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Winter Siege

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About this listen

Run, run, girl. In the name of God, run.

It's 1141 and freezing cold. Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, watches in horror as a little girl with red hair is dragged away by his own men. Caught in the middle of the fight for England she is just one more victim in a winter of atrocities.

But a strange twist of fate brings them together again. Gwil finds the girl close to death, clutching a sliver of parchment - and he knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her.

But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder - and of a small piece of parchment the cost of which none of them could have imagined . . .

Ariana Franklin's final, brilliant standalone novel, left incomplete at the time of her death, now finished by her daughter.

 Action & Adventure Historical Historical Fiction Medieval Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Winter

Critic reviews

Winter Siege is a thrilling novel infused with the haunting spirit of the Cambridgeshire Fens, at turns rousing and chilling. Recommended.
Original, atmospheric and genuinely moving . . . [this] heartfelt story of survival and redemption captures the imagination and does not let go.
An absorbing re-creation of the 12th Century . . . this is a fast-moving story of humbler folk caught up in cruel battles.
A great story, beautifully written, with engaging and distinctive characters
A strongly flavoured tale, thoroughly researched and well imagined, and the siege itself is magnificently vivid and exciting
Told with colloquial vigour, a gripping narrative.
Strong female characters dominate this involving tale of medieval warfare . . . Compelling
A superb and fitting last novel that will have you gripped on every page
A chilling and thrilling novel for wintery nights by the fire
This gripping tale of survival and redemption is beautifully written and acutely observed
All stars
Most relevant
Character relationships are what make this story interesting and it's a lovely listen in a traditional Ariana Franklin style. Perhaps not quite as good as her other books but still with a great female lead.

Slow start

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Where does Winter Siege rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not up there with the very best , but enjoyable just the same

Would you recommend Winter Siege to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes probably.

What does Peter Wickham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Absolutely brilliant !! His female voices are superbe ,no squeaky high pitched tones. He made a very good job of things.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending perhaps.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to all of Ariana Franklin's books which were magical for me, but somehow this one seemed different. I know Samantha had to finish the book and that had to be very difficult and sad even for her. She done her best . However it didn't have Ariana's final touch for me. Thank you Samantha Norman ..

Beware ! Of the Monk..

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An excellent tale so well read. Each character has a voice that makes it stand clear in the imagination. I cannot praise this book enough. Aria a Franklin never lets one down and the partnership with this narrator just make perfection

Wonderful

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Having read the other books in this series I was worried this would not be of the same standard but I was very surprised and delighted with the seamless way the story was written. I really could not tell where Diana stopped and Samantha started. Well done to all concerned. I hope their will be another in this outstanding series. Brian Mitchell

Brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I have loved Ariana Franklin's books right from the very beginning and even though this wasn't featuring her usual medieval woman of medicine, it was a glorious read.

I was really saddened to hear of Ariana Franklin death and that this book was her last and finished by her daughter, Samantha Norman. I can only imagine how hard that must have been. But it has lost none of Ariana's touch and the story romped along at a fast rate.

The character's were finally drawn and I too cried at the end, you can only do that when you empathise with the character's and become involved in their lives. I felt like I was there. I loved the 'goodies' in the story and loathed the 'baddies', longing for their comeuppance and wondering, right to the end, who the traitor was.

Brilliant story, superbly written and a fitting testament to Ariana Franklin's work.

Sadly, Ariana's last performance

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