The legend goes that the Nimius was created by magician Melchior Pyke, with the assistance of a young witch known as Scaur Annie.

But they were both betrayed by Pyke's villainous manservant, Mister Dark, causing a feud that has survived even beyond death.

Robin Jarvis has long been drawn to the coastal town of Whitby for its historic and Gothic associations and he decided to revisit it for another supernatural series, 'I've felt the lure to return to those narrow cobbled streets on the East Cliff, climb the 199 steps up to the gale beaten graveyard and look back over the town.

Whitby is a place that won't let you go and strange, unearthly stories are waiting to be scratched out of the sand and soil.

[5] The Strange Alliances blog said, "Expect a highly imaginative story (bizarre inventions meet old magical entities) with terrific atmosphere (Whitby at its most storm lashed) scary bits (anything to do with Mr Dark) and lots of and great characters (the flamboyant witch Cherry Cerise),"[6] while the Books for Keeps newsletter said, "The characters really come alive and you build a connection to them and what they are going through in this fast paced, exciting and at times very dark tale of magic and murder.