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A Gathering of Ghosts
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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)
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- 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!
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
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- Harriet Morris
- Essex, England
- 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!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 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.
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- TrickstersDaughter
- UK
- 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!
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- 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
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Dale
- 27-12-18
A Gathering of Ghosts: Cannot make heads or tails
A very complicated story structure with a multitude of first-person characters. It is very confusing and one cannot identify with any of them. Cannot understand why Karen Maitland hates her readers so much, it is just torture to get through.
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- M
- 18-12-18
Difficult to engage with...
Complex story, with many confusing strands. Not up to her previous standards. Curiously anti climactic.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-12-18
Amazing narration by Jonathan Keeble
The book is indeed good but the narration makes all the difference. He is superb!