What do you think?
Rate this book
A Gathering of Ghosts
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.
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.
531 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2018
48 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
About the author
Karen Maitland
19 books1,223 followersKaren Maitland, who also writes as KJ Maitland, has a doctorate in psycholinguists and lives in the beautiful county of Devon, close to Dartmoor where Agatha Christie had her writing retreat and Sir Arthur Colon Doyle wrote 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', one of Karen’s favourite childhood books.
Writing as KJ Maitland, 'A Plague of Serpents,' the final historical thriller in her Jacobean quartet, is now out in pb. Set in the aftermath of the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Daniel Pursglove is ordered to infiltrate the 'Serpents', a desperate band of Catholics plotting the death of the King, or face his own execution. The 1st book in the series -'The Drowned City', the 2nd - 'Traitor in the Ice', and the 3rd - 'Rivers of Treason', are all published by Headline.
Her first stand alone medieval thriller was 'Company of Liars', was set at the time of the Black Death in 1348. This was followed by The Owl Killers', 'The Gallows Curse', 'Falcons of Fire and Ice', 'The Vanishing Witch', 'The Raven's Head,' 'The Plague Charmer' and 'A Gathering of Ghosts', Her medieval novels are written under the name of Karen Maitland and are published by Penguin and Headline.
Karen is also one of six historical crime writers known as the Medieval Murderers – Philip Gooden, Susannah Gregory, Michael Jecks, Bernard Knight and Ian Morson – who together write joint murder-mystery novel, including 'The Sacred Stone', 'Hill of Bones' and 'The First Murder', 'The False Virgin' and 'The Deadliest Sin' published by Simon & Schuster.
Writing as KJ Maitland, 'A Plague of Serpents,' the final historical thriller in her Jacobean quartet, is now out in pb. Set in the aftermath of the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Daniel Pursglove is ordered to infiltrate the 'Serpents', a desperate band of Catholics plotting the death of the King, or face his own execution. The 1st book in the series -'The Drowned City', the 2nd - 'Traitor in the Ice', and the 3rd - 'Rivers of Treason', are all published by Headline.
Her first stand alone medieval thriller was 'Company of Liars', was set at the time of the Black Death in 1348. This was followed by The Owl Killers', 'The Gallows Curse', 'Falcons of Fire and Ice', 'The Vanishing Witch', 'The Raven's Head,' 'The Plague Charmer' and 'A Gathering of Ghosts', Her medieval novels are written under the name of Karen Maitland and are published by Penguin and Headline.
Karen is also one of six historical crime writers known as the Medieval Murderers – Philip Gooden, Susannah Gregory, Michael Jecks, Bernard Knight and Ian Morson – who together write joint murder-mystery novel, including 'The Sacred Stone', 'Hill of Bones' and 'The First Murder', 'The False Virgin' and 'The Deadliest Sin' published by Simon & Schuster.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
July 8, 2020
Retribution
Every time I read a new Karen Maitland book I have this fear that the spell is going to be broken – well not this time. For me, Karen is the master of the medieval thriller with a twist of supernatural menace. England in the 14th century sits on the edge between religious belief and pagan superstition, nowhere is this more prevalent than on wild expanses of Dartmoor, or previously known as Dertemora (Moor in the Dart valley). A Gathering of Ghosts is a book full of superstitious atmosphere that takes you into an eerie, foreboding, imponderable world where legends and myths rub shoulders with daily life. Karen’s writing pulls at every physical sense that captivates and keeps teasing with demonic forces that are terrifyingly close.
The central location of the story is the Hospitaller’s Priory of St Mary, in a remote location in Dartmoor.
The Priory, run by Prioress Johanne, houses an ancient well that the church is built on and they have dedicated it to St Bridget, although the locals originally know it as Bryde’s Well. Various unconnected characters have apparitions of a blood-drenched scene and are drawn to the Priory – for what they do not know. One of these visions is seen by Sister Fina, the sister responsible for managing the well and the pilgrims that attend it. Flustered and terrified she leaves the underground well to find a deaf-mute boy standing alone in the church. Believing him abandoned they take him in, and by way of discovering more, take him to the blind priest in the hope he may connect better. The priest’s response is alarming in that he warns them all that if the boy stays he’ll bring down a curse on all their heads. Next morning the priest is dead. Prioress Johanne must keep the superstitions and fears under control as the priory is visited by Knight Brother Nicholas and his groom, Brother Alban, on a mission to investigate possible pilfering of priory's monies. Johanne has her own secrets to hide and the game of cat and mouse with Nicholas is full of mystery and suspense.
The other blood-scene apparitions are experienced by Sorrel, a poor girl disfigured at birth with a deformed arm, and Morwen the daughter of Kendra, the former keeper of the well. Kendra communicates directly with the spirits and conjures charms and spells. She will pass her gift to one of her daughters but Morwen is not expected to be the one. Morwen is, however, gaining supernatural strength as she can feel the spirits grow in her and can sense the power within Kendra fading. All these characters are really well depicted and play a wonderful part in creating a totally immersive story of secrets, threats, superstition, and retribution from the Earth and the ancient world.
The history of the order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Hospitaller Knights Brothers and Sisters, is really interesting and although aligned with the Templar Knights, is not as well-known. Originally founded as a hospital in Jerusalem in 1080 they provided care and refuge for the poor, sick and injured pilgrims in the Holy Lands. Today St John Ambulance takes its name from the Hospitaller Knights.
Karen Maitland undertakes deep research in the background to her books but doesn’t allow it to consume or distract from her story. As a way of providing insight into those details, she includes historical notes and a glossary of terms at the back of the book that I find adds fantastic value to the whole experience. I simply find Karen Maitland’s stories totally mesmeric and full of clever suspense.
I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Headline Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
An interview with Karen Maitland has been added to our website http://thereadingdesk.com/interview-w...
Every time I read a new Karen Maitland book I have this fear that the spell is going to be broken – well not this time. For me, Karen is the master of the medieval thriller with a twist of supernatural menace. England in the 14th century sits on the edge between religious belief and pagan superstition, nowhere is this more prevalent than on wild expanses of Dartmoor, or previously known as Dertemora (Moor in the Dart valley). A Gathering of Ghosts is a book full of superstitious atmosphere that takes you into an eerie, foreboding, imponderable world where legends and myths rub shoulders with daily life. Karen’s writing pulls at every physical sense that captivates and keeps teasing with demonic forces that are terrifyingly close.
The central location of the story is the Hospitaller’s Priory of St Mary, in a remote location in Dartmoor.
"Other side of that priory stands the most accursed hill on the whole moor. Old ‘uns called it Fire Tor, but some call it Ghost Tor. You can hear the dead whispering among the rocks.”In the surrounding area, camps of ‘tinners’ are ferociously mining the landscape for tin to provide King Edward II with the materials he needs to build weapons for war.
"The King’s decreed that any man has the right to look for tin on anyone’s land as he pleases, without let or hindrance.”This scenery is vividly brought to life and the weather-beaten conditions create a dark and dreary, rain-soaked landscape, adding to the overall sense of impending damnation.
The Priory, run by Prioress Johanne, houses an ancient well that the church is built on and they have dedicated it to St Bridget, although the locals originally know it as Bryde’s Well. Various unconnected characters have apparitions of a blood-drenched scene and are drawn to the Priory – for what they do not know. One of these visions is seen by Sister Fina, the sister responsible for managing the well and the pilgrims that attend it. Flustered and terrified she leaves the underground well to find a deaf-mute boy standing alone in the church. Believing him abandoned they take him in, and by way of discovering more, take him to the blind priest in the hope he may connect better. The priest’s response is alarming in that he warns them all that if the boy stays he’ll bring down a curse on all their heads. Next morning the priest is dead. Prioress Johanne must keep the superstitions and fears under control as the priory is visited by Knight Brother Nicholas and his groom, Brother Alban, on a mission to investigate possible pilfering of priory's monies. Johanne has her own secrets to hide and the game of cat and mouse with Nicholas is full of mystery and suspense.
