Listen free for 30 days
-
A Gathering of Ghosts
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Vanishing Witch
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The reign of Richard II is troubled, the poor are about to become poorer still and landowners are lining their pockets. It's a case of every man for himself, whatever his status or wealth. But in a world where nothing can be taken at face value, who can you trust? The dour wool merchant? His impulsive son? The stepdaughter with the hypnotic eyes? Or the raven-haired widow clutching her necklace of bloodstones? And when people start dying unnatural deaths and the peasants decide it's time to fight back, it's all too easy to spy witchcraft at every turn.
-
-
The Vanishing Interest
- By W on 26-10-15
-
The Raven's Head
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gothic delight from Karen Maitland, author of the best-selling and much-loved Company of Liars, that will delight fans of Game of Thrones, The Silent Companions or fans of Deborah Harkness seeking a new, dark fix this Halloween. Never trust your secrets to a Raven when you are not its true master....
-
-
Darkly medieval - not for the faint hearted!
- By Miss on 26-03-15
-
The Plague Charmer
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Porlock Weir, Exmoor, 1361. Thirteen years after the Great Pestilence, plague strikes England for the second time. Sara, a packhorse man's wife, remembers the horror all too well and fears for the safety of her children. Only a dark-haired stranger offers help but at a price that no one will pay.
-
-
WOW!
- By Mairi on 14-01-17
-
The Falcons of Fire and Ice
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1564, Lisbon. The Inquisition displays its power and ruthlessly spreads fear. Heretics are tortured and burned. Isabela, daughter of the Falconer at the Royal Court, is about to be caught in the Church’s terrifying schemes. The slaughter of two of the King’s precious white falcons sees her father arrested and imprisoned. He and his family will be killed unless the birds are replaced. Isabela decides only she can save her father. These birds are impossibly rare, and she will have to travel far to strange lands to find them.
-
-
Incredibly Impressive
- By mollymoon1 on 30-09-13
-
The Owl Killers
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England 1321: Deep in the countryside lies an isolate village governed by a sinister regime of Owl Masters. But their dark status quo is disturbed by the arrival of a house of religious women. Why do their crops succeed when village crops fail, their cattle survive despite the plague? Accusations of witchcraft and heresy run rife, while the Owl Masters rain down hellfire and torment on the women, who must look to their faith to save them from the lengthening shadow of evil... a shadow with predatory, terrifying talons.
-
-
Don't be put off by mixed reviews
- By sally on 28-03-12
-
The Gallows Curse
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1210 and a black force is sweeping England. A vengeful King John has seized control of the Church, leaving corpses to lie in consecrated ground, babies unbaptized, and the people terrified of dying in sin. In the village of Gastmere, the consequences grow darker still when Elena, a servant girl, is dragged into a conspiracy to absolve the sins of the lord of the manor. In desperation she visits the cunning woman, who has been waiting for just such an opportunity to fulfil an ancient curse conjured at the gallows.
-
-
struggled to listen only
- By kate on 23-02-17
-
The Vanishing Witch
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The reign of Richard II is troubled, the poor are about to become poorer still and landowners are lining their pockets. It's a case of every man for himself, whatever his status or wealth. But in a world where nothing can be taken at face value, who can you trust? The dour wool merchant? His impulsive son? The stepdaughter with the hypnotic eyes? Or the raven-haired widow clutching her necklace of bloodstones? And when people start dying unnatural deaths and the peasants decide it's time to fight back, it's all too easy to spy witchcraft at every turn.
-
-
The Vanishing Interest
- By W on 26-10-15
-
The Raven's Head
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gothic delight from Karen Maitland, author of the best-selling and much-loved Company of Liars, that will delight fans of Game of Thrones, The Silent Companions or fans of Deborah Harkness seeking a new, dark fix this Halloween. Never trust your secrets to a Raven when you are not its true master....
-
-
Darkly medieval - not for the faint hearted!
- By Miss on 26-03-15
-
The Plague Charmer
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Porlock Weir, Exmoor, 1361. Thirteen years after the Great Pestilence, plague strikes England for the second time. Sara, a packhorse man's wife, remembers the horror all too well and fears for the safety of her children. Only a dark-haired stranger offers help but at a price that no one will pay.
-
-
WOW!
- By Mairi on 14-01-17
-
The Falcons of Fire and Ice
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1564, Lisbon. The Inquisition displays its power and ruthlessly spreads fear. Heretics are tortured and burned. Isabela, daughter of the Falconer at the Royal Court, is about to be caught in the Church’s terrifying schemes. The slaughter of two of the King’s precious white falcons sees her father arrested and imprisoned. He and his family will be killed unless the birds are replaced. Isabela decides only she can save her father. These birds are impossibly rare, and she will have to travel far to strange lands to find them.
-
-
Incredibly Impressive
- By mollymoon1 on 30-09-13
-
The Owl Killers
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England 1321: Deep in the countryside lies an isolate village governed by a sinister regime of Owl Masters. But their dark status quo is disturbed by the arrival of a house of religious women. Why do their crops succeed when village crops fail, their cattle survive despite the plague? Accusations of witchcraft and heresy run rife, while the Owl Masters rain down hellfire and torment on the women, who must look to their faith to save them from the lengthening shadow of evil... a shadow with predatory, terrifying talons.
