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Eat not, or be devoured yourself.

It is well-known that the Devil holds an annual feast in the graveyard of St. Michael’s, a church in the small Yorkshire village in Kirkby Malham. But no one knows why.

On 19 November 1899, sexton Harry Kelsall finds himself an unwitting guest at the Devil’s feast, along with all the dead of the graveyard. If he doesn’t figure out how to break the feast’s curse, then he will forfeit his own soul at daybreak.

Harry knows the stories. He knows the legends. And none of them agree on how he should save himself. One wrong move will see him join the tormented souls around him, but if he does nothing, he will be just as damned.

A novelette in the Dark Histories of the North series.

As you know dear reader, I am a fan of temptation…especially when it comes to books. In the supernatural western world, we have The Devil as one of the best wielders of that power. The joy of their stories in folklore for me is not the Devil made you do it but that ultimately a character weighs up their biggest weakness against that moral fortitude and comes to the decision to go with Old Nick. These tales are warnings about giving in to our every impulses; and that’s probably why this character still has a relevance to this day. In Charlotte Bond’s immensely enjoyable novelette A Feast to Catch Souls one unlucky man falls again into the Devil’s traps and has to work out what is it they truly desire.

It’s November 1899 and in Kirkby Malham in Yorkshire Harry Kelsall the local Sexton plans to just get home after a nice evening with friends but first checks the church is secure. The cold night air though is disturbed by the sight and sounds of a feast in the graveyard.  A table made of gravestones, the guests are dead and suddenly a suave strange man makes Harry takes a seat. The Devil has appeared for their annual feast in the Churchyard and Harry is the Guest of Honour. He must find a way to survive the night or be eternally damned; and the Devil has come very prepared.

This is a really enjoyable spooky tale perfect for autumn and winter nights. Bond layers initially on the atmosphere of a cold night where nature is free to play and throws in various short village myths about how The Devil is out and about setting the scene for Harry’s long night. At this point the tale gets more spectral and the use of ghosts and strange sights all give the tale a lovely sense of colour and weirdness that keep you compelled. Characters change from living to dead and what exactly is the food being offered?

The other highlight is how we explore Harry’s character as the temptations get unveiled we see Harry initially as a very loyal church sexton but now then the Devil start to unpeel what makes him tick and his secrets are laid out for us. It’s refreshing to have a character who has feet of clay rather than is a perfect saint and that makes the reader also have to ask is Harry worthy of saving? An interesting morality test for the reader as well to think about and decide if we want him to escape. The battle of wits that ensues between fallen Angel and human then gets some grit to it raising the stakes as Harry realised the ultimate cost.

A very satisfying read that you can easily devour in an evening wrapped up in a comfy chair while rain and wind howl outside. Then perhaps a little walk but beware the graveyards. Perfect for our season of spookiness!