Speaks the Nightbird

By: Robert R. McCammon

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 30 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fiction, 2013

Judgment of the Witch

The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies - and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Issac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal....

Evil Unveiled

After hearing damning testimony, magistrate Woodward sentences the accused witch to death by burning. Desperate to exonerate the woman he has come to love, Matthew begins his own investigation among the townspeople. Piecing together the truth, he has no choice but to vanquish a force more malevolent than witchcraft in order to save his beloved Rachel - and free Fount Royal from the menace claiming innocent lives.

©2002 Robert McCammon (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Edoardo Ballerini performs this story of accusation and fear flawlessly. He effortlessly switches his pitch, accents, and timbre to suit the unfortunate Rachel Howarth, the endless curious Corbett, and the various determined characters, good and evil.” (AudioFile)

"a compelling story that should find a wide readership. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections." (Library Journal)

"An excellent story, full of tension and suspense.” (Stephen King)

What Evil Lurks In The Hearts of Men--Satan Knows

This book was so slow for me to get into but once I got into it, I couldn't get it out of my mind. I am so glad to have discovered Robert McCammon and will be reading more of his novels. This one about a small village in the New World and the Magistrate and his clerk sent to it for the trial of an accused witch. Murders have occurred and the crops have failed and obviously this means a witch is causing this evil. Obviously??? They pick the woman who is different from them, a Portuguese beauty with dark skin, and decide she must be a witch. If not for one man who insists that he will not allow punishment without a trial, she would have been burned the next day. The town was created by him so he has final say. He is no great hero, he is a bit of a tyrant, but at least he keeps the woman alive until the magistrate can conduct a trial. What leads up to the trial and follows the trial is the crux of the story. Matthew Corbett, the Clerk, is the hero of the story and appears in four later books. He is known as the Fixer and he is determined to get to the bottom of the reason this woman has been accused of witchcraft. He doesn't really believe in witches but he's only 20 and not experienced in the law or at least that is what the magistrate tells him for why he believes the way he does. This is a very long book and has lots of twists and turns but Matthew is the key to the whole story. It is a story of love and redemption and then more as Matthew grows into a young man. The story takes place in a few weeks time but covers lots and lots of ground. A very good mystery, thriller, and ending.

Loved the whole series (5 books)

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended this book and the ones to follow to many people. The story is very captivating, and suspenseful. There is a lot going on at all times. Many very interesting characters, and easy to follow.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

All of the plots in the books keep you very interested. The author is so descriptive, you can almost smell, feel, and hear what he's describing. There are some gory parts, which I love.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

I'm hooked on Edorado Ballerini. That's how I discovered this series. I wanted to continue with books he narrated. I love how he flows from male to female, from English to Italian, and so on. He's telling you a story, not just reading a book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book and even more with the following books, I laughed out loud at the funny somewhat sarcastic humor from the author. I also winced and cringed at the descriptions he gave. Very realistic.

Any additional comments?

I hope there are more books in this series to follow!

Harrowing; Vivid imagery; Verbose prose

There are so many things to be said of this book that it is difficult to know where to begin. I had little idea of what I was in for, expecting a historical fiction mystery... But this was so much more than a colonial caper.

The prose was phenomenal. By the end of just the first chapter I had been gripped by the tone and imagery. It was heavy, verbose, and oh so vivid.

This book is not for the weak of heart or stomach - the author spared no detail nor gruesome reality that was life in the early American colonies. Scenes were painted so thoroughly, and were so often vile that I felt ill just from the reading... Awful filth and rats and unspeakable conditions. And that's not to mention the regularly occurring accounts of graphic crime, gore, and unsavory sexual acts. Very well written very revolting things. And that's before even considering the injustices being wrought.

I thanked heaven for a sane and wise creature like Mrs. Nettles, she was the spot of sunlight in a town driven mad by superstition and horror. The terrible injustice, and outright ignorance and bias incensed me, and I was angry and indignant for days as Matthew sought the truth, only to be condemned as bewitched for considering another solution. I was appalled by the injustices, though I imagine them all too realistic to be pure fiction.

McCammon is a masterful and artful author with a gift for laying bare the full range of the human condition. It was quite a twisted tale, and though I writhed and gasped through the suspense and each new discovery, I am satisfied with the resolutions as they came about. Thankful even, that things turned out the way they did. I of course had my theories along the way, some in tune with Matthew's, some not... but without any spoilers, I can say that just the right amount of red herrings were laid and revealed, and I was stumped by many of them, though I can say with pride that I did guess one big component ahead of the plot (I was tipped off to it when Matthew was reviewing details in the testimony). But even after that, there was so much new information and action constantly unfolding that it was an adventure just to keep up and I had trouble putting the book down at bedtime for several nights in a row.

This was honestly one of the most harrowing reads I have ever undertaken, and its depth, truth, and adventure still have me dazed and weighted down.

I've given it four stars instead of five only because I cannot like the disturbed feeling it has left me with, but praise it for having done that so well.

The narration was pretty good too. Ballerini was capable of lending proper accents and emotions. My only negative comment was that a few scenes of discussion were confusing when several men were together and his voice failed to switch characters adequately to indicate the speakers. But it didn't happen often, and the few times that it did I was able to sort out with a quick rewind.

An impressive work. I have never read its equal in historical fiction / dark and suspenseful crime solving. Some of those vivid and graphic scenes will stay with me for a long time to come...

one of the best books.<br />

RM does not merely write but paints a vivid picture, so real that one is sure that the whole thing was a great movie. EB narrates it to perfection.

Hang in there

For quite a long while you will want to strangle at least a third of the many vile and unlovable characters in this pseudo historical saga, but, dear reader, persist to enjoy the unravelling of a not bad detective novel.

Speaks the Nightbird

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Everything. He is excellent, it's very easy to tell all of the characters apart

Any additional comments?

It takes some time for the story to take off, but was a fairly easy listen for a thirty hour book. For those that are intimidated by the length, Edoardo Ballerini is worth all of that time.

BRILLIANT.

This book, this author, this narrator...excellent. Thank you for being so talented and providing a book worm like myself with something so entertaining, griping, unique, alive. Best narrator ever. Ever.

Excellent book

What made the experience of listening to Speaks the Nightbird the most enjoyable?

Interesting plot, the factors that contribute to a witch trial. The author does a great job of weaving together different plot-lines.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Nice range of voices, not distracting

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Any additional comments?

Not bad for modern fiction

Any additional comments?

This was wonderfully narrated. The story is pretty densely packed for the short space of time it was suppose to have taken place in but for the long length it rarely ever seemed to drag on or go on a tangent that was unrelated to the story. I very much liked the character of Matthew Corbett. I appreciated that for how much dialog the characters participated in the reading continued to flow smoothly. I will listen to the next book in the series. Not a modern classic but not too shabby either.

Compelling story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story is compelling and full of historical detail.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I wanted to keep listening to see what was going to happen next.

What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Ballerini has a wonderful resonance in his voice and is able to differentiate all the voices with great skill.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long to listen in one sitting, but the story has lots of twists and turns so definitely keeps you interested.