Phil Rickman


Phil Rickman, also known under the pen names Thom Madley and Will Kingdom, was a British author of supernatural and mystery novels.

Biography

Rickman was born on 6 March 1950 in Lancashire and worked as a journalist for BBC World Service TV and BBC Radio 4. He published his first book, Candlenight, in 1991, and began his Merrily Watkins series in 1998. In 2010, he began the John Dee Papers series, which focused on the English mathematician and astrologer, John Dee.
Rickman also worked on several music albums based upon his books and helped write many of the albums' songs. He lived in Wales for most of his life and resided in Hay-on-Wye with his wife as of 2020. He presented the BBC Radio Wales book programme Phil the Shelf.
Rickman researched the folklore, religion, and supernatural themes of his books, saying "If I can't believe it, it doesn't go in". He also voiced his unhappiness over his earlier critics which labeled him a horror writer. He said that he felt that the books did not fit neatly within that genre.
Rickman died on 29 October 2024, aged 74.

Standalone novels

  • Candlenight
  • Crybbe
  • The Man in the Moss
  • December
  • The Chalice
  • The Cold Calling
  • Mean Spirit
  • ''Night After Night''

    ''[John Dee] Papers''

  1. The Bones of Avalon
  2. ''The Heresy of Dr Dee''

    ''Marco'' series

  3. Marco's Pendulum
  4. ''Marco and the Blade of Night''

    ''Merrily Watkins'' series

  5. The Wine of Angels
  6. Midwinter of the Spirit
  7. A Crown of Lights
  8. The Cure of Souls
  9. The Lamp of the Wicked
  10. The Prayer of the Night Shepherd
  11. The Smile of a Ghost
  12. The Remains of an Altar
  13. The Fabric of Sin
  14. To Dream of the Dead
  15. The Secrets of Pain
  16. The Magus of Hay
  17. Friends of the Dusk
  18. All of a Winter's Night
  19. The Fever of the World
  20. ''The Echo of Crows''

    Short stories

  21. The House of Susan Lulham - was first published in the Oxfam "Oxcrimes" anthology. In December 2014, an extended version which is "five times as long" was published for Kindle.

    Non-fiction

  • ''Merrily's Border: The Places in Herefordshire & the Marches Behind the Merrily Watkins Novels''

    Discography

  • Songs from Lucy's Cottage
  • A Message from the Morning
  • ''Abbey Tapes: the Exorcism''

    Television

The second Merrily Watkins book Midwinter of the Spirit was made into a three-part TV drama by ITV. The Cast included Anna Maxwell-Martin as Merrily, Sally Messham as Jane, and David Threlfall as Huw Owen. It was released in late 2015.