The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Hyperion Voice, 2009
ISBN: 9781401340902
Available: New and Used

This book is not horror, but rather historical fantasy. The premise of this book is interesting–what if some of the “witches” hanged in the Salem Witch Trials actually were witches? However, the execution fails, first because the first two hundred pages of this book are spent hinting at this concept, of which readers are already aware.

The main character is a supposedly very intelligent woman working on her PhD thesis. While cleaning out a family house in New England she discovers hints at a book of shadows that might prove the Salem witches were really witches. The story is primarily about her search and her mental growth from complete skeptic to, um, not.

Detail, historical flavor and character building are Howe’s strong points. Storytelling, pacing and plot are her downfalls. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is about a historian telling the story of this neat thing they’ve researched, but with a last minute, obvious mystery plot tacked on, and some pretty heinous and unrealistic treatment of antique books. It’s less of a fast-paced mystery and more like a book wherein a mystery plot smacks an uninterested, and dense, main character in the head for 300 plus pages until she finally decides to do something about it. Not without merit altogether, the prose is pretty when not overwritten, the detail is interesting, when not overpowering the story and the historical scenes are inspiring. This book might have a place in the libraries of readers who love rich historical tales, but it doesn’t speak to a horror or even dark fantasy audience despite the subject matter.