1843 and the badly mutilated body of a miner turns up on a hilltop. Some say he’s been killed by a fearsome wolf that’s said to stalk the pit villages of Northalbion (think: Northumberland). Meanwhile, Caleb, a former colleague of the dead man, has been banished from his village for crossing a picket line. The only work he can find is with another pit owner – the mysterious Mr Siskin – who is digging for an ancient artefact that is said to have magical properties. Jacob Kerr, who was born in the north-east and is inspired by the landscape of the region, found favour with folk horror fans with his debut ‘The Green Man of Eshwood Hall’, but he’s ramped things up with this, his second novel. Written in a verbose northern vernacular, and teeming with ancient lore, he’s breathed new life into horror tropes, making the familiar seem, once again, uncanny and unnerving. RM

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Serpent’s Tail