Once Was Willem
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Once Was Willem
Buy for $25.19
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Narrated by:
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Joe Jameson
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By:
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M. R. Carey
Presenting an enthrallingly dark medieval fantasy—a fable of twisted folklore, macabre magic and the strangest of found families—from M. R. Carey, author of the million-copy bestseller, The Girl With All the Gifts.
Eleven hundred and some years after the death of Christ, in the kingdom that had but recently begun to call itself England, I, Once Was Willem, rose from the dead to defeat a great evil facing the humble village of Cosham. The words enclosed herein are true.
I speak of monsters and magic, battle and bloodletting, and the crimes of desperate men. I speak also of secret things, of that which lies beneath us and that which impends above. By the time you come to the end of this account you will know the truth of your own life and death, the path laid out for your immortal soul, your origin and your inevitable end.
You will not thank me.
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Critic reviews
"Carey crafts an empathetic portrait of a medieval monster as a young man in this revelatory dark fantasy... Wit and compassion, building to a wonderfully satisfying climax. Powerful, captivating, and occasionally stomach-churning, this quintessential tale of good and evil is sure to win fans." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“In Once Was Willem, M. R. Carey’s gorgeous prose weaves a fable full of dread and wonder, a deeply intelligent and emotionally gripping story boasting one of the nastiest sorcerers you’ll ever meet, and a narrator as inwardly gentle as he is outwardly monstrous. A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction. I love this book. Highest recommendation.” —Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief
"It's so absurdly fun and readable, you nearly miss the incredible use of language and lore. Lovable grotesques and ghastly villains populate a compelling folk-tale. Absolutely wonderful."—Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Sword Unbound
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Outstanding story and performance!
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Great read
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Excellent narration of a gripping story
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A tale worth telling and listening
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It took a bit of effort to get into this, mostly because the entire first half takes us down ten or so different paths, only a few of which cross over. Then, around the midpoint, the paths start to converge and seven magical beings bring their skills to a fight on behalf of a lowly village against a powerful villain.
“When men were not meat, they were our tormentors.”
The seven beings were uniquely magical and the payoff for trudging thru the first half was worth it to see them as a collective force to be reckoned with. The villain was a little too hyperbolically evil, with zero redeeming qualities, keeping this in the shallower end of YA fantasy.
This was sex free, with light cussing, moderate religious / Christian themes, heavy bouts of superstition caused hate, and innocents (especially children) meeting violent fates. It was still at the Grimm Fairy Tale level, however, so I wouldn’t call this grimdark and would let my teenagers listen.
Brothers Grimm goes Seven Samurai
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