A three-year mission by a Pembrokeshire author to create a book that deals with the age-old conflict of good versus evil has reached a happy conclusion.

Mark Lewis, a freelance heritage consultant, will be taking his new book, Erimos, to the Aberystwyth Poetry Festival in 2025.

It has just been launched in an event at Narberth Museum, where Mark read our excerpts and answered questions from his audience.

Described as ‘a fascinating read’, filled with ‘sheer originality’ with ‘impressive poetic and dramatic moments’, Erimos is an extended narrative prose poem that deals with a conflict between the title character and the hero, Charlotte.

“It’s that age old conflict of good versus evil, hopefully told in a new and contemporary way,” said Mark, formerly the curator at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, where he worked for 30 years.

Mark read excerpts from Erimos at its launch at Narberth Museum.Mark read excerpts from Erimos at its launch at Narberth Museum. (Image: Mark Lewis)

“It’s a work that captures the complexity of feelings we all have in this day and age, a blend of timeless mythology and contemporary darkness.

“The character of Erimos I saw as the evils of mankind physically manifest, his ragged robes cloaking the dark side of our nature.

"His main nemesis is Charlotte, introduced as a young girl, filled with decency and kindness. Could a child, filled with hope, with kindness, with positivity, be a threat to his master plan? That was the conflict.

“And I wanted his main foe to be an individual like you or I - someone vulnerable, someone with whom we could identify.”

The book travels across time, showing how through history, the same brutalities are repeated, but in new ways.

Erimos is illustrated byErimos is illustrated by Peter Stevenson. (Image: Mark Lewis)

Mark described the book as  one that "pleads for the redemption of humanity".

He added: “The book is quite accusatory and I wanted it to be. There is no escaping the damage we are doing to each other, to ourselves and to this planet.

“I hope that it illustrates in some way how, if things don’t change, then the spiral of self-defeat -  as Erimos calls it - will continue.

"But it is also a plea for people to stand up, and stand together. For even one lone voice can make a difference and in that way we can all be a Charlotte.”

Mark – who has now set up his own business, MarkLewisFreelance, in the heritage sector - said that the new book has received very positive feedback, including a glowing review from author Peter Thabit Jones.

Iillustrated by Peter Stevenson, Erimos is on sale at Narberth Museum’s Chapter One bookshop and on the Mark Lewis Freelance website.