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Once Was Willem
Contributors
By M. R. Carey
Formats and Prices
Price
$19.99Price
$25.99 CADFormat
Format:
- Trade Paperback $19.99 $25.99 CAD
- ebook $9.99 $12.99 CAD
- Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $31.99
Also available from:
From the bestselling author M. R. Carey comes an utterly unique and enchantingly dark epic fantasy fable like no other.
This is the tale of Once Was Willem, who – eleven hundred and some years after the death of Christ, in the kingdom that had but recently begun to call itself England – rose from the dead to defeat a great evil facing the humble village of Cosham.
Pennick for all its beauty was ever a place with a dark reputation. The forests of the Chase were said to be home to nixies and boggarts, and there was a common belief, passed down through many generations, that the castle housed an unquiet ghost of terrible and malign power. These rumours I can attest were all true; indeed they fell short of the truth by a long way . . .
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“In Once Was Willem, M. R. Carey’s gorgeous prose weaves a fable full of dread and wonder, a deeply intelligent and emotionally gripping story boasting one of the nastiest sorcerers you’ll ever meet, and a narrator as inwardly gentle as he is outwardly monstrous. A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction. I love this book. Highest recommendation.”Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief
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“An immense achievement, an impeccably crafted book without a single word out of place.”The New York Times on Infinity Gate
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"A wild fever dream of a novel – complicated, monstrous, and beautiful."Seanan McGuire, Hugo Award-winning author
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"It's been a long time since a book has reached out and just entirely enveloped me in its world the way Once Was Willem did. Astounding, and I loved every moment of it – it had me absolutely rapt."RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships
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"It's so absurdly fun and readable, you nearly miss the incredible use of language and lore. Lovable grotesques and ghastly villains populate a compelling folk-tale. Absolutely wonderful."Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Sword Unbound
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"A delicious blend of horror, fantasy and historical fiction, Once Was Willem gave me exactly what I crave most as a reader - the unexpected. That, and a main character I would fight to the undeath for. A unique and brilliant book"Jen Williams, British Fantasy Award-winning author of The Ninth Rain
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"An incredible masterwork of medieval fantasy-horror, dark and twisted and burning bright with humanity. Once Was Willem is packed with magic, folklore, superstitious fear, and horrors that bring hope.”Cameron Johnston, author of the Maleficent Seven
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"A master storyteller."io9 on Infinity Gate
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"M.R. Carey hefts astonishing storytelling power with plainspoken language, heartbreaking choices, and sincerity like an arrow to the heart."Locus on The Book of Koli
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"A thought-provoking and deeply engaging story ... profoundly and doggedly humane."C. A. Fletcher on The Book of Koli
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"Heartfelt, remorseless and painfully human...as fresh as it is terrifying. A jewel."Joss Whedon on The Girl With All the Gifts
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"This is a beautiful book. Gripping, engaging, and absolutely worth the time it takes to burrow yourself into its reality. I can't recommend it highly enough."Seanan McGuire on The Book of Koli
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"M.R. Carey hefts astonishing storytelling power with plainspoken language, heartbreaking choices, and sincerity like an arrow to the heart."Locus on The Book of Koli
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"The cadence and pacing of [Koli's] voice adds a depth and richness to the strange and malevolent world."Booklist on The Book of Koli
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"Carey writes with compassion and fire - strange and surprising and humane."Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls on The Boy on the Bridge
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"A highly imaginative fable."Nerd Daily on the Book of Koli
- On Sale
- Mar 4, 2025
- Page Count
- 496 pages
- Publisher
- Orbit
- ISBN-13
- 9780316505024
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