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The Wicker Man: A Novel Paperback – September 26, 2006

by Robin Hardy (Author), Anthony Shaffer (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 306 ratings
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First published in 1978, five years after the release of the classic horror film from which it is adapted, The Wicker Man is a gripping horror classic.

It is the tale of Highlands policeman, Police Sergeant Neil Howie, on the trail of a missing girl being lured to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle. As May Day approaches, strange, shamanistic and erotic events erupt around him. Initially he is convinced that the girl has been abducted for human sacrifice - only to find that he may be the revellers' quarry...
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Crown
  4. Publication date
    September 26, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    5.23 x 0.65 x 7.93 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0307382761
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0307382764
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin Hardy was a British Film Director. The Wicker Man was his first film and remains his best-known work. He is also the director of The Fantasist, Forbidden Sun, and The Wicker Tree. Robin Hardy passed away in 2016.

Anthony Shaffer was a UK-based screenwriter well-known for such successful thrillers as Sleuth and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, in addition to this screenplay and novelization. He died of a heart attack on November 6th, 2001, while at his home in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown; First Edition (September 26, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0307382761
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307382764
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.23 x 0.65 x 7.93 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 306 ratings

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  1. Anthony Shaffer

    Anthony Shaffer

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
306 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Demelza
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for any Wicker Man original film fan
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is the novel/screen play of the original Wicker Man film and it was a great read. It fleshed out the film a bit. I've heard that the film had been rather chopped up by the studio and a good portion is missing from any releases. It's one of my favorite Christopher Lee films and I'm glad I was able to get the book as well.
5 people found this helpful
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Kerry Bean
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite movie with much more detail
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2016
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This certainly isn't going to be a 5 star worthy book for everyone. It probably wouldn't have been for me if it had not given such a deeper understanding of my all-time favorite movie. Even the movie is not for everyone but I fell in love with the music, and the oddness and I just love it . Unfortunately , with the making of the Wicker Man a series of mishaps followed and viewers were , sadly, left with a small portion of the movie that we were meant to see . This book brought such a deeper layer to the deeply religious , hapless Sergeant Howie . It gave such a deeper layer that I am, in fact, re-watching the movie right now for probably the 50th time, with a whole new understanding . Much of the dialogue is verbatim and even the songs' lyrics are, often, written on the pages.
If you are one of the few that, like me, absolutely love the Wicker Man (not the terrible Nicholas Cage version , mind you) then you will likely enjoy the added layers of backstory and a much more deeply explained religion of the Summersisle residents. This book shows a side of Sergeant Howie that we never get acquainted to in the movie. It shows a man, deep in his Christian convictions who struggles with his own temptations and also with an upholding of the law. The book Howie tries to remain tolerant and respectful despite his growing unease with this apparently heathen community.
It is a great tragedy that viewers will never get to see the original, uncut Wicker Man as intended. This book has filled a hole and expanded my love of the classic movie.
28 people found this helpful
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Queen of Swords
4.0 out of 5 stars A Murder Mystery, A Passion Play
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2013
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I don't know many people to whom I would recommend this book. It's a mystery. It's a story of religious conflict. It's a story of ancient rites enacted in a not-yet-modern place. It's the story of a stranger in a strange land. It's a passion play.

If you like "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, you might like this much longer exploration of the theme of a community united in the process of selecting and making a sacrifice.

If you like Katherine Kurtz's "Lammas Night" you might like this darker exploration of the themes.

Personally, as someone who has been both a devout Christian and a devout Pagan, I enjoyed the mutual incomprehension of Sgt. Howie and the islanders.

The writing is good, although not extraordinary. I've seen other reviews complaining that the characters don't have depth, but I don't think they need it. They are archetypes, just as much as the Hobbyhorse and Punch, who appear in the final pages. We know just as much as we need to about everyone in the story. To add details would have detracted from the mythic quality.
8 people found this helpful
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Fanshawe
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, whether you've seen the film or not!
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2000
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Based on the marvelous film of the same title, this book is a must for those who've seen the movie, whether the long or short version. Beyond filling in the gaps of the background and true personality of Sergeant Howie, it is, quite simply, a great read! Rather than a novelization of exact dialogue and events, this gives a more complete picture of Howie and Summerisle, why he feels so adamant about his Christianity and the need to mission to the "poor pagans." Unfortunately out of print in the US (I purchased my copy used), it was available from Amazon UK last time I checked.
29 people found this helpful
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George A. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great creepy story!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018
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Great companion to the movie...a quick read and wonderful fleshing-out of characters as well as a little deeper exploration of the mythology and traditions of the Celtic past. If you love the movie you’ll love the book even more. If you’re a budding pagan this is an essential item😉
One person found this helpful
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Consumer51
3.0 out of 5 stars Of Mixed interest
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2009
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I am a great fan of the Original Wickerman and while this book offers some more details and perhaps makes Howie more human - not that I think his character needed it, It certainly could not capture the allure of Willow or the Sinister dark seductive air of Lord Summersile.

