Wakenhyrst

A Times Best Book of 2019. 'Paver is one of Britain's modern greats. This sinister, gothic chiller shows why' BIG ISSUE, Books of the Year 2019. "Something has been let loose..." In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father. When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened. Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past. Spanning five centuries, Wakenhyrst is a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free by the bestselling author of Dark Matter and Thin Air. Wakenhyrst is an outstanding new piece of story-telling, a tale of mystery and imagination laced with terror. It is a masterwork in the modern gothic tradition that ranges from Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to Neil Gaiman and Sarah Perry.

The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month

“[Michelle Paver's] storytelling is irresistible”

Evening Standard

“It's a ghost story to put beside the classics of an earlier era... Compelling'”

Observer

“Original and engrossing... Paver masterfully blends together two narratives... Spanning fen devils, mystics and the lot of women in Edwardian England'”

BBC Radio 2 Book Club

“This book has been haunting me... Very gripping'”

Daily Mail

“[A] superb, supernatural novel... Paver deliciously ratchets up the tension as Maud struggles for autonomy in the face of her father's deranged obsessions'”

Good Housekeeping

“A brilliantly atmospheric read (be warned: it's also terrifying!) with a brave, forward-thinking heroine I loved”

The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

“Paver is back on top form'”

Woman and Home

“A spine-chilling masterpiece”

Sun.

“This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting of a house on the edge of the Suffolk fens, and its themes of superstition, witchcraft and religion”

Scotland on Sunday.

“Wakenhyrst is many things all at once – a chilling Gothic horror, a coming of age tale, a story of madness and loneliness, and most of all an account of how one girl manages to look out for herself when no-one else will. Paver successfully balances these themes as only a confident writer can. With fully realised characters and motivations, she draws you deeper and deeper into the story, even as the sense of dread grows stronger with every turn of the page”

Candis

“Dark, atmospheric and beautifully written”

Heat

“This perfectly constructed "modern Gothic" is laced with a real sense of menace – and a healthy dose of feminism”

The Times, The Best Books of 2019

“A demonic presence lurks in the fens in this tale about murder, loneliness and an abusive relationship”

Sunday Post

“This is true goose-bump material' 8/10”

Fabulous Magazine

“This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting”

Love It Magazine

“Gothic thriller spanning five centuries. A woman living with her repressive father faces a battle against witchcraft and sorcery when a strange icon is discovered in a churchyard”

A Knight's Reads

“There is a thick air of mystery to the story. The household is shrouded in secrets. I really liked the sinister, gothic feel I got from Wakenhyrst and I'll be looking out for more!'”

The Roaring Bookworm

“Paver herself said it was the best book she's written, and you can see why: it's compulsively readable and savagely intelligent”

For Winter Nights

“This book is steeped in atmosphere as well as the stench and slime of the fen itself, a place barely touched by the outside world, and it is beautifully written and deliciously, gorgeously creepy”

Saga

“A clever, creepy Gothic tale”

About the Author

Michelle Paver was born in central Africa but came to England as a child. After gaining a degree in Biochemistry at Oxford University, she was a partner at a City law firm, until she gave that up to write full time. She is the author of the bestselling, award-winning series that began with Wolf Brother. The series has sold over 3 million copies in 36 territories, with acclaimed audio editions read by Ian McKellen. Wolfbane is the final book in the series. Like the others it can be read as a standalone story. michellepaver.com wolfbrother.com https://www.reddit.com/r/Wolf_Brother/ Twitter: @MichellePaver

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