The other blood-scene apparitions are experienced by Sorrel, a poor girl disfigured at birth with a deformed arm, and Morwen the daughter of Kendra, the former keeper of the well. Kendra communicates directly with the spirits and conjures charms and spells. She will pass her gift to one of her daughters but Morwen is not expected to be the one. Morwen is, however, gaining supernatural strength as she can feel the spirits grow in her and can sense the power within Kendra fading. All these characters are really well depicted and play a wonderful part in creating a totally immersive story of secrets, threats, superstition, and retribution from the Earth and the ancient world.
The history of the order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Hospitaller Knights Brothers and Sisters, is really interesting and although aligned with the Templar Knights, is not as well-known. Originally founded as a hospital in Jerusalem in 1080 they provided care and refuge for the poor, sick and injured pilgrims in the Holy Lands. Today St John Ambulance takes its name from the Hospitaller Knights.
Karen Maitland undertakes deep research in the background to her books but doesn’t allow it to consume or distract from her story. As a way of providing insight into those details, she includes historical notes and a glossary of terms at the back of the book that I find adds fantastic value to the whole experience. I simply find Karen Maitland’s stories totally mesmeric and full of clever suspense.
I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Headline Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
An interview with Karen Maitland has been added to our website http://thereadingdesk.com/interview-w...
August 26, 2018
Karen Maitland has carried out meticulous and indepth research for this piece of medieval historical fiction set in 1316 in Dertemora, or Dartmoor. The dark, visceral and claustrophobic action takes place amidst the background of the ravaging great famine, widespread starvation and King Edward II's contentious decree that allows tinners to dig on anyone's land with impunity to fuel his war efforts. Prioress Johanne, a woman with secrets, heads St Mary's Hospitaller's Priory, built around the ancient Bryde's well, but now overseen by the Christian St Lucia. Tensions exist with the locals who still believe in the older gods such as Brigid and Old Crockern. Johanne's rule is threatened with the arrival of the Knight Brother of St. John, Nicholas, and his groom, Alban, suspecting corruption and more.
The strange arrival of a blind and mute young boy triggers fear and sows strife with the death of the elderly blind Father Guthlac, who believed the boy was cursed and a danger to all. Johanne names the boy Cosmas and is dedicated to looking after him, her call to others to not heed the old superstitions is disregarded by many. Amidst the ceaseless rain and cold, the priory is deluged by the huge desperate skeletal masses in search of any morsel of food, including the forceful communities of tinners who push aside locals. The situation is exacerbated by trouble at the holy well, with its plague of frogs, flies, blood, and dries up completely, threatening a source of income from pilgrims. Ancient sacred sites are abused by tinners, whilst vast swathes of moorland is churned over, turning into mud in their search for tin. Practitioners of the old ways, such as Kendra, peddle their healing, charms and spells, whilst her daughter, Morwen, with powers of her own, is forced to operate below the radar. Sorrel, afflicted with a useless arm since birth, leaves home after hearing the call of an inner voice. The old gods clash with the newer religion as hunting horns presaging the spectral packs of marauding howling and yelping hounds roam the moors at night.
Maitland brings this period of dark history vibrantly alive with her rich descriptions. The clash of the gods as the old gods battle with the newer beliefs, is captured in the characters. The fearful and paranoid Brother Nicholas is terrified of the boy, feeling the need to hunt for his bezoar for protection. Death is everywhere, with the old folk walking away to die so that the younger ones will get any odd scraps of food. Serf hunters search for any runaways from the uncompromising feudal system, looking to make an example of them, seeking freedom really is a deadly crime as we see with Todde. Many are politically labelled heretics in a period of time that the Templar Knights are persecuted. The position of women made my stomach churn again and again with horror throughout the novel. This was a hugely compelling read that proves to be knowledgeable and informative of this time in medieval history. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.
The strange arrival of a blind and mute young boy triggers fear and sows strife with the death of the elderly blind Father Guthlac, who believed the boy was cursed and a danger to all. Johanne names the boy Cosmas and is dedicated to looking after him, her call to others to not heed the old superstitions is disregarded by many. Amidst the ceaseless rain and cold, the priory is deluged by the huge desperate skeletal masses in search of any morsel of food, including the forceful communities of tinners who push aside locals. The situation is exacerbated by trouble at the holy well, with its plague of frogs, flies, blood, and dries up completely, threatening a source of income from pilgrims. Ancient sacred sites are abused by tinners, whilst vast swathes of moorland is churned over, turning into mud in their search for tin. Practitioners of the old ways, such as Kendra, peddle their healing, charms and spells, whilst her daughter, Morwen, with powers of her own, is forced to operate below the radar. Sorrel, afflicted with a useless arm since birth, leaves home after hearing the call of an inner voice. The old gods clash with the newer religion as hunting horns presaging the spectral packs of marauding howling and yelping hounds roam the moors at night.
Maitland brings this period of dark history vibrantly alive with her rich descriptions. The clash of the gods as the old gods battle with the newer beliefs, is captured in the characters. The fearful and paranoid Brother Nicholas is terrified of the boy, feeling the need to hunt for his bezoar for protection. Death is everywhere, with the old folk walking away to die so that the younger ones will get any odd scraps of food. Serf hunters search for any runaways from the uncompromising feudal system, looking to make an example of them, seeking freedom really is a deadly crime as we see with Todde. Many are politically labelled heretics in a period of time that the Templar Knights are persecuted. The position of women made my stomach churn again and again with horror throughout the novel. This was a hugely compelling read that proves to be knowledgeable and informative of this time in medieval history. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.
October 4, 2018
When I started reading the latest novel by Karen Maitland, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Now, I can honestly admit that A Gathering of Ghosts is a terrific read, which deserves all praise it has received from critics and reviewers. Brilliant medieval mystery, set at the Priory of St Mary in Dartmoor in 1316, where the old beliefs meet still relatively new religion. Maitland masterfully builds the intrigue around a sacred well under the Priory chapel, and as always in her books, the atmosphere and details of the period are superb!! In a nutshell, I loved it!
September 29, 2019
For me Karen Maitland always writes entertaining and dark books, set in the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages. The stories, like this one, are often a mix of history and fantasy and generally have a creepy nature and always rich in detail and characters.
It’s 1316. This book is about a convent of sisters, housing a holy well said to have healing forces. Many people come to visit in hopes of healing. Then one day, weird things happen to the well. And a weird dark eyed blind and silent little boy turns up...
On the wilds of Dartmoor stands the isolated priory of St Mary, home to the Sisters of the Knights of St. John. Then there are the tinners, poor and hungry ruled and intimidated by the corrupt ‘manager’. The Knights, who come to investigate the convent where as they believe corruption is among the sisters. Then there are the local people worshipping ancient powers. And this all comes together in this dark story. The sisters will need to fight for everything they hold dear as the ghosts of the Old World gather in their midst.
Always entertaining and intriguing, dark, creepy and mysterious. Maitland is a good writer. She writes lengthy books, only remark from my side would be this book could have been a bit shorter. But anyway, this is a writer I will keep reading, she’s good.
4 stars max.
It’s 1316. This book is about a convent of sisters, housing a holy well said to have healing forces. Many people come to visit in hopes of healing. Then one day, weird things happen to the well. And a weird dark eyed blind and silent little boy turns up...
On the wilds of Dartmoor stands the isolated priory of St Mary, home to the Sisters of the Knights of St. John. Then there are the tinners, poor and hungry ruled and intimidated by the corrupt ‘manager’. The Knights, who come to investigate the convent where as they believe corruption is among the sisters. Then there are the local people worshipping ancient powers. And this all comes together in this dark story. The sisters will need to fight for everything they hold dear as the ghosts of the Old World gather in their midst.
