The Witches' Kitchen by Cecelia Holland

A book review

Triumphant and tragic, The Witches' Kitchen is second in the six-novel "Corban Loosestrife" series, following The Soul Thief. In The Witches' Kitchen, the Irish-born Corban is exiled from Denmark, living with his wife and family on a small island off the coast of America (some years before Leif Erikson discovers and names Vinland). His son Conn and nephew Raef are boys on the brink of manhood. When circumstances beyond Corban's control force him reluctantly back to Denmark, heartache and help from the spirit world await. The fey Raef has a gift for sensing portent and direction in ocean currents, which is both frightening and useful. Straightforward Conn lusts to prove himself in battle. Both come of age amid the Scandinavian rebellion against King Harald Bluetooth in 987.

The series departs from Holland's usual style by incorporating fantasy elements. In The Witches' Kitchen, one character shapeshifts into a hawk; more than one continue after death to communicate with and frighten the living. At the same time, the novel remains psychologically astute and grounded in authentic historical detail. In a time of transition between Viking paganism and aggressive Christianizing, Corban aligns himself with a paganism that blends his Irish heritage with native American influences. He tells a bishop, "You Christians pick god out of the world and throw it in a little ball into the sky, out of your way, so you can do what you like. This you think makes you superior." Descriptive passages pull readers into the setting: "The black muck under the spiky marsh grass was studded with pieces of driftwood, broken shells, pieces of dead crabs, dirty gull feathers."

Readers can easily enjoy the novel as a standalone, but as a sequel to The Soul Thief it does contain spoilers for that novel. Readers who plan to read the entire series are best advised to read them in order. (2004; 384 pages)