The word paranormal means ‘beyond scientific understanding’ and encompasses far more than vampires and werewolves and the like. I need to clarify this now because in ‘Fate Twister’, author Owen Jones has created a gentle paranormal tale which follows the early life of Wayne Gamm. His protagonist was born in the Welsh mountains, on a sheep farm belonging to his parents, and Jones recreates the ambience of that region and its people with delicate accuracy.

Yet Wayne Gamm is no ordinary child. His mother and Grandmother are both powerful White Witches and young Wayne has inherited their abilities, though, unlike them, has next-to-no control over them. Many live in not a little fear of Wayne’s involuntary reactions to any kind of provocation or conflict that crosses his path. Here, and throughout the novel, the author masterfully creates a sense of underlying menace where Wayne’s, and that of the female members of his family, potential responses to Life’s curveballs are never far from the reader’s mind.

The story follows his life as he grows up in the mountains, using his powers unknowingly to help others. His particular affinity for animals, especially horses, results in his working for a circus and travelling away from his beloved mountains. It’s there where he meets someone who will shape the course of his future.

While reading the story, I was constantly recalling the movie ‘Forrest Gump’, for the character of Wayne Gamm and the adventures he undertakes are, in many ways, a parallel to that tale, minus the celebrities of course. It’s an original story that offers hope and warmth, and a pleasing break from the well-trammelled paths of popular paranormal.