Hagtale is the sort of book that lingers after you’ve finished it. Atmospheric and steeped in folklore, it feels less like a retelling and more like an ancient story that’s been unearthed from the Scottish wilderness itself. Even if you’re familiar with Macbeth, this offers something fresh, expanding the legend in a way that feels both believable and haunting.
The story unfolds across two timelines. In one, Wulva is a feral girl rescued from the forest and shaped by three witches into someone destined to change the course of history. In the other, centuries later, Brother Rowan embarks on a dangerous journey to recover a forgotten manuscript about Scotland’s kings. Each storyline is compelling on its own and watching them slowly weave together was incredibly satisfying.
Wulva’s transformation from a child who barely understands humanity into the woman history will remember as Lady Macbeth was fascinating. Rather than simply retelling Shakespeare’s story, the novel asks who gets remembered, whose voices disappear and how history is shaped by the people who write it. Rowan’s perspective adds another layer, exploring the fragile line between fact, myth and memory.
The writing is stunning. The Scottish landscape feels wild and alive, the forests are as much a character as the people and there’s an underlying sense of dread that never quite lets go. It’s violent at times, but it’s the quiet, dreamlike atmosphere that really stands out. It reads like a dark fable whispered across generations.
If you enjoy historical fiction blended with folklore, supernatural touches and beautifully written prose, Hagtale is well worth picking up. It’s a thoughtful, eerie and unforgettable reimagining that honours Macbeth while becoming something entirely its own.
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Publisher: Scribe Publications
Format: Paperback 240 pages
ISBN: 978-1761381430
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Here’s the synopsis
A hagtale, a dark fable, a fireside story, known to Shakespeare, but unwritten. Until now.
In eleventh-century Scotland, feral wolf-child Wulva is brought up by witches and then sent to live at a Scottish castle, where she falls under the spell of cruel, ambitious Lord Macbeth.
Three hundred years later, gentle Brother Rowan goes on a strange and perilous journey to a remote and ancient monastery to write a history of the Scottish king-line.
Misfits in their own time, seekers after truth, Wulva and Rowan are deeply connected despite the centuries that separate them.
Hagtale explores the power of stories lost and found, their transformative potential, and who gets to be the owner of the tale.
What Caz Read 