-
-
Don't be put off by mixed reviews
- By sally on 28-03-12
-
The Gallows Curse
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1210 and a black force is sweeping England. A vengeful King John has seized control of the Church, leaving corpses to lie in consecrated ground, babies unbaptized, and the people terrified of dying in sin. In the village of Gastmere, the consequences grow darker still when Elena, a servant girl, is dragged into a conspiracy to absolve the sins of the lord of the manor. In desperation she visits the cunning woman, who has been waiting for just such an opportunity to fulfil an ancient curse conjured at the gallows.
-
-
struggled to listen only
- By kate on 23-02-17
-
Company of Liars
- By: Karen Maitland
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On this day of ill omen, plague makes its entrance. Within weeks, swathes of England will be darkened by death's shadow. While panic and suspicion flood the land, a small band of travelers comes together to outrun the breakdown in law and order. But when one of their number is found hanging from a tree, the chilling discovery confirms that something more sinister than plague is in their midst.
-
-
A Medieval Road Movie - Well worth a listen
- By I. Jamie on 02-02-09
-
The Sacred Stone
- By: C.J. Sansom, Bernard Knight, Susanna Gregory, and others
- Narrated by: Paul Matthews
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Masters of the historical mystery, authors Michael Jecks, Susanna Gregory, Bernard Knight, Ian Morson, Philip Gooden, Simon Beaufort, and C.J. Sansom band together as The Medieval Murderers to craft this thrilling tale. In 1067 Greenland, a strange stone falls from the sky. Over the next 600 years, violence and death follow whoever possesses it, including crusading knights, a dying King Henry III, and a troupe of His Majesty King James I’s players.
-
-
Not as absorbing as the summary would suggest
- By Christopher on 11-07-13
-
The King's Justice
- A Stanton and Barling Mystery, Book 1
- By: E. M. Powell
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1176. Aelred Barling, esteemed clerk to the justices of King Henry II, is dispatched from the royal court with his young assistant, Hugo Stanton, to investigate a brutal murder in a village outside York. The case appears straightforward. A suspect is under lock and key in the local prison, and the angry villagers are demanding swift justice. But when more bodies are discovered, certainty turns to doubt - and amid the chaos it becomes clear that nobody is above suspicion.
-
-
Great murder mystery
- By KAH on 04-10-18
-
The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
-
-
Shardlake's Younger Brother, the surgeon
- By Mr. Stephen Gould on 20-09-20
-
The Ashes of London
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city, consuming everything in its path. Even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul's is engulfed in flames and reduced to ruins. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man's body has been mutilated, and his thumbs have been tied behind his back.
-
-
Mystery and murder in 'the dunnest smoke of hell'
- By Rachel Redford on 27-04-16
-
The Seeker
- Damian Seeker 1
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Nicholas Camm
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies at home and abroad. London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell and that nothing can be long hidden from him.
-
-
A Dark-Cloaked Figure
- By Simon on 10-12-16
-
The Angel's Mark
- By: S. W. Perry
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
LONDON, 1590. Queen Elizabeth I's control over her kingdom is wavering. Amidst a tumultuous backdrop of Spanish plotters, Catholic heretics and foreign wars threatening the country's fragile stability, the body of a small boy is found in the City of London, with strange marks that no one can explain. When idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby finds another body displaying the same marks only days later, he becomes convinced that a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London.
-
-
Excellent book
- By Kate on 28-10-18
-
The Last Hours
- By: Minette Walters
- Narrated by: Helen Keeley
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1348. The Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe; the people of the county start to die in the thousands. In the demesne of Develish, Lady Anne takes control of her people's future, chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward, and together they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside the walls. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflicts soon arise....
-
-
absorbing addictive and very very interesting
- By Jackie Wilkinson on 17-07-18
-
A Plague on Both Your Houses
- The First Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew
- By: Susanna Gregory
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matthew Bartholomew, unorthodox but effective physician to Michaelhouse college in medieval Cambridge, is as worried as anyone about the pestilence that is ravaging Europe and seems to be approaching England. But he is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.
-
-
Just brilliant
- By Heidi Harper on 27-08-18
-
The Poison Bed
- By: E C Fremantle
- Narrated by: Ross Anderson, Perdita Weeks
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the autumn of 1615, a scandal rocks the Jacobean court when a celebrated couple are imprisoned on suspicion of murder. She is young, captivating and from a notorious family. He is one of the richest and most powerful men in the kingdom. Some believe she is innocent; others think her wicked or insane. He claims no knowledge of the murder. The king suspects them both, though it is his secret at stake.
-
-
Wow
- By Ellen on 18-06-18
-
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Crawford Logan
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Banff in the 1620s. A man staggering down the street. He appears drunk, but he's been poisoned. The victim, and apothecary's apprentice, is discovered dead in Alexander Seaton's house, a fallen minister whose life lies in tatters after his affair with the Laird's daughter is discovered and he is cast out of the kirk in disgrace. When his friend is accused of the apprentice's murder, Alexander sets out to solve the crime and clear his friend's name.
