The Witch, the Seed
and the Scalpel
by Scott O’Neill
Published 22 May 2025
Paperback £9.99
ISBN 9780857162915
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The Witch, the Seed and the Scalpel is a horror story steeped in the Gothic tradition. The story follows the battle between botanist Joseph Ware and one of Scotland’s last witches, against a sinister order of surgeons.
Edinburgh 1841. Each year without fail, a strange seed hangs from a chestnut tree that grows near the home of botanist Joseph Ware. Legend states that anyone who catches this nut will be blessed with untold riches but when it falls into Joseph's hands the seed unleashes a devastating parasite. In his quest to find a cure for this, Joseph joins forces with the last of Scotland's witches in their battle against a sinister order of surgeons called the Deus Lux who believe a witch's anatomy hides the key to all magic. This conflict tears apart the bonds of family, friendship and reality itself as Joseph fights to save his soul and avoid the Deus Lux dissecting table.