Always entertaining and intriguing, dark, creepy and mysterious. Maitland is a good writer. She writes lengthy books, only remark from my side would be this book could have been a bit shorter. But anyway, this is a writer I will keep reading, she’s good.
4 stars max.
June 15, 2018
I have been a fan of Karen Maitland since her first novel and enjoyed this, her latest, very much indeed. It is 1316 and the Hospitaller’s Priory of St Mary, sits, isolated on Dartmoor. Prioress Johanne rules her domain with efficiency, but her authority is challenged with the arrival of Knight Brother Nicholas, who arrives one wet and windy night, with the news that the Lord Prior of England has put him in charge.
The Priory is built over an old well, which those locals, who worship the ‘Old Ways,’ still knows as ‘Bryde’s Well.’ Sister Fina is there to look after the well and spends each evening fishing out dedications which are pagan, rather than Christian. One evening, at the start of this novel, she discovers a young boy in the darkness, but he is not welcomed by all within the Priory walls.
Those familiar with Karen Maitland’s work will know that she combines historical accuracy with a good dose of the supernatural. This is basically a story of women, of folk-lore, of how many locals were forced to adopt an outward belief in Christianity, while adhering to their old ways, of the real struggles of those times. We have not just the power struggle within the walls of the Priory, but the very real struggle of survival going on outside, with famine and discontent threatening to cause upheaval. This is wonderfully written and meticulously researched – a great novel for those who like realistic historical fiction.
The Priory is built over an old well, which those locals, who worship the ‘Old Ways,’ still knows as ‘Bryde’s Well.’ Sister Fina is there to look after the well and spends each evening fishing out dedications which are pagan, rather than Christian. One evening, at the start of this novel, she discovers a young boy in the darkness, but he is not welcomed by all within the Priory walls.
Those familiar with Karen Maitland’s work will know that she combines historical accuracy with a good dose of the supernatural. This is basically a story of women, of folk-lore, of how many locals were forced to adopt an outward belief in Christianity, while adhering to their old ways, of the real struggles of those times. We have not just the power struggle within the walls of the Priory, but the very real struggle of survival going on outside, with famine and discontent threatening to cause upheaval. This is wonderfully written and meticulously researched – a great novel for those who like realistic historical fiction.
December 26, 2020
Dartmoor 1316. A ruthless tale of the clash of Christian religious belief and still strongly lingering pagan superstition. You have to admire Maitland’s abundantly crafted sentences so full of eerie images which provoke so well the darkness, despondency and hunger of the people that populate these dangerous moors. Let me give a quote to illustrate her spooky writing:
“If the Virgin Mary had been holding up the curtain of cloud, she now let it drop and the grove was plunged into darkness again. The trees were crowding in, shuffling towards him like evil old men, carrying their birds nearer and nearer. The raucous kaah, kaah, was all around him, hundreds of wings flapping furiously, beaks snapping. Blindly, he tried to fight his way out, but could find no space wide enough to squeeze between the trunks. There must be a gap - there had to be! Where was it? Then he heard it. The blast of the hunting horn so close, so piercing, he knew the sound was coming from someone standing in the centre of the glade. All at once he saw them, the great black beasts with their burning red eyes.”
This novel was written in more fantastical tone than her previous novels. I must confess I preferred her first book “The Company of Liars” which showed a rather realistic picture of the medieval world at the time of the approaching plague. That book provided a realism of that era which I found quite convincing.
“If the Virgin Mary had been holding up the curtain of cloud, she now let it drop and the grove was plunged into darkness again. The trees were crowding in, shuffling towards him like evil old men, carrying their birds nearer and nearer. The raucous kaah, kaah, was all around him, hundreds of wings flapping furiously, beaks snapping. Blindly, he tried to fight his way out, but could find no space wide enough to squeeze between the trunks. There must be a gap - there had to be! Where was it? Then he heard it. The blast of the hunting horn so close, so piercing, he knew the sound was coming from someone standing in the centre of the glade. All at once he saw them, the great black beasts with their burning red eyes.”
This novel was written in more fantastical tone than her previous novels. I must confess I preferred her first book “The Company of Liars” which showed a rather realistic picture of the medieval world at the time of the approaching plague. That book provided a realism of that era which I found quite convincing.
January 7, 2020
Wowza. What a combination: historical fiction (everyday life for the poor, the Knights Hospitallers, life in a priory for the Sisters of the Knights of St John), the widespread belief in witchcraft and superstition, fantasy, intermingled with the greed and ambition of the few. And what a compelling read; riveting.
Definitely now a Karen Maitland fan.
Unputdownable
Definitely now a Karen Maitland fan.
Unputdownable
July 28, 2022
I have been reading quite a lot of historical fiction recently and this is another example. This is set in 1316 on Dartmoor. If you like cold, wet, windy and bleak moors then this may be for you! It is narrated by four voices, three women and one man. The story centres around an ancient well. It was a place of pagan worship and gods, particularly the goddess Brigid. A few years prior to the novel’s setting The Church has taken it over and it is now the priory of the Sisters of the Knights of St John who have dedicated it to St Lucia. The local villagers are still mainly pagan and follow the old ways. On the moors there are also tinners, groups of people mining for tin to smelt in very difficult conditions.
One of the voices is Nicholas, one of the Knights who has been dispatched to inspect the priory because there are suspicions of shady dealing. Prioress Johanne is determined that Nicholas will not find what he is looking for and to protect those who live in the priory. Morwen is a pagan living on the moor and is able to communicate with the spirits on the moor. Sorrel is a woman with a disability and is with the group of tinners.
“You’ll need more than a sword to protect you up there. Other side of that priory stands the most accursed hill on the whole moor. You can hear the dead whispering among those rocks. Hungry ghosts, they are. There’s many has heard them talking, and some even followed the voices into the caves up there. Followed them in, Brothers, but never came out”
Maitland uses all the myth and folklore about Dartmoor in this tale: ghosts of the dead, Brigid, pigseys (pixies), black hounds (wisht hounds), Ankow to name just a few. Conan Doyle tapped into some of this in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
It’s a fair tale with some predictability and the pagans being much more honest and human than the Christians (no complaints there). I read some of this whilst recovering from an anaesthetic and so it’s a bit hazy, that probably helped!
One of the voices is Nicholas, one of the Knights who has been dispatched to inspect the priory because there are suspicions of shady dealing. Prioress Johanne is determined that Nicholas will not find what he is looking for and to protect those who live in the priory. Morwen is a pagan living on the moor and is able to communicate with the spirits on the moor. Sorrel is a woman with a disability and is with the group of tinners.
“You’ll need more than a sword to protect you up there. Other side of that priory stands the most accursed hill on the whole moor. You can hear the dead whispering among those rocks. Hungry ghosts, they are. There’s many has heard them talking, and some even followed the voices into the caves up there. Followed them in, Brothers, but never came out”
Maitland uses all the myth and folklore about Dartmoor in this tale: ghosts of the dead, Brigid, pigseys (pixies), black hounds (wisht hounds), Ankow to name just a few. Conan Doyle tapped into some of this in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
It’s a fair tale with some predictability and the pagans being much more honest and human than the Christians (no complaints there). I read some of this whilst recovering from an anaesthetic and so it’s a bit hazy, that probably helped!
October 6, 2018
Set in 1316 this set around tin miners in Dartmoor with greed & slave labour, witchcraft, the Knights Templar 's shadow & religion.
Egurdouce a sauce never to forget deep fried lard for all meats then fried onions in more lard, fried currants yes You guessed it in more lard, red Wine,vinegar, sugar, pepper,cinnamon,salt, thickened with yes Its lard & eggs then pour it over rotten meat if the fat doesn't kill you the vegetarian nightmare will done it lard but Remember that that's full fat suet not your modern white lard.
What makes these books is that the author includes both list of all the main charterers, an anthology & in depth funny almost Horrible History style index of all things you never new & often after reading wished you didn't like lard meal.
