Ralph Comer - The Witchfinders

[severance]

Ralph Comer - The Witchfinders - Award (U.S) and Tandem (U.K.), 1968



Originally posted by Killercrab - January 12th 2006

Savage 17th century practices of witch-hunting and burning have an uncanny effect - 300 - years later - on an entire village. The whole place dominated by the mysterious Winchmore Hall , retains an atmosphere of powerful evil.



THE WITCHFINDERS by Ralph Comer was published by Tandem ( note their groovy prog rock-y symbol thingy) , 33 Beauchamp Place , London SW3. Racking in at 189 pages - this has *promise* written all over it and it hails from 1968 - the year of WITCHFINDER GENERAL I believe ?!

Tandem published THE HOUSE OF HATCHET by Bloch , WHEN GRAVEYARDS YAWN by August Derleth , THE KISS OF DEATH / THE SMELL OF EVIL , WHERE TERROR STALKED by Charles Birkin and at least two THE TANDEM BOOK OF HORROR STORIES edited by Birkin !

Couple of non-fiction entries are SATANISM AND WITCHCRAFT by Jules Michelet , WITCHES AND TORTURE/ SECRET SOCIETIES by Arkon Daraul , A HISTORY OF TORTURE by John Swain , THE VAMPIRE by Ornella Volta and a curious one called NEVER SAY N***ER by Robert Campbell ?!

Strikes me Tandem were out there giving it good in all genre departments - I'll let you all know how THE WITCHFINDERS plays out ..

ade

I've just read this over the festive break, and while it doesn't reach the black magic standards of Ericson, Shackleford or the various Saxons, it's still a fine read. The glider-flying photographer Robert Lawson is hired to photograph Winchmere Hall, the pictures to be an accompaniment to the words of journalist Matthew Cullender for an intended US magazine publication. Before he even gets to Winchmere Hall, with it's recently discovered picture showing a demoniacal orgy, he's involved in two incidents in/around the village - firstly while kite flying with his young nephews, and secondly while gliding high above. There are some genuinely unsettling scenes, but towards the end Comer seems to chuck everything into the kitchen sink - Matthew Hopkins, Stonehenge, Black Masses, bats, you name it, but it's still worthwhile making the effort if you get the chance. According to the old site there's also a sequel, The Mirror of Dionysos, so that's now on my 'to find' list. As might be expected, there's a fine review at Groovy Age of Horror.

[killercrab]

According to the old site there's also a sequel, The Mirror of Dionysos, so that's now on my 'to find' list. >>

MIRROR sees Lawson sent to cover a carnival in Munich.There's some weird shit where he ends up as a gladiator in ancient Rome - is it real or arcane? I loved WITCHFINDERS alot and very much enjoyed reading more of Lawson's adventures! Cullender is back too - defintely worth seeking out Sev( I've purposely not posted spoilers).

ade

[dem bones]

Started to list all the sixties & seventies Tandems with the few cover scans I could find here:

terribletandems.wordpress.com/

Never come across any of Ralph's books but the cover of the Award edition is a black sorcery classic!

[andydecker]

I had to review "The Witchfinders" for a blog-article. The novel was okay, pretty tame overall I thought.
But there was one interesting tidbit on the copyright page. Both this and its sequel was credited to a John Sanders, Winant Towers, London.

The only John Sanders I found has written a few shorts collected in Spinechilling Tales for the Dead of the Night. Has anybody more information?

The most interesting thing about the novel (1968) is its environment. The novel "Witchfinder General" by Bassett is from '66, the movie was released in the same year as Comer's novel. The plot reminds strongly of movies like "City of the Dead" from '60 and especially "Curse of the Crimson Altar", also from '68. The facts incorporated in the narrative seem lifted from Ronald Seth "Witches and their craft", which first was published in '67 by Odhams Books and later by Tandem. Seth has also written about Matthew Hopkins in his book.

So "The Witchfinder" appears more like an assignment then a novel written on spec. Of course this is all guesswork, but I was surprised how good all fits.

[Dr Strange]

According to this - www.shotsmag.co.uk/column_view.aspx?REGULAR_COLUMN_ID=73 - he wrote a series of books in the 1960s and 70s about a 17th Century Cromwellian secret agent called "Nicholas Pym" (published in paperback by Pan).

[dem bones]

May 2, 2018 18:29:56 GMT andydecker said:

I had to review "The Witchfinders" for a blog-article. The novel was okay, pretty tame overall I thought.
But there was one interesting tidbit on the copyright page. Both this and its sequel was credited to a John Sanders, Winant Towers, London.

Andy, I don't have The Witchfinders but checked the sequel, The Mirror Of Dionysos (Tandem, 1969) and the copyright reads 'Ralph Comer, 1969', no mention of 'John Sanders, Winant Towers, London' that I could find. Not that it matters, as I reckon Dr. S. has nailed him!

[andydecker]

A big thanks to Dem and Dr.Strange for their help!! Appreciated, fellers, as a well-known western writer used to write.

It is a shame that Sander's historical Cromwell novels are out of print. This sounds fascinating. Today one could be crushed by the mountain of historical crime on the market, but back then this was a rarity. It is strange that these have left no traces whatsoever.

[Dr Strange]

You're welcome Andy. There's a review of the first Nicholas Pym book here - 0tralala.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/james-bond-1654.html

It does sound entertaining.

[andydecker]

Ralph Comer - The Witchfinders (Award Books, 1968, 189 pages)

Cover found on the net. Thanks to the original scanner.