Equinox – David Towsey

Hidden witches, gruesome magic and uniquely complex sibling relationships abound in David Towsey’s dark, intriguing fantasy novel Equinox, out now from Head of Zeus. In a world in which each body houses two people – one who lives during the day, and one during the night – Special Inspector Christophor Morden shares his body with his day brother, but not his profession; while Christophor is a witch hunter, Alexsander is a musician. When Christophor is dispatched by the King himself to a small, distant town to seek out and stop a dangerous witch, Alexsander tries to make the most of his new surroundings, but he soon finds his own experiences coming into conflict with his night-brother’s work. As Christophor’s investigation drags on, what they find in Drekenford puts more strain on their brotherly cooperation than ever before.

The concept of day and night siblings is instantly fascinating, opening up all manner of ‘but what about…’ questions, many of which are answered over the course of the novel. Towsey has clearly put an enormous amount of thought into the idea and its execution, but this is more than just a cool extra element to the story – it’s an essential part of the narrative as Christophor and Alexsander circle each other, connected in ways which both reflect and tie in with the plot and the setting. While Christophor is arguably the ‘main’ character, the dynamic between the two brothers plays an important part in the story; each brother only retains vague impressions of the other’s daily life, but their actions and experiences become increasingly closely linked as the story progresses, and both get equal weighting in terms of insight and development.

Towsey provides enough broad context for Christophor’s mission to give a sense of its importance (the looming threat of war, a king uncertain of his power) and an overall feel for the world in which this story is set, but largely maintains a tight focus on Drekenford and what becomes a pressure cooker of a witch hunt taking place within a small, tight-knit community. The actual investigation is quite gently paced for much of the story, giving both Christophor and Alexsander time to think, to explore their surroundings and build up a gradual picture of what’s going on. Things start off pretty grim right at the beginning (prepare yourself if you’re squeamish about eyes), which gives a hint as to what’s going to happen later on, but while this isn’t exactly packed full of flashy magic or too many overt fantasy elements, it becomes increasingly dark with some genuinely nasty moments.

As a horror-tinged fantasy novel this takes a fascinating idea and builds around it an intriguing world, some compelling characters and a clever, satisfyingly dark plot. The concept of day/night siblings really does open up a tremendous array of possibilities, which Towsey folds into the plot in smart, unexpected ways that allow him to really dig into the unique pairing of Christophor and Alexsander and explore the ways in which two characters – or, depending on how you look at it, two different sides of a person – find ways to learn about and come to trust each other. This isn’t necessarily a book aimed at those looking for all-out horror or pacy, action-packed fantasy, but it’s ideal for readers who enjoy a tight-focus story with a slow reveal and a few genuinely gross and/or scary moments.

Many thanks to David Towsey and Head of Zeus for sending me a review copy of Equinox in exchange for my honest opinions.

See also: my interview with David Towsey discussing the themes and ideas behind Equinox.

Check out the links below to order* Equinox:

*If you buy anything using one of these links, I will receive a small affiliate commission – see here for more details.

If you enjoyed this review and would like to support Track of Words, you can leave a tip on my Ko-Fi page.