This was the book I didn't know I was waiting for.
Witch Hunt: Of the Blood is an anthology of 5 novellas each written by a different author: Devin O'Branagan (the creator of the Hawthorn family and "Witch Hunt"), Krista Walsh, Keri Lake, Suzanne Hayes, and K.L. Schwengel. Now, I don't normally read anthologies. I don't particularly care for short stories (these are not), but I have never explored the world of novellas before. I'm glad I made an exception.
"Witch Hunt: Of the Blood" fills in some of the history of the Hawthorne family. And there is a lot of history as the family ranges from the times of the Salem witch frenzy to modern days. After reading the original "Witch Hunt" I can honestly say that I was hungry for more. I wanted more information on this family that I had just gotten to know and this anthology does give me that. The bad part? There are a lot of questions left unanswered. The good part? There are a lot of questions left unanswered and new ones posed.
What impressed me the most with these stories is that each of the authors has an eye on the details. In historic fiction, the devil is in the details and the writer must be wary. Add in the paranormal aspect, and the detail of the history becomes doubly important. It is so easy to wave nonchalantly to the history as it goes by. It can be very tempting to scrimp on accuracy. And it is definitely easier to just nail down the big, important bits and let the little things go. None of these writers failed. Each of the stories is historically accurate in addition to being eminently readable. The history is accurate and the fiction is entertaining, what more could you ask for?
Once I finished the last story, I picked up the original Witch Hunt again for a re-read.