This another dark creepy period that is hardly know because so few records exist
This Egyptian frog style plague & no union workers both stories entrapping you in each other's arms like a dead lover's eternal embrace.
Here we have real "villains " .Knights Hospitaller the order of St John Of Jerusalem who took over from the Knights Templar who the Pope accused of been sodomizing each other.
They Knights Templar who are Richard the Lion lot who started killing Muslims in. 11th & 12th century proving that some Muslims have very long memories.
But funny thing is the Knights Hospitaller who followed could by rule of the Pope in the name of Christ toucher the Templars.
They now are one of are hero's in DHS they are more familiar known today as St John Ambulance Association which of course is very funny.
Blood & murders as razor wit cuts into 14century but this good but not as brilliant as Company of Liars. But once again it is book of female voices perhaps this why lot females enjoy her books but don't see why get more women then men reading her books .But then I have never been the sort of reader that conforms to the stereo type.
The best part of this book is that you often feel sick because the descriptions are so gloried & revoltingly but it is all true this is sort of sick madness which leaves you wonder how the fuck did we ever become the people we are today?
Hitler would loved the middle ages.
Egurdouce a sauce never to forget deep fried lard for all meats then fried onions in more lard, fried currants yes You guessed it in more lard, red Wine,vinegar, sugar, pepper,cinnamon,salt, thickened with yes Its lard & eggs then pour it over rotten meat if the fat doesn't kill you the vegetarian nightmare will done it lard but Remember that that's full fat suet not your modern white lard.
What makes these books is that the author includes both list of all the main charterers, an anthology & in depth funny almost Horrible History style index of all things you never new & often after reading wished you didn't like lard meal.
This another dark creepy period that is hardly know because so few records exist
This Egyptian frog style plague & no union workers both stories entrapping you in each other's arms like a dead lover's eternal embrace.
Here we have real "villains " .Knights Hospitaller the order of St John Of Jerusalem who took over from the Knights Templar who the Pope accused of been sodomizing each other.
They Knights Templar who are Richard the Lion lot who started killing Muslims in. 11th & 12th century proving that some Muslims have very long memories.
But funny thing is the Knights Hospitaller who followed could by rule of the Pope in the name of Christ toucher the Templars.
They now are one of are hero's in DHS they are more familiar known today as St John Ambulance Association which of course is very funny.
Blood & murders as razor wit cuts into 14century but this good but not as brilliant as Company of Liars. But once again it is book of female voices perhaps this why lot females enjoy her books but don't see why get more women then men reading her books .But then I have never been the sort of reader that conforms to the stereo type.
The best part of this book is that you often feel sick because the descriptions are so gloried & revoltingly but it is all true this is sort of sick madness which leaves you wonder how the fuck did we ever become the people we are today?
Hitler would loved the middle ages.
September 29, 2018
A Gathering of Ghosts is set against the backdrop of a terrible famine which caused widespread poverty, desperation and displacement of thousands of ordinary people as they were forced to travel across Europe in search of food or better conditions elsewhere.
The well or spring sited at the Priory is central to the story representing the battle between Pagan and religious beliefs at the time. The characters of the story are bogged down in their beliefs, but for me the central character is Dertemor itself: it’s rage about being destroyed by tinners. I found this element of the story very interesting. Edward II needed tin for armour and weapons and passed laws to allow access to any land to mine for tin, where it could be found. The process of tinning was not a kind one to the land.
The glowing moss which lined the rocks of the well does exist.
Medieval historical fiction at its best.
The well or spring sited at the Priory is central to the story representing the battle between Pagan and religious beliefs at the time. The characters of the story are bogged down in their beliefs, but for me the central character is Dertemor itself: it’s rage about being destroyed by tinners. I found this element of the story very interesting. Edward II needed tin for armour and weapons and passed laws to allow access to any land to mine for tin, where it could be found. The process of tinning was not a kind one to the land.
The glowing moss which lined the rocks of the well does exist.
Medieval historical fiction at its best.
April 19, 2020
This very thrilling book by the author, Karen Maitland, is another superb dark tale which is set in the Middle Ages.
At the beginning of the book you'll find two beautiful pieces, one a prophecy, the other a poem, while there's also a list of Characters, and at the end of the book you'll notice very well documented Historical Notes and Glossary concerning this great story.
It's another excellent tale in which the ingredients, witchery, black magic, superstition, Christianity, faith, intrigue and power will play an important part, and they will keep you spellbound right till the end.
The book is set in the year AD 1316, in and around Dartmoor (Dertemora), in the south of England, during the reign of King Edward II.
The book is on the one hand about certain people who have supernatural powers, like Morwen and Sorrel, and who believe in the old Gods, like Brigid, while on the other hand there's the Hospitallers' Priory of St Mary, Dartmoor, where the Sisters and the Knight, Nicholas, believe in the faith of Jezus and God.
These two different kinds of beliefs will clash with each other in the believe that theirs is the right kind of faith, and that will invoke hostilities and of course certain deaths.
What is to follow is an excellent dark tale, where all the afore mentioned ingredients will come to fruition to make this tale a most compelling and enjoyable read, in which the rights and wrongs of people in the Middle Ages, as well as the strengths and weaknesses, Christian or pagan beliefs, hunger and deaths, and where the atmosphere and very dark times of this period of history are wonderfully pictured.
Highly recommended, for this is another superb and exciting dark Middle Ages tale, from an author who has the skill to execute it most excellently, and that's why I like to call this fascinating book: "An Amazing Supernatural Adventure"!
At the beginning of the book you'll find two beautiful pieces, one a prophecy, the other a poem, while there's also a list of Characters, and at the end of the book you'll notice very well documented Historical Notes and Glossary concerning this great story.
It's another excellent tale in which the ingredients, witchery, black magic, superstition, Christianity, faith, intrigue and power will play an important part, and they will keep you spellbound right till the end.
The book is set in the year AD 1316, in and around Dartmoor (Dertemora), in the south of England, during the reign of King Edward II.
The book is on the one hand about certain people who have supernatural powers, like Morwen and Sorrel, and who believe in the old Gods, like Brigid, while on the other hand there's the Hospitallers' Priory of St Mary, Dartmoor, where the Sisters and the Knight, Nicholas, believe in the faith of Jezus and God.
These two different kinds of beliefs will clash with each other in the believe that theirs is the right kind of faith, and that will invoke hostilities and of course certain deaths.
What is to follow is an excellent dark tale, where all the afore mentioned ingredients will come to fruition to make this tale a most compelling and enjoyable read, in which the rights and wrongs of people in the Middle Ages, as well as the strengths and weaknesses, Christian or pagan beliefs, hunger and deaths, and where the atmosphere and very dark times of this period of history are wonderfully pictured.
Highly recommended, for this is another superb and exciting dark Middle Ages tale, from an author who has the skill to execute it most excellently, and that's why I like to call this fascinating book: "An Amazing Supernatural Adventure"!
September 6, 2018
I read my first Karen Maitland book – The Vanishing Witch – in 2016 and immediately upon finishing it added all her other medieval thrillers to my wishlist on Goodreads. I actually have a copy of The Plague Charmer sitting on my bookshelf unread (which is a crime in itself). My abiding impression of The Vanishing Witch was of the author’s skill in creating an intense atmosphere and sense of the supernatural, all combined with an intriguing mystery. I’m pleased to say this is equally evident in A Gathering of Ghosts which has atmosphere and elements of the supernatural by the bucket load!
The Dartmoor of the book is not a place for the casual sightseer but a wild place of wind and rain, and bogs waiting to trap the unwary traveller. It’s certainly not somewhere you want to venture late at night when it takes on a nightmarish quality and, as some of the locals believe, the spirits of the netherworld hold sway. As one visitor to the Priory observes, ‘…both sisters and servants had babbled about rampaging tinners and murderous outlaws, as if Dartmoor was to be found on the edge of the world among the isles of the dog-headed men rather than in the civilised realm of fair England.’
