jacey | Booklog 76/2019: Paul Cornell: The Lights go out in Lychford

This is the fourth of Paul Cornell's Lychford novellas featuring Lizzie, the Anglican vicar, Judith Mawson, elderly hedge witch and wise-woman and Autumn, her apprentice wise woman and magic-shop owner. The three of them keep Lychford free of magical threats. The not-so-sleepy village lies on a confluence between magical worlds, and threats seem to come out of nowere. Judith, always a little 'odd' has Alzheimers. She has moments of clarity but also moments of confusion. Her son, Shaun, who knows about his mum's magic, is contemplating putting her in a home, but for the moment is waiting to see how things develop. When Autumn figures out that there's a magical threat and she and Lizzie track it down to a woman named Mailtalnd Picton who is offering 'wishes' with all the potential damage they can do if carried out literally.. With Judith only intermittently helpful, they think they've discovered what Picton is and neutralised her, but the threat much more than they thought, and might even change reality itself. In the end it's Judith who is the key. I love these novellas. There's a delightful interplay between the three main characters. I admit I had to brush away a tear or two at the end, but there's every indication that there will be more Lychford books. Good!