-
-
Great book, well read
- By Rachel on 16-05-09
-
The Evening and the Morning
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 24 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
International number-one best seller Ken Follett returns with The Evening and the Morning, a thrilling and addictive novel from the master of historical fiction. It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages, and in England one man's ambition to make his abbey a centre of learning will take the listener on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate. Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth, which has sold more than 27 million copies worldwide.
-
-
Tell me if you've heard this one before
- By Ed on 25-09-20
Summary
Pagans tackle the Knights of St John with terrible consequences in the new medieval thriller by Queen of the Dark Ages, Karen Maitland. Set on the wilds of Dartmoor, this is a ghostly tale for fans of The Essex Serpent or C. J. Sansom's Shardlake series, and The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse.
1316. On the wilds of Dartmoor stands the isolated Priory of St Mary, home to the Sisters of the Knights of St John. People journey from afar in search of healing at the holy well that lies beneath its chapel.
But the locals believe Dartmoor was theirs long before Christianity came to the land. And not all who visit seek miracles. When three strangers reach the moor, fear begins to stir as the well's waters run with blood.
What witchcraft have the young woman, the Knight of St John and the blind child brought with them?
The Sisters will need to fight for everything they hold dear as the ghosts of the Old World gather in their midst.
Critic reviews
"A dark read...fear and hysteria are portrayed with claustrophobic skill." (The Times on The Plague Charmer)
More from the same
What listeners say about A Gathering of Ghosts
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Simon
- 08-09-18
Keeble's Masterclass Shines on Karen's Grim Noire
In A Gathering of Ghosts Maitland and Keeble have come together to produce a fabulous audio book.
Maitland paints the grim existence of the denizens of the Middle Ages as well as anyone. She uses a palette of grimy greys, desolate blacks and sullen browns to describe their oft-blighted lives. There is very little humor or optimism in her books.
Keeble delivers a genuine masterclass despite the fact that so many of the characters are female. He brings out the ragged desperation that these poorest of peasants must have felt in an admirable performance. Their hopes, their fears and often their sheer terror are brought vividly to life. In fact this is one where it's difficult to say who contributed most to the overall production, author or narrator. They are a great combination.
Maitland takes full advantage of the dim history and rampant superstition of the times. Old Gods, vengeful spirits and various magics are infused into this atmospherically stark and grisly story. very definitely one I would recommend!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Helen SJ
- 28-02-19
Amazing tale. I loved it.
As with all Karen Maitland's books, this tale is wonderfully researched. I found myself rooting for the three protagonists more and more as the story progressed. Hot footing it over to Google for images and information of the area and tinners history. I highly recommend this book. Bravo!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TrickstersDaughter
- 19-01-19
A thrilling and haunting Dartmoor story
I’m a huge fan of Karen Maitland’s and have read all of her books so far, however I particularly loved this as I myself live on Dartmoor by the river dart and listened to this as I wandered the moor truly feeling the story coming alive.
In typical Maitland style it is not a sweeping Romantic historical novel with an equally romanticised view of medieval England, fat from it, this is history in its horrific reality transporting you back to a time when life was truly very different to what we know today. This is something I love very much about Maitland’s books, they don’t floralise the past into a mythical dreamworld but give you the bare bones of lives lived and lost all those years ago.
For me this was a truly enjoyable listen, the characters richly painted and the narration, as always, perfect for the story. Cannot wait for her to release another one!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- G M
- 12-03-19
Good Story
I'm loving her Medieval stories. They are immersive, well written, well read. very good .
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- P Patchett
- 12-02-19
A Gathering of Ghosts by Karen Maitland
A superbly researched book. A really intriguing story. I couldn't wait to listen again.. It never disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 18-01-19
Atmospheric
Really enjoyed this book. It was well written and very atmospheric. Beautifully narrated and would recommend to anybody wanting a slightly spooky story
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Harriet Morris
- 16-01-19
For Me a Big Surprise!
This is the first book by Karen Maitland I have listened to and, at first, I did think I would like this story - then to my surprise I was totally immersed in this dark tale. The narration was outstanding and did wonder, at one time, whether there was more than one person involved in the telling. The whole is very well worth persevering with - understandibly it is, at the start, hard to separate the
characters but soon everything becomes clear. Do listen please!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 16-01-19
love love love!
Karent Maitland cant write books fast enough for me! Everyone is a terrific read that keeps you 'turning pages' till the end. You wont be disappointed.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ann
- 08-01-19
Will miss this book!
I really loved every aspect of this book; the unusual story and setting, the evocative descriptions and the excellent narration. Karen Maitland is a very talented writer and story teller. I shall look for more of her work.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 22-03-19
Not as good as other Maitland
Great performance as usual from Keeble. Found the story a little dull with a pithy end. Love other Maitland books so was surprised I didn't enjoy this as much
3 people found this helpful