Set largely in the isolated Priory of St. Mary, cut off for months at a time due to winter storms and autumn rains, the author creates a unsettlingly claustrophobic atmosphere that seems to affect some of the Sisters more than others. (Shades of Black Narcissus here.) The arrival of one small boy creates an even more unnerving atmosphere, for reasons the reader will soon discover.
The presence of an ancient holy well beneath the priory chapel, now dedicated to St. Lucia but believed by the locals to belong to the pagan goddess, Brigid, is just one of the many oppositions explored in the book: religious belief versus superstition, pagan versus Christian, good versus evil. Whatever their beliefs, though, their adherents seem to share a similar conviction that, if they only make their appeals fervently enough, their wishes will be granted. On occasions, this doesn’t happen exactly in the way they were expecting. Another opposition in the book is male versus female but, happily, the men don’t always escape punishment for their actions and, in some ways, the female characters are seen as possessing if not superior power in this world, then the ability to call on superior power from the spirit world or from God.
The book contains some fascinating detail about the tin mines found on Dartmoor at the time and the so-called ‘stannary’ law that applied to their operation. For some, the tin mines are a vital source of employment and food in a time of famine or a refuge. Others see the excavations as a wounding of the land, upsetting the balance of nature. For some, the threat the tinners pose is more commercial. As one of the book’s narrators, Sorrel, finds out they certainly weren’t pleasant places to be, particularly for a woman. ‘But as we breasted the rise, the noise that burst in my ears made me stagger backwards: iron hammers smashing granite, stones crashing into buckets, the whinnying of packhorses, the shouts of men, the bellows of women and the yells of children… It was as if the ground had yawned wide before me and I was starting down into the pit of Hell.’
Readers who like a good dose of the supernatural in their historical mysteries will love A Gathering of Ghosts. Readers who like a strong sense of period atmosphere will likewise be more than happy. And all will no doubt appreciate the extent of the author’s research, as evidenced by the fascinating Historical Notes and extensive Glossary at the end of the book.
I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Headline, and NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The Dartmoor of the book is not a place for the casual sightseer but a wild place of wind and rain, and bogs waiting to trap the unwary traveller. It’s certainly not somewhere you want to venture late at night when it takes on a nightmarish quality and, as some of the locals believe, the spirits of the netherworld hold sway. As one visitor to the Priory observes, ‘…both sisters and servants had babbled about rampaging tinners and murderous outlaws, as if Dartmoor was to be found on the edge of the world among the isles of the dog-headed men rather than in the civilised realm of fair England.’
Set largely in the isolated Priory of St. Mary, cut off for months at a time due to winter storms and autumn rains, the author creates a unsettlingly claustrophobic atmosphere that seems to affect some of the Sisters more than others. (Shades of Black Narcissus here.) The arrival of one small boy creates an even more unnerving atmosphere, for reasons the reader will soon discover.
The presence of an ancient holy well beneath the priory chapel, now dedicated to St. Lucia but believed by the locals to belong to the pagan goddess, Brigid, is just one of the many oppositions explored in the book: religious belief versus superstition, pagan versus Christian, good versus evil. Whatever their beliefs, though, their adherents seem to share a similar conviction that, if they only make their appeals fervently enough, their wishes will be granted. On occasions, this doesn’t happen exactly in the way they were expecting. Another opposition in the book is male versus female but, happily, the men don’t always escape punishment for their actions and, in some ways, the female characters are seen as possessing if not superior power in this world, then the ability to call on superior power from the spirit world or from God.
The book contains some fascinating detail about the tin mines found on Dartmoor at the time and the so-called ‘stannary’ law that applied to their operation. For some, the tin mines are a vital source of employment and food in a time of famine or a refuge. Others see the excavations as a wounding of the land, upsetting the balance of nature. For some, the threat the tinners pose is more commercial. As one of the book’s narrators, Sorrel, finds out they certainly weren’t pleasant places to be, particularly for a woman. ‘But as we breasted the rise, the noise that burst in my ears made me stagger backwards: iron hammers smashing granite, stones crashing into buckets, the whinnying of packhorses, the shouts of men, the bellows of women and the yells of children… It was as if the ground had yawned wide before me and I was starting down into the pit of Hell.’
Readers who like a good dose of the supernatural in their historical mysteries will love A Gathering of Ghosts. Readers who like a strong sense of period atmosphere will likewise be more than happy. And all will no doubt appreciate the extent of the author’s research, as evidenced by the fascinating Historical Notes and extensive Glossary at the end of the book.
I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Headline, and NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review.
October 5, 2018
Visit the locations in the novel: Visit the locations!
Meet the author on the moors: Karen Maitland on location in Dartmoor
Dark goings on in Dartmoor....
A medieval tale of witches and witchcraft, legends and ghosts on the moors of Dartmoor.
First things first, the immersive reading experience is something else. The book opens with the wet weather having ruined months of harvests and the poor even poorer by now. People are suffering and dying and those in desperate need have nowhere to go for help except the churches and monasteries. One of these priories was that of St Mary’s which is fictional but which in the novel is home to the Sister of the Knights of St john. There is said to be healing waters in the well here and gradually people resort to the belief and the old religion there, hoping that this is to be their salvation in the modern world.
What happens next at the Priory is the catalyst for a series of catastrophic events.
This was a very memorable and fascinating reading experience. It was all so vivid and chilling, historical and insightful into the legends and mysteries of the moors. It was also an historical feast as there is so much to chew over here – the ingredients are ripe and varied, the characters all bring something to the overall mix and the plot is like the mixing, folding, adding a sprinkle of history, spice and all things not very nice to something you really want to sink your teeth into. I’ve a feeling I’ve been on an historical episode of Bake Off – Rich in atmosphere and dripping in intrigue….A Gathering of Ghosts was an amazing read and one enjoyed best with a coffee, a candle and an ounce of bravery for when you’re on those moors, you are not alone.
April 21, 2019
Every so often I go into a book expecting one thing only to be given something entirely different. Such was the case with A Gathering of Ghosts. I went in expecting a historical mystery, but I was given something entirely different. This isn’t always a bad thing – surprises can be enjoyable – but what I was given instead of the historical mystery I expected failed to wow me.
I enjoy a good historical read with an undertone of magic, and at first I thought A Gathering of Ghosts would provide me with such. I crossed my fingers for an unexpectedly addictive read, for something surprising, but this one never sucked me in. I constantly found myself at a distance, waiting to be sucked in that little bit more.
At first, this was a three-star rating. I enjoyed the history and the different perspectives. As I worked deeper into the book, it became a two-star rating. Things were slow, I was waiting for something big to happen, and I was only reading to see how it came together. In the end, it became a one-star rating because things felt anticlimactic. I expected something much bigger than what we were given, and the end of the book just felt flat to me.
I’m sure there are many who will enjoy this one, but it was not the book I had hoped for.
I enjoy a good historical read with an undertone of magic, and at first I thought A Gathering of Ghosts would provide me with such. I crossed my fingers for an unexpectedly addictive read, for something surprising, but this one never sucked me in. I constantly found myself at a distance, waiting to be sucked in that little bit more.
At first, this was a three-star rating. I enjoyed the history and the different perspectives. As I worked deeper into the book, it became a two-star rating. Things were slow, I was waiting for something big to happen, and I was only reading to see how it came together. In the end, it became a one-star rating because things felt anticlimactic. I expected something much bigger than what we were given, and the end of the book just felt flat to me.
I’m sure there are many who will enjoy this one, but it was not the book I had hoped for.
August 17, 2018
I have read a few Karen Maitland novels and I am always interested in books set in the Medieval times are hers are. This for me is one of her most enjoyable books since I read Company of Liars. The story has a rich cast of characters from the holy sisters of the Priory of St Mary to the locals all set in the backdrop of the wilds of Dartmoor. What I also liked about the book is that there is a fairly large bit at the back giving extra information about the time and it's historical context as well as a glossary of terms etc. that give a fuller explanation if you are interested in knowing more.
