 |
When James runs into major writer’s block for his postgraduate dissertation, a mysterious letter from an unknown cousin inviting him to Wycliff Manor in England seems to be just the cure to what ails his writing. As though compelled by forces beyond his power, he embarks on a journey that descends into the deepest pits of chaos and darkness, a fitting “hell on earth.”
Rather than meeting his cousin, Susan Bennett, at the estate, James is greeted by Baron William Charles Von Drake. His uncanny resemblance to King Edward III goes overlooked due to a series of events that have James fearing for his life. It is almost as though Dante’s Inferno has erupted from the pages and settled at Wycliff Manor. From animated sculptures and the dead rising from their graves to cacophonous music filling the music room with him and the silence of lost demonic souls, James’ life has become topsy-turvy. The deeper he gets, the more it becomes apparent that he, too, may not be the innocent, ambitious academic that he appears to be.
Malevolent spirits abound, and the manor becomes a portal of sorts—a forcefield that keeps Asher in the midst of dark spirits, perhaps to face his own mortal failings. Karmic retribution is certainly a strong theme that plays out in Zwerenz’s work. The pure evil and fear encompassing James impels audiences to wonder why such darkness would be after him. As the work approaches a scintillating climax, the crypts of Wycliff Manor delve into the most damning layer of reality, for the Baron and for James. With a knack for the element of surprise, Zwerenz takes a seemingly naive scholar and places him in a world where he must answer for his actions, resulting in a simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking work.