The Terrors of Dr. Treviles

The Terrors of Dr Treviles is the story of a vocation and a quest. The hero, Gregory Treviles, is a doctor whose healing gift is a terrifying and vivid imagination. His quest is to explore wherever his images lead and to discover in so doing the real use of these bizarre energies; the question he asks himself is 'And whom does this Grail serve?' His quest becomes entwined with the lives of his brilliant red-headed stepdaughter Robyn, a molecular biologist who is also a witch; of another doctor, Brid Hare, who hides a secret she believes is shameful; and the deathly life of Trevile's deceased wife, Mamie. The energy liberated by Trevile's imagination changes all these lives, and involves a foolish saintly clergyman, Alex Bodkin, and many other creatures, such as blood-magic, slapstick comedy, Laurel and Hardy, Satan, and the University of Cornwall.

The Terrors of Dr Treviles is a romance of Science and the Supernatural; of ordinary but gifted people exploring the dark sides of their gifts in order to bring them into the light. The book also contains an introduction by the late Brian Louis Pearce.

'Peter Redgrove and Penelope Shuttle are a combined writing force who also greatly enrich fiction in The Terrors of Dr Treviles. I can't pluck from the wholeness of their book who contributed what, but altogether it has a rejoicing openness that is remarkable.' (The Times)

'genuine imaginative originality and verbal power' (The Guardian)

Peter Redgrove (1932-2003) worked in several interlinked fields: as a poet, novelist, playwright, and in psychological practice. He believed creative, psychological and scientific work are aspects of the same common study, and his insights are profound, illuminating and constantly exciting. He received many awards during his life and was especially honoured by receiving the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1996.

Penelope Shuttle has lived in Cornwall since 1970 and is the widow of Peter Redgrove. Her 'Selected Poems' appeared in 1998 and her collection 'A Leaf Out Of His Book' in 1999, both of which were Poetry Book Society Recommendations. A new collection, 'Redgrove's Wife', was recently published.