A well written tale with lots of superstition and the harshness of the times and living conditions for many who were at the bottom of the rung and life was disposable. The story centers around the Priory of St Mary and an ancient well that was built around by the priory and the anger of the ancient gods as they have been pushed aside. Many still subscribe to the gods of the old times as does a girl who has fled from home. Sorrel has found herself at a mining camp. With very few choices in life and a deformed arm, she ends up at the camp where life is harsh. She has a connection to Morwen. She is a local girl and the daughters of a seer/wise woman. Together they find out what the old goddess Brigid wants of them.
The appearance of a strange child by the well has the sisters of the priory mystified and a blind priest terrified. The boy is seemingly blind and deaf and cold as ice. Things start to happen that cannot be explained and The two Knights of the Order of St John who are sent to the priory are determined to root out the thievery and corruption they are convinced is going on at the priory and the plagues that seem to keep appearing are only confirmation to Brother Nicholas that the place is rife with sorcery too.
A very enjoyable read with a supernatural theme.
A well written tale with lots of superstition and the harshness of the times and living conditions for many who were at the bottom of the rung and life was disposable. The story centers around the Priory of St Mary and an ancient well that was built around by the priory and the anger of the ancient gods as they have been pushed aside. Many still subscribe to the gods of the old times as does a girl who has fled from home. Sorrel has found herself at a mining camp. With very few choices in life and a deformed arm, she ends up at the camp where life is harsh. She has a connection to Morwen. She is a local girl and the daughters of a seer/wise woman. Together they find out what the old goddess Brigid wants of them.
The appearance of a strange child by the well has the sisters of the priory mystified and a blind priest terrified. The boy is seemingly blind and deaf and cold as ice. Things start to happen that cannot be explained and The two Knights of the Order of St John who are sent to the priory are determined to root out the thievery and corruption they are convinced is going on at the priory and the plagues that seem to keep appearing are only confirmation to Brother Nicholas that the place is rife with sorcery too.
A very enjoyable read with a supernatural theme.
September 14, 2018
Karen Maitland proved again that she can create wonderful creepy historic fiction. I like her dark and atmospheric stories. “The Gathering of Ghosts” is about a clash of the old pagan and the Christian believes. The story is character driven. We see the story through the eyes of several characters. Actually, there is not much activity going on in the story. It is more about the situation, and the strong rules religions demand.
The book is settled during the Great Famine in England between 1315 and 1317. Due to extreme wet and cold weather Europe suffered from starvation. There are different narrators and it took some time until you get to know what binds them together.
The book captivated with its creepy atmosphere. But I have to say the book lacks a bit of a real story which leads us to somewhere. Most of the things are happening in the heads of the characters. There is not a huge development, not some kind of mystery to reveal. Well, the book says there is one but it is not really a big surprise. The book shows us how unimaginable horrible these times of starvation must have been. It shows us also how old pagan believes stayed alive right under the nose of Christianity. As always in Maitland’s books, there is a supernatural thing involved.
“Gathering of Ghosts” is a nice and entertaining read for lovers of historical fiction with a creepy touch.
3,5 Stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The book is settled during the Great Famine in England between 1315 and 1317. Due to extreme wet and cold weather Europe suffered from starvation. There are different narrators and it took some time until you get to know what binds them together.
The book captivated with its creepy atmosphere. But I have to say the book lacks a bit of a real story which leads us to somewhere. Most of the things are happening in the heads of the characters. There is not a huge development, not some kind of mystery to reveal. Well, the book says there is one but it is not really a big surprise. The book shows us how unimaginable horrible these times of starvation must have been. It shows us also how old pagan believes stayed alive right under the nose of Christianity. As always in Maitland’s books, there is a supernatural thing involved.
“Gathering of Ghosts” is a nice and entertaining read for lovers of historical fiction with a creepy touch.
3,5 Stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
June 16, 2018
Karen Maitland smashes the bar again with another fabulous, bewitching medieval masterpiece.
She populates her latest book with a cast of superbly memorable characters.
A group of holy sisters in an isolated Priory, ruled by the indomitable Prioress Johanne assisted by a group of sisters including the wonderful sister Basilia (I must confess I instantly pictured her as the wonderful actress Patsy Byrne - most famous for her role of Nursie in Blackadder, and wonder if the author had this character in mind when she created her?)
Knights of St John, tinners working on Dartmoor living in impoverishment I shudder to imagine, and some wonderful mystical and magical pagan women.
The whole story is woven around survival, the battle between pagan beliefs versus Christianity, magic, ancient lore, the wisdom and fortitude of women from different walks of life entwined with the occult. Combine this with a stunningly believable storyline and strange happenings and you have a winner.
If you like your historical fiction to be scrupulously researched, scintillatingly imaginative and deeply engaging look no further. I was wowed by this latest book by one of my favourite historical authors.
She populates her latest book with a cast of superbly memorable characters.
A group of holy sisters in an isolated Priory, ruled by the indomitable Prioress Johanne assisted by a group of sisters including the wonderful sister Basilia (I must confess I instantly pictured her as the wonderful actress Patsy Byrne - most famous for her role of Nursie in Blackadder, and wonder if the author had this character in mind when she created her?)
Knights of St John, tinners working on Dartmoor living in impoverishment I shudder to imagine, and some wonderful mystical and magical pagan women.
The whole story is woven around survival, the battle between pagan beliefs versus Christianity, magic, ancient lore, the wisdom and fortitude of women from different walks of life entwined with the occult. Combine this with a stunningly believable storyline and strange happenings and you have a winner.
If you like your historical fiction to be scrupulously researched, scintillatingly imaginative and deeply engaging look no further. I was wowed by this latest book by one of my favourite historical authors.
May 17, 2018
Karen Maitland has added some very knowledgable paragraphs of Historical notes at the back of this book. There is so much information that I didn't once know about.
September 6, 2018
My Rating 4.5*
'You’ll need more than a sword to protect you up there. Other side of that priory stands the most accursed hill on the whole moor. You can hear the dead whispering among those rocks. Hungry ghosts, they are. There’s many has heard them talking, and some even followed the voices into the caves up there. Followed them in, Brothers, but never came out….’
In A Gathering of Ghosts, ‘Pagans tackle the Knights of St John with terrible consequences’
This is a dark and gothic novel folks, set in 1316, a time when Europe was in the midst of a terrifying famine.
I knew in picking up A Gathering of Ghosts, from the cover alone, that here was a book that was going to unnerve me…and it did!
As I turned the pages of A Gathering of Ghosts and read the very powerful descriptions, my stomach churned on more than one occasion. Karen Maitland is rightly described as the Queen of the Dark Ages. It’s as though she has witnessed for herself the horrendous conditions of the time and experienced first-hand the fears and superstitions of the local people…in 1316!
A Gathering of Ghosts is set against the backdrop of the moors, with the desolation vividly evident among the tors and mires of Dartmoor, a place that always conjures up images of old myths and dark haunting stories. The Priory of St Mary is an isolated convent, home to a very small group of Sisters who belong to the Knights of St John, a medieval Catholic Military Order. The Priory is built over a holy well that was there long before the Knights arrived. Originally in the care of locals, who had strong pagan beliefs, the Sisters have never been fully welcomed by the inhabitants of Dartmoor. Folk come from far and wide to avail of the healing powers that they believe the well bestows, with many still believing that the well and all the lands of Dartmoor is theirs. The people of Dartmoor were there long before Christianity darkened their doorstep and many would be very pleased to see the Sisters permanently removed from the Priory.
As the Great Famine continues it’s hold over Europe, the population of Dartmoor suffers terribly. With crops depleted and starvation rife, many turn to the Sisters for help. What limited supplies they have are divided out among the throngs who come to their gate. But, even with the food shortages and the harshness of life on the moors, there are still those who hold on strongly to their pagan beliefs and are convinced that the Sisters are a problem.