The ending could never have the impact on paper that it does have on film as it it the shock of the sight of the Acutal Wickerman from Howies point of view that is starkly horifying..

Howie at the very end of the book did something I do not not remember noticing in the movie and I need to check it out to see if I missed something. About the birds being liberated to God---It seemed to be more of a victory for howie then the stunning emptiness that the movie seemed to present. Al least I have a reason to the the movie again---I never forget about it for long---
2 people found this helpful
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deb bartsche
5.0 out of 5 stars Burn baby burn
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2019
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So much more understanding of the character of Howie than can be provided in the form of film. The mounting frustration and anxiety in the effort to complete his work as a policeman is vividly palpable. It is the culmination in the end of his own Christian sacrifice reflected in the belief of the Pagan villagers that provides relief. The perfect ritual for all.
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kitsutsuki
4.0 out of 5 stars Good complementary work
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2015
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I had seen a movie first, then I really liked the idea and wanted to read it as a novel. It was good to read it as a kindle e-book. If you like the movie, I think you like this too.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Apemantus
1.0 out of 5 stars five star novel, one star edition !!!
Reviewed in Italy on March 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
Firstly the edition: as can be seen from the photo, the Pan/Macmillan book is almost twice the size of the old Pan paperbacks I grew up on. Why every publisher in the world of today insists on making them so unwieldy is beyond me. Seeing as they all harp on about their use of (supposedly) environmentally-friendly forestry sources, one would expect them therefore to use LESS paper and not MORE (the font size is correspondingly huge – all definite no-nos in my world). And the copy I got was yet another “print on demand”, so the paper and especially cover are horrible.

Now for the contents (if anyone is interested): I can’t imagine anyone buying and reading this who hasn’t watched the film at least once or twice (I’ve seen it dozens of times over the decades). But the novel does bring a good deal of extra focus to the character of Howie: his betrothal (we see his Mary in the opening scenes of the book on a picnic with him), his politics (he is "a convinced socialist" p. 126), his hobby of birdwatching, and most importantly his sympathetic nature – the opening scene has him fighting off an armed poacher who has just killed an eagle (Howie bravely saves the mate and egg), and the final scenes inside the wicker man has him making a superhuman effort to release caged birds, thus saving them from an atrocious and sadistic death. All this is contrasted to the very one-dimensional characterisation of him in the film, where he comes across as a narrow-minded religious bigot who has no interest in anything whatsoever outside the laws of God and man.

In fact I find his attitudes in the book far more humanistic and endearing than the pagan cult of Summerisle, with its continual cruely to animals – not only are many burnt alive in the wicker man (as in the film version), but many animals are also hanged by the inhabitants from an oak tree in the sacred grove as a form of votive offering (p.196 has Howie musing that whereas the Catholic church lights candles, the islanders instead "clearly offered up the sufferings of animals"). And obviously a human sacrifice is hardly a sign of an enlightened and progressive religious outlook: Howie is reminded in fact of the Nuremberg rallies, whose participants had “expressions just like this congregation” (p.281). In his last moments before being burnt alive, Howie himself “simply discovered that his manhood and his faith were indivisible”. He is also able to “convert” the intriguing character Beech (no sign of him in the film version), who acts as a kind of self-imposed guardian of the aforementioned sacred grove (and in assuming such a role the author is maybe forcing the Golden Bough analogies too far).

