Clifford Simak’s "The Talisman Brotherhood," Summary

The events unfold in an alternate twentieth-century Britain, frozen at the level of the late Middle Ages due to regular devastating raids by cosmic evil spirits. The ancient castle of Standish House remains a rare island of peace amidst the general decline. The novel was published in 1978.

The Mystery of Aramaic Parchment

In the library of Standish House, Lord Douglas and the elderly archbishop entrust a treasured family heirloom to young Duncan. The discovered manuscript contains eyewitness accounts. Authentic accounts of Christ’s earthly life can unite the flock and give believers powerful strength against the cycle of devastation that repeats every five centuries. The aged Bishop Vyse of Oxenford can translate the rare Aramaic dialect. Duncan takes the scroll.

The heir to the estate is accompanied by the loyal giant Conrad, clutching a massive oak club. The black stallion Daniel and the fighting mastiff Tiny accompany the donkey Beauty. The road leads south.

Companions from the Devastated Lands

The detachment makes its first stop in the dilapidated castle of the ferocious chieftain Harold River. The bandits make a treacherous attempt to seize a warhorse and traveling bags, but are immediately and decisively repelled by the trained animals. The fugitives take the chieftain hostage to ensure safe passage across a foul moat. Cedric aids the fugitives. A loyal beekeeper supplies the travelers with bread, honeycomb, and a piece of cheese.

In a hilly hollow, travelers encounter the timid hermit Andrew, hiding in a spacious earthen cell with the talkative disembodied ghost of an executed vagabond. The ghost is seeking refuge. The disembodied companion journeys south for theological discussions with renowned Oxford scholars.

Near the village temple, the company meets the red-haired warrior Diana, riding atop her griffin, Hubert. The girl is searching for an ancestor’s tomb. A sudden attack by the Horde’s hairless minions forces the party into brutal hand-to-hand combat amidst weed-choked garden beds. Conrad hides the stunned lord inside an ancient crypt. Awakening among dry leaves and other people’s bones, the young man accidentally finds an ancient pear-shaped amulet of pure silver with an intricate gold lace design beneath a stone slab.

Goblin Snoopy draws a map of safe paths through enemy lines on parchment. The Little People hate the Destroyers. At the edge of the forest, mastiff Tiny chases the beggar witch Meg out of her shelter after she lost her magic herbs in a fire.

A desecrated temple and a robber ambush

In a remote, shady valley, the party stumbles upon the mysterious Chapel of Jesus-on-the-Hills, built directly on an ancient pagan temple. The altar is desecrated with a blasphemous inscription. In the dead of night, the camp is attacked by a ferocious pack of werewolves, obeying the guttural commands of an unknown voice from the forest darkness. Meg fights off burning branches. Andrew impales a wolf with his staff, which transforms into a naked woman’s body upon death. The Wild Hunter roars.

A morning ambush by River’s gang takes the exhausted travelers by surprise.

The bandits bind the captives tightly with ropes. The greedy chieftain appropriates the glittering amulet, tossing the scribbled sheets of parchment into the sandy bushes as useless. Cedric cuts the ropes. Duncan instantly crushes the guard with a trophy broadsword, carefully hiding the holy scroll under his clothes. The horde destroys the bandits. Andrew crushes the groaning chieftain with a heavy blow of his club, sparing the sinner from his torment.

The Death of the Enchanted Refuge

Beyond a deep stone gorge, the fugitives see an ancient burial mound amidst slanted gray megaliths. Enemy infantry overtakes the squad. Diana’s timely arrival on a griffin and the Wild Hunter’s furious attack disperse the attacking monsters. The girl leads her companions into the stone circle. Within the magical boundary, the ancient ruins transform into a majestic, flourishing palace with manicured green lawns.

In the spacious hall, the crippled fugitive demon Skrach is chained to a thick column. Cuthbert greets the guests. The castle’s lord explains in detail the cosmic origins of the Destroyers, who drain the lifeblood of earthlings. Mortals are forever locked in the abode. The maddened sorcerer, with a wild cry, throws himself from the high balcony, instantly falling to his death. The castle immediately collapses. Andrew shatters the iron chain with his staff, saving the crippled demon from the rubble.

Throw Across the Great Swamp

Goblin Snoopy warns of a dense enemy ring closing around the hills. Salvation lies through the swamp. Scratch agrees to lead the party along a rocky ridge hidden underwater, directly to the western shore. Diana accepts the enchanted sword.

An enchanted grove of ferocious monstrous trees emerges along the path, snatching people with their gnarled branches. Meg and Andrew open the path. In a fierce fight, Conrad severely injures his shoulder, while Scratch accurately strikes down attacking enemies with his trident. The party reaches the Isle of Weeping. A dragon attack kills Beauty the donkey, after which the Wild Hunter’s pack disperses the flying predators.

Three decrepit mourners live on the island, voluptuously reveling in the grief of others. Duncan declines their offer. Diana delivers the bitter news of the death of Bishop Vyse of Oxford long before the expedition begins. The journey seems in vain. Duncan invites the girl to Standish House as his lawful wife.

Crush the Destroyers

On the western bank, the horde coalesces into a monolithic, vibrating sphere. Duncan clutches the amulet. Overcome by a sudden religious urge, Andrew snatches the relic and charges headlong toward the enemy. Lightning incinerates the hermit. In that moment, Duncan finally understands the true reason for his enemies’ panic.

The Horde sought to destroy the authentic Aramaic scroll, bearing the unsophisticated eyewitness testimony. The parchment bears divine power. The youth raises the scroll above his head and resolutely charges into the trembling swarm. The sphere explodes in blinding bolts of lightning. Smoldering ash settles to the ground, heralding the final destruction of the space invaders.

Meg mourns her lost companion and decides to settle permanently in his deserted underground cell. The white ghost remains in the castle ruins. Diana, with deep respect, returns the enchanted battle blade to the touched goblin Snoopy, under the protection of the little people. Scratch accompanies the victors north. The power of the sacred Aramaic verses is proven by the final destruction of the centuries-old darkness in the devastated lands.