler read than the other two but this does not lessen the depth of the world that you are taken to.
While I was reading, I kept feeling I was completing a dot to dot, where you gradually start to see the whole picture but you're not quite there yet. I was also put in mind on a few occasions of Philip Pullman's writings, I hope the author sees this as a compliment
I wish I had Harkers expertise of putting pen to paper as I feel I can't do his work enough justice with my limited writing skills, enough to say that I find his work as enthralling as any fantasy series I have read, better in many cases and I'm looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you Cornelius."
"...Everything is written in such a way that you really feel as if you are there. I can still see the walls and the floors of the houses so clearly. I don't even know what else I can say, this book is too good to describe.
This series really is a must read and keeps getting better and better."