When a young boy mysteriously makes an appearance within the grounds of the Priory, an immediate sense of doom is evident. He is blind. He is mute. He is alone. The Sisters take on the responsibility of caring for him but simultaneously there is some very strange stirrings among other folks. With their superstitious nature, they fear that this boy carries evil in his soul. The arrival of a senior Knight, sent on a mission to assist the Sisters and to search their accounts for irregularities causes further upset among the residents of the convent.
Karen Maitland also takes us out into the moors, where many broke their backs daily tinning, in the hope of earning a crust to stay alive. The ramshackle and filthy squalor of their dwellings was just criminal. Treated worse than any animal, I could almost smell the rank and disgusting odors emanating from unwashed bodies trying to survive alongside free-flowing sewage. In conditions that were inhumane, Karen Maitland just brings it all alive. It really felt like I was walking back in time.
Events start to amalgamate causing mayhem and suspicion to be prevalent. The Sisters do their best to control the situation and to keep some semblance of calm but the moors will not be silenced.
Haunting, mesmeric and dark, A Gathering of Ghosts is an almost claustrophobic read. Filled with imagery of hungry hounds roaming the moors at night baying for blood, of a frightened cloister battling to survive, of a people reduced to eating the grass on the side of the roads and of the very, very dark rituals of those who are very angered by the arrival of Christianity on the moors. The smells invoked, the despair of a society left to rot and the constant and persistent floods of rain all contribute to making A Gathering of Ghosts a very fascinating read.
Compelling. Atmospheric. Chilling. Dark. Frightening. Intriguing. Eerie…
I could go on..
'You’ll need more than a sword to protect you up there. Other side of that priory stands the most accursed hill on the whole moor. You can hear the dead whispering among those rocks. Hungry ghosts, they are. There’s many has heard them talking, and some even followed the voices into the caves up there. Followed them in, Brothers, but never came out….’
In A Gathering of Ghosts, ‘Pagans tackle the Knights of St John with terrible consequences’
This is a dark and gothic novel folks, set in 1316, a time when Europe was in the midst of a terrifying famine.
I knew in picking up A Gathering of Ghosts, from the cover alone, that here was a book that was going to unnerve me…and it did!
As I turned the pages of A Gathering of Ghosts and read the very powerful descriptions, my stomach churned on more than one occasion. Karen Maitland is rightly described as the Queen of the Dark Ages. It’s as though she has witnessed for herself the horrendous conditions of the time and experienced first-hand the fears and superstitions of the local people…in 1316!
A Gathering of Ghosts is set against the backdrop of the moors, with the desolation vividly evident among the tors and mires of Dartmoor, a place that always conjures up images of old myths and dark haunting stories. The Priory of St Mary is an isolated convent, home to a very small group of Sisters who belong to the Knights of St John, a medieval Catholic Military Order. The Priory is built over a holy well that was there long before the Knights arrived. Originally in the care of locals, who had strong pagan beliefs, the Sisters have never been fully welcomed by the inhabitants of Dartmoor. Folk come from far and wide to avail of the healing powers that they believe the well bestows, with many still believing that the well and all the lands of Dartmoor is theirs. The people of Dartmoor were there long before Christianity darkened their doorstep and many would be very pleased to see the Sisters permanently removed from the Priory.
As the Great Famine continues it’s hold over Europe, the population of Dartmoor suffers terribly. With crops depleted and starvation rife, many turn to the Sisters for help. What limited supplies they have are divided out among the throngs who come to their gate. But, even with the food shortages and the harshness of life on the moors, there are still those who hold on strongly to their pagan beliefs and are convinced that the Sisters are a problem.
When a young boy mysteriously makes an appearance within the grounds of the Priory, an immediate sense of doom is evident. He is blind. He is mute. He is alone. The Sisters take on the responsibility of caring for him but simultaneously there is some very strange stirrings among other folks. With their superstitious nature, they fear that this boy carries evil in his soul. The arrival of a senior Knight, sent on a mission to assist the Sisters and to search their accounts for irregularities causes further upset among the residents of the convent.
Karen Maitland also takes us out into the moors, where many broke their backs daily tinning, in the hope of earning a crust to stay alive. The ramshackle and filthy squalor of their dwellings was just criminal. Treated worse than any animal, I could almost smell the rank and disgusting odors emanating from unwashed bodies trying to survive alongside free-flowing sewage. In conditions that were inhumane, Karen Maitland just brings it all alive. It really felt like I was walking back in time.
Events start to amalgamate causing mayhem and suspicion to be prevalent. The Sisters do their best to control the situation and to keep some semblance of calm but the moors will not be silenced.
Haunting, mesmeric and dark, A Gathering of Ghosts is an almost claustrophobic read. Filled with imagery of hungry hounds roaming the moors at night baying for blood, of a frightened cloister battling to survive, of a people reduced to eating the grass on the side of the roads and of the very, very dark rituals of those who are very angered by the arrival of Christianity on the moors. The smells invoked, the despair of a society left to rot and the constant and persistent floods of rain all contribute to making A Gathering of Ghosts a very fascinating read.
Compelling. Atmospheric. Chilling. Dark. Frightening. Intriguing. Eerie…
I could go on..
November 6, 2024
The atmosphere is eerie and menacing in the wild moors of Dartmoor. The old religion competes with the new. The story demonstrates how Christianity bends to local beliefs by assigning their saints to local sites and miracles. We see how intermingled these faiths are.
Also this is a terrible time of famine and desperation. A blind and mute boy suddenly appears at the Priory. He can’t communicate. Is he evil as an elderly priest proclaims? And there’s a young woman, Sorrel, who has a deformed arm, who has some supernatural abilities. What is her purpose? Then a knight of the Hospitallers is determined to prove the sisters in the Priory are hiding money and not giving what is due to the Hospitallers’ quest to rid the Holy Land of infidels.
There is pain and sorrow. This is reflected in the rainy and stormy weather that is inflicted at this time. Gloom is everywhere. Women especially have very little power and recourse. There is so much history, religious belief, and supernatural happenings packed into this historical medieval fiction story.
Also this is a terrible time of famine and desperation. A blind and mute boy suddenly appears at the Priory. He can’t communicate. Is he evil as an elderly priest proclaims? And there’s a young woman, Sorrel, who has a deformed arm, who has some supernatural abilities. What is her purpose? Then a knight of the Hospitallers is determined to prove the sisters in the Priory are hiding money and not giving what is due to the Hospitallers’ quest to rid the Holy Land of infidels.
There is pain and sorrow. This is reflected in the rainy and stormy weather that is inflicted at this time. Gloom is everywhere. Women especially have very little power and recourse. There is so much history, religious belief, and supernatural happenings packed into this historical medieval fiction story.
July 20, 2019
The latest offers with usual dark aspects of dark middle ages (early 14th century) dartmoor with a priory battles with dark forces with plague and famine as a backdrop as strangers come and thing change with supernatural folklore edges
May 21, 2019
This book was okay, I just wasn't feeling it. This is going on my reread list because I'll probably appreciate later.
September 2, 2018
The year of our lord, 1316 and a great famine sweeps the land. In an isolated refuge in the wilds of Dartmoor, the holy sisters of the Hospitallers’ Priory of St Mary care for the poor, the diseased and those troubled in spirit. Taking the waters at the Holy Well, once known locally as Brydes Well and dedicated to the Goddess Brigid, offers a sliver of mercy and hope of redemption. However, some pilgrims believe more in the old gods and goddesses, pagan deities who controlled thoughts and prayers long before Christianity, and it would seem that the old gods are, once again, demanding their own sense of appeasement. The delicate green moss which decorates the wall to the Holy Well, once a sight of wonder, now becomes a shimmering mass of deep ruby-red as the walls start to run with blood.
Visceral and filled with a primitive desolation, A Gathering of Ghosts is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a delicate story. It’s dark and dirty, alive with fear and superstition, and so eerily creepy it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Tense with menace from the start, there is never a moment when the sense of medieval history doesn’t come gloriously alive.
