Listen to a sample
Wakenhyrst
- Author
- Michelle Paver
- Narrator
- Juanita McMahon
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 1 January 2020
- Run Time
- 10 hours 24 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Fiction
What to expect
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.
Critics Review
-
[Michelle Paver's] storytelling is irresistible
The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month
-
It's a ghost story to put beside the classics of an earlier era... Compelling'
Evening Standard
-
Original and engrossing... Paver masterfully blends together two narratives... Spanning fen devils, mystics and the lot of women in Edwardian England'
Observer
-
This book has been haunting me... Very gripping'
BBC Radio 2 Book Club
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
[A] superb, supernatural novel... Paver deliciously ratchets up the tension as Maud struggles for autonomy in the face of her father's deranged obsessions'
Daily Mail
-
A brilliantly atmospheric read (be warned: it's also terrifying!) with a brave, forward-thinking heroine I loved
Good Housekeeping
-
Paver is back on top form'
The Bookseller, Editor's Choice
-
A spine-chilling masterpiece
Woman and Home
-
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
Sun.
-
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
Scotland on Sunday.
-
Dark, atmospheric and beautifully written
Candis
-
This perfectly constructed "modern Gothic" is laced with a real sense of menace – and a healthy dose of feminism
Heat
-
A demonic presence lurks in the fens in this tale about murder, loneliness and an abusive relationship
The Times, The Best Books of 2019
-
This is true goose-bump material' 8/10
Sunday Post
-
This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting
Fabulous 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
Love It Magazine
-
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!'
A Knight's Reads
-
Paver herself said it was the best book she's written, and you can see why: it's compulsively readable and savagely intelligent
The Roaring Bookworm
-
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
For Winter Nights
-
A clever, creepy Gothic tale
Saga
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Michelle Paver
- Narrator
- Juanita McMahon
- Duration
- 10 hours 24 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 January 2020
- ISBN
- 9781789543520
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Fiction
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver, read by Juanita McMahon.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.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.