This is in effect a 'short story'. It is derived from an ancient record, the details of which are described before you get to the telling. The actual Latin is included at the end of the book.
It is an interesting enough tale and well written, that is obviously based on events relating to individuals living about the area at the time of the record.
I'm not used to reading short stories and found it strange to finish a book so soon. However it was good enough in its telling. I'm not sure that I would buy it, but others may find it a fun gift.
"Snowball looked around him. Borin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the grotesque light showed up a great dog, which padded towards Snowball on paws like hands, which spread out from blue-black legs as fat and swollen as blood puddings."
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley. I am delighted to provide a fair and honest review. NetGalley does not allow for paid reviews.
3/5 Stars
Official description:
A chilling medieval ghost story, retold by bestselling historian Dan Jones. Published in a beautiful small-format hardback, perfect as a Halloween read or a Christmas gift.
One winter, in the dark days of King Richard II, a tailor was riding home on the road from Gilling to Ampleforth. It was dank, wet and gloomy; he couldn't wait to get home and sit in front of a blazing fire.
Then, out of nowhere, the tailor is knocked off his horse by a raven, who then transforms into a hideous dog, his mouth writhing with its own innards. The dog issues the tailor with a warning: he must go to a priest and ask for absolution and return to the road, or else there will be consequences...
First recorded in the early fifteenth century by an unknown monk, The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings was transcribed from the Latin by the great medievalist M.R. James in 1922. Building on that tradition, now bestselling historian Dan Jones retells this medieval ghost story in crisp and creepy prose.
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Star Ratings - what they mean:
https://crowtreelane.blogspot.com/2019/03/five-stars-applied-carefully.html
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