Beautifully told in several story strands we are led through the dangerous reality of living life in constant fear of starvation and the undeniable dread of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. There is much to take in; from the inner workings of daily life at the priory, with all its squabbles and petty jealousies, to the mysterious portent of the arrival of a blind child, and the unexpected visit from Knight Brother Nicholas, a warrior monk and Knight of St John, all of which deeply disturbs the equilibrium of life at St Mary’s. Out on the windswept moor itself, we have Kendra, the blood charmer and her daughter, Morwen, a young woman on the cusp of her power as a cunning woman. But I think it was in the story of Sorrel, a pitiful young woman who in escaping her father’s cruelty runs straight into another nightmare, who really tugged at my imagination.
This is not the pretty history of romantic novels; it’s harsh and brutal, showering the page with the vicious reality of medieval life. It’s also another wonderfully atmospheric story from the queen of medieval fiction, there’s not a word wasted, an emotion unexpressed or a terror unexplored. A Gathering of Ghosts kept me awake at night, and when I finally put the book down and slept, I had nightmare visions of churning snakes and the glistening gold-green of hundreds of frogs as they swarmed from the holy well.
Visceral and filled with a primitive desolation, A Gathering of Ghosts is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a delicate story. It’s dark and dirty, alive with fear and superstition, and so eerily creepy it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Tense with menace from the start, there is never a moment when the sense of medieval history doesn’t come gloriously alive.
Beautifully told in several story strands we are led through the dangerous reality of living life in constant fear of starvation and the undeniable dread of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. There is much to take in; from the inner workings of daily life at the priory, with all its squabbles and petty jealousies, to the mysterious portent of the arrival of a blind child, and the unexpected visit from Knight Brother Nicholas, a warrior monk and Knight of St John, all of which deeply disturbs the equilibrium of life at St Mary’s. Out on the windswept moor itself, we have Kendra, the blood charmer and her daughter, Morwen, a young woman on the cusp of her power as a cunning woman. But I think it was in the story of Sorrel, a pitiful young woman who in escaping her father’s cruelty runs straight into another nightmare, who really tugged at my imagination.
This is not the pretty history of romantic novels; it’s harsh and brutal, showering the page with the vicious reality of medieval life. It’s also another wonderfully atmospheric story from the queen of medieval fiction, there’s not a word wasted, an emotion unexpressed or a terror unexplored. A Gathering of Ghosts kept me awake at night, and when I finally put the book down and slept, I had nightmare visions of churning snakes and the glistening gold-green of hundreds of frogs as they swarmed from the holy well.
August 8, 2019
Wonderful! I just love her books!
December 6, 2020
Karen Maitland’s “A Gathering of Ghosts” held a lot of promise for me - as a fan of historical fiction, supernatural elements, and medieval settings, I hoped this book would wow me. Sadly, it fell short.
Set in the early 1300s during a time of famine and incredible rains, the storyline revolves around Sorrel, a crippled runaway following an unknown calling; Morwen, third daughter of a magic practitioner with powers of her own; Prioress Johanne of the St. Mary’s Hospitalliers Priory, a good woman with secrets. Also in the mix are ancillary knights, tinners, and general bad guys. The writing is very good; Maitland does a wonderful job of creating a dense atmosphere where the pagan and Christian vie for dominance. However, I never felt fully engaged in the storyline. I am not sure why this book was such a miss for me. Perhaps the supernatural elements were a bit over the top? Or perhaps her characters seemed unrelatable to me? Or maybe there were too many storylines and characters to become fully engaged in one?
Overall, Maitland is a very good writer and she has obviously thoroughly researched her topic. But this book was a miss for me. 3 stars.
Set in the early 1300s during a time of famine and incredible rains, the storyline revolves around Sorrel, a crippled runaway following an unknown calling; Morwen, third daughter of a magic practitioner with powers of her own; Prioress Johanne of the St. Mary’s Hospitalliers Priory, a good woman with secrets. Also in the mix are ancillary knights, tinners, and general bad guys. The writing is very good; Maitland does a wonderful job of creating a dense atmosphere where the pagan and Christian vie for dominance. However, I never felt fully engaged in the storyline. I am not sure why this book was such a miss for me. Perhaps the supernatural elements were a bit over the top? Or perhaps her characters seemed unrelatable to me? Or maybe there were too many storylines and characters to become fully engaged in one?
Overall, Maitland is a very good writer and she has obviously thoroughly researched her topic. But this book was a miss for me. 3 stars.
July 27, 2024
*** 3 stars ***
I enjoyed this book's historical context and the events it explored, such as the Knights Templar, Dartmoor, and Celtic legends. There's a good glossary/historical notes section at the end which provides plenty of interesting information. I also initially liked the book's writing style. However, my enthusiasm quickly faded. The novel had so much potential... But NOTHING HAPPENED. The first 400 pages just cycle through the different characters, repeating the same things over and over again - the blind child, the grumpy knight, the tinners, the famine, etc. There were no meaningful developments. Sure, the final 80 pages or so offered the much-awaited resolution, but even then I felt it unsatisfying and incomplete. All in all, the book could definitely have been half the length without suffering!
I enjoyed this book's historical context and the events it explored, such as the Knights Templar, Dartmoor, and Celtic legends. There's a good glossary/historical notes section at the end which provides plenty of interesting information. I also initially liked the book's writing style. However, my enthusiasm quickly faded. The novel had so much potential... But NOTHING HAPPENED. The first 400 pages just cycle through the different characters, repeating the same things over and over again - the blind child, the grumpy knight, the tinners, the famine, etc. There were no meaningful developments. Sure, the final 80 pages or so offered the much-awaited resolution, but even then I felt it unsatisfying and incomplete. All in all, the book could definitely have been half the length without suffering!
October 8, 2020
Here's a spooky October read. So Sisters let's sit side by side as the roaring funeral pyre burns, let's "smell and taste of the wood smoke and burning flesh (as it) fills our mouths and nostrils." We wonder here and now how 70 year old men can hold preeminence given their misdeeds, but with Maitland's story women gain preeminence- in the deep ways that women can. It's early 1300's Devon on Dartmoor, that myth-laden landscape; it's the time of the Great Famine and the Inquisition. The Sisters of St John have stolen Bryde's Well and repurposed it as a Christian shrine before the ghosts of the Old World and Ways have lost their potency. Natural consequences can be terrifying as well as comforting: "Grass and heather, sedges and gorse have crept over the wounded backs of hills. The river lies quietly in her old bed, but scars will remain long after those who made them are forgotten." A recommended tale, though lengthy, for those who are looking for an ancient spooky read, brilliant and highly recommended for those who are also interested in Celtic lore.
June 23, 2019
Another gothic mystery from master Karen Maitland. I really like her books, and enjoyed this a lot.
For the first time since I've started reading her books, though, I felt at times the writing verged on disingenuous, as though she had gotten tired and wasn't interested in perfecting it; and then at other times I wanted her to take the next step - to introduce us to the gathering ghosts, to the really horror... For this reason 3, not 4 stars.
For the first time since I've started reading her books, though, I felt at times the writing verged on disingenuous, as though she had gotten tired and wasn't interested in perfecting it; and then at other times I wanted her to take the next step - to introduce us to the gathering ghosts, to the really horror... For this reason 3, not 4 stars.
December 21, 2018
An entertaining, well researched piece of historical fiction. The story quickly draws you in and keeps you engaged with fabulous characterisation. The author brings this period of history alive with her richly descriptive style of writing.
June 20, 2019
Religion, the supernatural and the destruction of the environment collide on Dartmoor in 1316. Famine stalks the land, a holy well is struck by plagues, tin miners ravage the land, and the Sisters at the Priory of St Mary find their independence under threat. Karen Maitland weaves a detailed historical, supernatural novel which captivates through the strength of her storytelling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews