"Evil is brewing" says the cover of Gibsons author Carol Gardarsson's first published novel. And is it ever.
Three young Icelandic immigrants and a baby girl are negotiating their way over the unforgiving Canadian prairie. By the end of the second chapter of Brewing Evil, "A witch is born," we only know for certain that the infant has survived.
The babe has been found along with her dying mother by a pair of home-steaders. One, Patrick McKinnon, is already primed in our thoughts as a good sort, the other, Steve Fiddler, is soon to be cast as part of the evil alluded to in the title.
The beginning of the story is rife with history, both Icelandic and Canadian. The opening passages set the tone for the story. Nothing was easy for the early settlers of our country and Gardarsson's tale tells the difficulties in graphic detail. Her descriptive powers are strongest when she's weaving geographical pictures of Iceland and Manitoba. You can picture the skies of the old country, feel the jarring ride over the "corduroy" roads of the immigrants' new home and shiver through the passages about the soul-numbing cold.
The witch part of the tale comes from the baby being found with her face covered in blood. Her mother had lost track of time and place while picking mushrooms. In a last-ditch attempt to save the child's life after the mom's efforts to find the rest of the party failed, the desperate young woman fed the baby her blood. Fiddler, rotten person he is, proceeds to tell all and sundry of the condition of the wee girl when found. The superstitious local folks go along with his theory that the child is a witch. Fortunately McKinnon and his wife Emma decide to adopt the child anyway and name her Eliza. The book moves along at a fast pace. There's always a new horror or good deed for Eliza to uncover. And although the story is set at the turn of the 20th century, the story lines are relevant to the world we live in today. The book would make a fabulous Christmas gift for anyone with an interest in Canadian history or a unique story.
Although this is Gar-darsson's first novel she's long been a writer. She's worked as a community newspaper reporter, editor and publisher over a 30-year career in the industry. While living in Manitoba, she published fiction that was carried by several local publications including Winnipeg Free Press and Western Producer.
The next two books in the Brewing Evil series to watch for are Deadly Spells and Dark Forces.
The friendly author will be happy to sign books at her Gibsons' launch on Oct. 5 at Sunnycrest Mall beginning at 11 a.m. or at 10 a.m. on Oct. 7 at Trail Bay Mall in Sechelt.
