Stephen Morris’ Come Hell or High Water, Part 2: Rising – A Historically Rich 4.5-Star Page-Turner Set in Medieval Eastern Europe

Magdalena, a bored secretary at Charles University in Prague, has come to the aid of Fen’ka, a woman lynched by a mob for witchcraft in 1356. Unknown to Magdalena, Fen’ka cursed the city as she died and Magdalena has now unwittingly reawakened the curse and brought to Prague both the Dearg-due (a voracious Irish female vampire-like creature) and a dangerous Jesuit who, upon hearing of what transpired with Fen’ka, develop their own nefarious agendas. To access the enormous potential power to which Fen’ka holds the key, they dupe Magdalena into helping destroy the city. A small group of academics realize the danger facing Prague and struggle to keep one step ahead of the Dearg-due and the Jesuit, hoping to send the Dearg-due back to her grave. All the magic and mythical characters in COME HELL OR HIGH WATER is authentic, based on medieval or Renaissance magical recipe-books and spellbooks or taken from records of witchcraft trials and accusations.

“An engaging, suspenseful occult novel … A group of professors specializing in folklore attempts to prevent George, a powerful priest, and Elizabeth, an Irish vampire, from unleashing an evil that threatens to destroy all of Prague…. Both sides scramble to find four magical items that protect Prague from evil: a sword, a staff, a pentacle and a chalice. The first half of the novel is a mystery in which the professors try to identify the magical items, while the second half becomes a suspenseful race as both sides try to obtain the items.” — Kirkus Indie Reviews

“The exploration of various European myths and legends is the fuel that powers the storyline, and the understated use of supernatural characters (ghosts, trolls, etc.) throughout gives the novel a darkly magical but realistic tone. This is a highly intelligent … saga that will appeal to fans of folkloric fantasy and historical fiction.” — Blue Ink Reviews