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  • The Memory of Trees

  • By: F. G. Cottam
  • Narrated by: David Rintoul
  • Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (334 ratings)
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The Memory of Trees cover art

The Memory of Trees

By: F. G. Cottam
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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Summary

Billionaire Saul Abercrombie owns a vast tract of land on the Pembrokeshire coast. By restoring the original forest that covered the area before medieval times, he believes he will rekindle the spirits of ancient folklore. But the re-planting of the forest will revive an altogether darker and more dangerous entity - and young arboreal expert Tom Curtis will find himself engaging in an epic, ancient battle between good and evil. A battle in which there can be only one survivor.

Former magazine editor Francis Cottam is the author of four novels and the novelization of a feature film. His debut novel The Firefighter was shortlisted for the W.H. Smith Literature award. It was followed by Hamer's War, Slapton Sands and A Shadow on the Sun. All four of these novels are either set in, or examine the repercussions of the Second World War.

The Firefighter examines one man's experience of the most intense period of the London Blitz. Hamer's War takes as its theme the moral dilemma facing a brave German soldier recovering from a wound sustained in battle on the Eastern Front.

The Resident is the novelization of a film made by the resurgent Hammer production company. Along with Slapton Sands and A Shadow on the Sun, it is available for download on Kindle.

Francis is the author of a series of paranormal thrillers published under the pen name F.G. Cottam

©2013 F.G. Cottam (P)2015 Audible, Ltd.

What listeners say about The Memory of Trees

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

All together satisfying my taste for mystery and spooky stories.

A spooky take full of believable characters, it draws you in slow and steady with suspense and mystery. A real satisfying book, if you want mystery, Celtic mythology, history, drama and a dash of horror, look no further!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining Fun

Any additional comments?

This book is so different from anything else I have listened to and really enjoyed the concept, even if its as far fetched as you can take things. Nevertheless If you enjoy F G Cottam you wont be disappointed. David Rintoul never disappoints and his narration is spot on.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cottam is back on form

The old FG Cottam is back after the (awful) Lazarus Prophecy and I'm very pleased with the result! This is thoroughly enjoyable.

If you've enjoyed Cottam's latter workes (except the Lazarus one), I recommend this to you. There's a slow build-up of weird occurrences and characters knowing that something is not right, before the realisation about the audacious plans of the billionaire protagonist. The tension comes from not having a clue about whether the megalomaniac would succeed.

It's all bonkers but great fun!

As always, Rintoul's narrative is perfect.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Far fetched in some ways but amazingly good.

Really spooky and knowledgably drawing on nature, legends and folklore. David Rintoul is absolutely brilliant. Especially when he's reading moments of high drama!!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice mix of myth and modern with good pace.

It was clear where this story was going from the outset, but that didn't distract from the story's steady build-up. Cottam weaves his tale well, combining myth and legend into modern day activities. His atmosphere increases slowly and with it the threat, only towards the end spreading a little too widely for my belief. Nonetheless, the final scene is well done, with a suitably strong finish.
David Rintoul reads well throughout with only occasional moments that seem slightly overwrought. His characterisation is nicely done with accents used appropriately and with a light touch. He is able to bring out the build-up of the story by the page-turning voice equivalent.
I've not come across F G Cottam before, but I shall look at his other books in future. If they bring together more elements like these, he will offer a nice change from many of the other books that I listen to.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 26-07-15

Fun and fantastical.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is not a 'great' book but it is an enjoyable listen. Some of the character descriptions were clunky and stereotypical: almost everyone is good-looking, young, with rather suspicious fire-arms knowledge but it's easy to overlook such ridiculous flaws when the plot keeps jollying you along.

Would you be willing to try another book from F. G. Cottam? Why or why not?

Unlike one previous reviewer, this was the first book from Cottam that I read but it lead me to the Lazarus Phrophesy which I found to be FAR superior both in thematic depth and construction.

Which character – as performed by David Rintoul – was your favourite?

His accents were good. The voice of the Welsh goddess was subtle and convincing.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The choice of vernacular used to populate the speech used by Saul Abercrombie didn't ring true - his character was the most one dimensional of all and the phrases selected jolted enough to make me snort with derision a little.

Any additional comments?

A fair summer listen if you're easily spooked. A warm winter evening listen in front of a roaring fire might be better.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A reasonably entertaining chiller thriller

Any additional comments?

I listened to this in two sittings in a long car journey and it kept me quite entertained.

David Rintoul does a good job at the reading, with a rich, pleasing narrating voice and an acceptable spread of voices and accents for the main characters. He has a tendency to raise his tempo and volume in the "exciting" parts in a way that you would expect from a live story-teller but I found a bit unusual in a reading, However, this did not distract from the enjoyment of the whole.

The story itself it a mixture of paranormal and fantasy, with a bit of folklore thrown in and it takes one a bit of time to decide exactly which route it is going down - but that's not a bad thing in itself.

The plot-line is ok. Some of the characters are a bit clichéd and there are a number of back-ground plot devices that one just has to accept as "being so" without any real explanation or justification - but I tend to like stories with extensive and detailed world-building, whereas that's not to everyone's taste.

My main criticism? For pity's sakes, man - do some research!!! For the majority who know nothing about what might be a relatively narrow field of experience, it probably won't matter - but for anyone who knows anything about the main subject matter, the brickbats just keep smashing you between the eyes. I think he pretty much just made up things that he thought sort of sounded "forestry-ish", without ever bothering to check up if they actually made any sense.

For example, the main character is a forestry specialist, hired, centrally to the plot, amongst other reasons specifically for his expertise and experience in the field. Yet, the first "tree" that he comes across, described in great detail, is consistently referred to, by him, as "a thorn bush".

Well, I'm sorry, but there is no such thing as "a thorn bush". There are lots of bushes that have thorns, there are trees and shrubs named "Blackthorn", "Whitethorn", "Hawthorn" etc, but "a thorn bush"? No.

Now, admittedly, this particular "thorn bush" is described as being extra-ordinary and that's fine. But to be extra-ordinary implies that there is an "ordinary" and in the case of "thorn bushes" that's just not so. If you're inventing a completely new species, that's great, but just have your expert horticulturalist go "Good, lord, what the **** is that???" and get on with it.

To make it worse, when asked how the "thorn bush" got to where it is, our botanical genius suggests "wind-blown pollen?" What??? No!!! Trees, even "thorn bushes", grow from seeds. Seeds are fertilised by pollen, wind-blown or otherwise. Nothing "grows" from pollen. Come on...that's elementary biology...!

In fact, pretty much every "technical detail" of the forestry operations had me going "Eh? What?" Cottam's knowledge of guns does not seem to be a lot better.

But hey ho. As I say, that level of detail will not bother most people.

In summary, it's a reasonable tale, well read. I don't regret at all the credit that it cost me - but I haven't been inspired to search for other books by the same author either.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Memory of Trees

I didn't think that I was going to like this but it became compelling listening whilst carrying on with household chores. Think I enjoyed it more listening to it then I would have done reading it.

ideal story line for Halloween, good narration through out.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Really enjoyed the story, very different, absorbing, didn't want to stop listening!
Narration was brilliant, one of the best I've listened to.
Would have liked to know what happened next, to the forest, the thorn bush and Dodge!
Will recommend this book

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

really enjoyed this story , charecters were good and reading style was brilliant. wished it had been longer . will look for more books by the author.

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5 people found this helpful