The Magdeburg Relic - C.M. Chadwick

The Magdeburg Relic is a novel of the occult, following the genre pioneered by the great storyteller Dennis Wheatley. It may be one of the most significant in that genre since the last of Wheatley's occult works. The story is set in Wiltshire, a county characterised by a feeling of lost and former civilisations. It follows the main character, Callum Dood, a vicar and occult investigator who uncovers the conflicting forces of paganism and devil worship. Together with his friends, he battles a cult of Satanists for possession of the Magdeburg Relic, the rediscovered relics of Adolf Hitler, intended by them for occult purposes. After initial skirmishes, action moves to Nuremberg, the site of former Nazi rallies and to a ceremony of necromancy there, where the soul of the 'Fuhrer' is raised within the site of the Nazi Parade Grounds. Dood and friends then return to England and pit their wits against their foes in the ruined crypt of a kirk under the former home of the famous occultist Aleister Crowley in Scotland, where they barely escape with their lives. Later, at Carn Brea on the Wiltshire Downs, a gateway to the underworld is opened through which the Satanists hope to release legions of Hitler's former followers. There, Dood enlists the help of a pagan sect who still converse in the remains of the former Celtic language of that area and venerate the Celtic god Taranis, in order to defeat his opponents. The Magdeburg Relic will appeal to fans of Dennis Wheatley and those who enjoy occult and adventure fiction but with modern cultural references and contemporary characterisation.