I had a terrific novel! It's not often that lucky, so I am completely delighted from the beginning to the finale. And even now, when the book has long ago (yesterday) read, I am still impressed.
Imagine, nine comrades in misfortune, completely different people at first glance, went on a long and dangerous journey to nowhere. The only thing they have in common is that they are liars. Nine mysteries, eight liars. The masquerade begins!
Karens 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.
The year is 1348. Medieval England. A terrible plague is sweeping the country and spares no one around. An epidemic is ravaging towns and villages, killing not only people but animals of all kinds. A monstrous time!
The reader will have to get to know the characters. An old camelot with a disfigured face, a kind and decent man in his old age, but peddling fake relics. An evil and grumpy magician who entertains his audience for money and flaunts an embalmed mermaid baby. Wandering musicians from Venice with a beautiful exterior and a wormhole inside. Mysterious newlyweds eagerly awaiting their firstborn. A young and beautiful storyteller with a swan wing instead of an arm. The healer who once delivered a wolf. And the youngest traveler is a sweet albino girl of about 12 with ice-blue eyes who tells fortunes with runes. Everyone has their own terrible secret, which he carefully hides and fears that the truth does not come out. Hikers are not allowed to relax and the constant wolf howl at night, following them on his heels.
At times it seems that the main role in the novel is not given to people, but to the rain. The incessant rain all the way. A plague that drives, and the rain constantly slows us down. Thanks to the rain, the ground beneath our feet turns into impenetrable mud, the cart wheels get stuck, our feet get sticky, the crops in the fields rot. Slush, hunger, cold, and the travelers have to overcome all the difficulties to make their way forward, further and further north from the plague. They must find a place to hide not only from the disease, but also from the lies and torments of conscience. On the road, people begin to die one by one, but the plague has nothing to do with it. What is it? Is it punishment for lying, or is it a bloodthirsty killer stalking them? Or could it be a wolf that exterminates them, slicing circles around the camp?
Throughout the novel, a grim, freaky atmosphere is maintained. The author captured the tension of medieval times well. The pestilence, the oppressive mood of the travelers, their despair and fear are realistically described. Medieval entourage is fascinating and frightening at the same time, at times realistic to the point of creeps. Fear, hunger, cold and hopelessness are everywhere.
I was pleased with the unpredictable ending, I thought a lot, but I definitely did not expect this. After the ending, I want to go back to the beginning of the book and reread it. All the secrets of the main characters will be told almost at the end, but if you read carefully and listen to the strange, casually thrown phrases or thoughts, many mysteries can be guessed in advance, before the full denouement. These guesses only fuel the interest of subsequent reading.
The genre of the book. It can be categorized as a thriller, detective, or adventure. Historical Adventure or Mystery Detective. A historical thriller or a road trip novel with mystical elements. You can call it whatever you want, all the genres listed are relevant to this novel.
Who might like the book. Fans of the medieval era in literature should definitely like it. Those who like solving mysteries and riddles on the pages of books, who are interested in parables and legends will appreciate it. The book will appeal to those who like to read about epidemics, detectives with a mystical component, road detectives with an unpredictable ending. I think this novel has a lot of chances to win its reader.
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