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THE WILD HUNT

Emma Seckel

A transporting, otherworldly debut of a young woman's fated return to a wind-battered island off the coast of Scotland, and the dark forces - old and new - that she finds there.
The islanders have only three rules: don't stick your nose where it's not wanted, don't mention the war, and never let your guard down during October. Leigh Welles has not set foot in on the island in years, but when she finds herself called home from a disappointing life on the Scottish mainland by her father's unexpected death, she is determined to forget the sorrows of the past - her mother's abandonment, her brother's icy distance, the unspeakable tragedy of World War II - and start fresh. Fellow islander Iain MacTavish, a RAF veteran with his eyes on the sky and his head in the past is also in desperate need of a new beginning. A young widower, Iain struggles to return to the normal life he knew before the war. But this October is anything but normal. This October, the sluagh are restless. The ominous, bird-like creatures of Celtic legend - whispered to carry the souls of the dead - have haunted the islanders for decades, but in the war's wake, there are more wandering souls and more slaugh. When a local boy disappears, Leigh and Iain are thrown together to investigate the truth at the island's dark heart and reveal hidden secrets of their own. Rich with historical detail and a skillful speculative edge, Emma Seckel's propulsive and pulse-pounding debut The Wild Hunt unwinds long-held tales of love, loss, and redemption. Emma Seckel is an award-winning writer from Vancouver. Her short stories have appeared in online and print anthologies.
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Published 2022-08-02 by Tin House

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After her father's death, Leigh Welles returns to her tiny island home off the Scottish mainland, struggling with painful memories even as she finds herself attracted to an RAF veteran. What's worse, it's October, when the sluagh - brooding, birdlike creatures of Celtic legend - threaten to do their worst. Promising premise, beautiful writing. Read more...

The Wild Hunt is a gorgeously written, entirely captivating debut novel set on an island off the coast of Scotland in the wake of World War II. Rich in atmosphere and historical detail, this novel and its exquisitely drawn characters will transport even the most reticent reader to a different time and place, and captivate them until it's satisfying conclusion. A deeply engrossing read.

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What a debut for Emma Seckel! THE WILD HUNT is a gorgeous, haunting novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Emma Seckel's debut crackles with dark energy, conjuring a world where the skies are full of crows, ghosts walk the moors, and the islanders are haunted by loss. Seckel knows how to write heartache but these pages are also bursting with a fierce love for the living and the dead. The Wild Hunt is a wonder of a novel.

THE WILD HUNT is an NPR Best Books of 2022 and an Indie Next choice Winter 2023 Dazzling Debut

This moody meditation delivers.