So from this novel version of the story, ultimately Howie wins in my book, contrasting the ugliness (cf. especially the “Hand of Glory” – a hand severed from a fresh corpse, the fingers of which are burnt – and how it conveniently appears just in time is left unsaid) and cruelty of the islanders’ beliefs, combined with their embarrassingly exhibitionist displays of sex, with the restraint, dignity and humility of his own Christian faith.
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Apemantus
1.0 out of 5 stars five star novel, one star edition !!!
Reviewed in Italy on March 18, 2024
Firstly the edition: as can be seen from the photo, the Pan/Macmillan book is almost twice the size of the old Pan paperbacks I grew up on. Why every publisher in the world of today insists on making them so unwieldy is beyond me. Seeing as they all harp on about their use of (supposedly) environmentally-friendly forestry sources, one would expect them therefore to use LESS paper and not MORE (the font size is correspondingly huge – all definite no-nos in my world). And the copy I got was yet another “print on demand”, so the paper and especially cover are horrible.

Now for the contents (if anyone is interested): I can’t imagine anyone buying and reading this who hasn’t watched the film at least once or twice (I’ve seen it dozens of times over the decades). But the novel does bring a good deal of extra focus to the character of Howie: his betrothal (we see his Mary in the opening scenes of the book on a picnic with him), his politics (he is "a convinced socialist" p. 126), his hobby of birdwatching, and most importantly his sympathetic nature – the opening scene has him fighting off an armed poacher who has just killed an eagle (Howie bravely saves the mate and egg), and the final scenes inside the wicker man has him making a superhuman effort to release caged birds, thus saving them from an atrocious and sadistic death. All this is contrasted to the very one-dimensional characterisation of him in the film, where he comes across as a narrow-minded religious bigot who has no interest in anything whatsoever outside the laws of God and man.

In fact I find his attitudes in the book far more humanistic and endearing than the pagan cult of Summerisle, with its continual cruely to animals – not only are many burnt alive in the wicker man (as in the film version), but many animals are also hanged by the inhabitants from an oak tree in the sacred grove as a form of votive offering (p.196 has Howie musing that whereas the Catholic church lights candles, the islanders instead "clearly offered up the sufferings of animals"). And obviously a human sacrifice is hardly a sign of an enlightened and progressive religious outlook: Howie is reminded in fact of the Nuremberg rallies, whose participants had “expressions just like this congregation” (p.281). In his last moments before being burnt alive, Howie himself “simply discovered that his manhood and his faith were indivisible”. He is also able to “convert” the intriguing character Beech (no sign of him in the film version), who acts as a kind of self-imposed guardian of the aforementioned sacred grove (and in assuming such a role the author is maybe forcing the Golden Bough analogies too far).

So from this novel version of the story, ultimately Howie wins in my book, contrasting the ugliness (cf. especially the “Hand of Glory” – a hand severed from a fresh corpse, the fingers of which are burnt – and how it conveniently appears just in time is left unsaid) and cruelty of the islanders’ beliefs, combined with their embarrassingly exhibitionist displays of sex, with the restraint, dignity and humility of his own Christian faith.
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Leslie G
5.0 out of 5 stars A real improvement over the theatrical version
Reviewed in Canada on May 29, 2020
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This version is probably the closest we will see to the lost cuttings . It fills in the theatrical version, adding depth to the story and filling in the gaps left by the more well known theatrical version. If you are a fan of the Robin Hardy original, this is a "must have".
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nounet
5.0 out of 5 stars Un bon moment de lecture
Reviewed in France on November 30, 2020
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Excellent. A lire en anglais puisqu'il n'est pas traduit en français.
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teehee
5.0 out of 5 stars just brillant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2012
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In the middle of reading this book, saw film first and always thought there was more to it than what you saw on screen. I was right there is this book, which is just brillant. Reading it at a slow enough pace as you dont want to miss anything. Cant wait to finish it and yet dont want to rush it either. If you ever saw the film you will love this book as it goes into a lot more depth and you have alot more understanding of the movie but even if you never seen it, still read the book, it is a class piece of writing and a lot of effort has been put into by the author. do yourself a favour if you dont read alot read this, you will like it and you can get it fairly reasonable so it wont burn a hole in pocket. of course when finished I will re watch the movie and most likely will re read the book sometime in the future. enjoy!
8 people found this helpful
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Tylluan Penry
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2015
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I'd seen the film before I read this and the book does enlarge slightly on the film, but it doesn't actually change anything. It helps understand Howie's character better though, and also just how far he was being 'played' all along - the tall character in the red sneakers is a nice touch. And I did love it that at the end, even when he knew he was going to die, Howie freed some of the birds in the wicker man. A lovely touch.
If you liked the film, I'm sure you'll love this.
Well written, and a good 'extra' for lovers of the film.
8 people found this helpful
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