Given that this book is by Stewart Farrar, I thought the book would be heavy-handed for Wicca. This is not necessarily the case although they are among the protagonists.

This book is set in the future when we have discovered a new source of power. Unfortunately, man doesn't think to truly understand the ramifications until things get out of hand. The government does recognize this and attempts to blame the "witches."

Farrar walks the reader through Wiccan ceremony and thought without making it sound like a manual. He shows us that there are practitioners of black magic as well as white. Similarly, he shows us that there are good and bad government people. Overall, he was very even-handed in his depictions.

Without giving anything away, this is a science fiction novel about a future catastrophe and how people work to overcome this event. Although it is not going to win any awards, it is a pleasant read for a rainy afternoon.

I first picked up this book over 20 years ago, thinking "Hmmm...a mystery by Stewart Farrar! This could be good..." How right I was! The characters, both protagonists and antagonists, are well-rounded, and you really feel for the heroes and heroines as they try to make a new start in the Welsh mountains following a world-wide cataclysm. Hopefully, this book will come back into print - it's worth it!