he Black Cauldron is not a war novel properly speaking, but a work of magic realism which traces a serious of boisterous, tragic-comic events in one of the more unusual western European societies. Spanning the tragedy of war, the clash of sectarian interests, the interplay of religion and sex, The Black Cauldron develops into a presentation in mythical form of the conflict between life and death, good and evil. William Heinesen's novels are intensely Faeroese, but so universal in their appeal that the reader automatically surrenders to their charm, their energy, their easy intensity and is overwhelmed by the perspective they convey. The Independent In The Black Cauldron, Heinesen provided an unsparing portrait of speculation, violence and intrigue in the Faeroes under British wartime occupation. The Times 'The Black Cauldron, arguably Heinesen's best book, is rigorously modernistic in approach and style - an intriguing challenging read, with the circling faces of Faroese society set against the British occupation of the Faroes in World War 11. If this whets your appetite, carry on with the same author's The Tower at the Edge of the World.' The Rough Guide