They Mostly Come Out at Night: A Yarnsworld Publisher's Pack

By: Benedict Patrick

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 19 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Contains two stand-alone books from Benedict Patrick’s Yarnsworld series.

Series can be listened to in any order.

They Mostly Come out at Night, book one

The villagers of the forest seal themselves in their cellars at night, whispering folktales to each other about the monsters that prey on them in the dark. Only the Magpie King, their shadowy, unseen protector, can keep them safe.

However, when an outcast called Lonan begins to dream of the Magpie King’s defeat at the hands of inhuman invaders, this young man must do what he can to protect his village. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to convince them to trust him again.

From the Shadows of the Owl Queen's Court, book four

If you value your life, stay out of the forest. As a captive of the Owl Queen’s Court, Nascha’s life has always been one knife’s edge away from disaster. But when she is threatened for nothing more than the color of her hair, Nascha attempts the unthinkable: an escape through the dreaded Magpie King’s forest.

Hunted by sharp-toothed and sharper-witted foxfolk and hated by all for being a witch, Nascha fears herself doomed until she joins forces with a mysterious young man. With him she finds a glimmer of hope, even as her own unpredictable powers flicker into existence.

But hope is fleeting. The forces arrayed against her are insurmountable, and Nascha soon comes to realize that pursuit of her own freedom will come at a greater cost to the forest. As the darkness closes in around them, Nascha is forced to ask: At what price is she willing to purchase her life? How dearly is she willing to sell it?

Includes a special note from the author.

©2016 Benedict Patrick (P)2020 Podium Audio

I wasn’t expecting to like it!

I never have high expectations for free books with few ratings, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only thing that bothered me was the over use of the word HOWEVER. Lovely stories, thank you.

Unnerving, yet rewarding story

I think It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with such spellbinding storytelling, dripping in atmosphere and elaborate lore. The plot was unnerving, yet rewarding. It reads like a folktale - with actual interludes featuring stories between each chapter, and in this case I can forgive my the lack of well-developed characters and character relationships (my usual preference). The story, the twists, the reveals, and the resolution were absolutely enough for me.

Logan lives in a small community, where they have to lock themselves in their homes at sundown for fear of the monsters that go bump in the night. To some degree, think of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” for the vibes. Their only protection is the Magpie King, an inhuman savior of lore that the villagers have never seen…until….

I recommend this for folks looking for a short, fantasy-horror, who like folktales, who want something completely it’s own, or want a creepy forest (though it’s not the forest’s fault there are terrifying creatures that will eat you).

new genre for me

this was a very different kind of book for me but I like it a lot. very good story telling and world building. if you are looking for a everyone gets a happy ending this is not the book. it is a very good read and it suck you into the book. have fun listening to it!

If your enjoy the dark fairy tale end of fantasy writers, give this one s chance.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this book.
Deep lore, we’ll developed characters, real consequences for actions rather than an “everything works out in the end” approach made this one of my favorite newer writers I’ve come across in a long time.
I like that it reminds me of how Mike Mignola wrote Hellboy in his earlier works. Mignola would borrow heavily from existing mythology always always putting a new take or enough spin on it to suck the reader in while making it completely his.
Benedict Patrick does it very well.

Dreams tell this story

This novel is wonderful

All characters are so different & have different goals, while the story grabs them all up into a true fairytale.

The kind where tales are told to keep the monsters away & the listener to learn not all Monsters are bad.

Awesome!!

Great stories with unhappy endings.

I very much like the world the author created, how they write, and the characters that they made. If you're looking for happy endings to your story this is not where you'll find that. but it works very well for the world the author made.

Terrific

Great book Great glad great storyline. The reader was awesome and spot on if you like fantasy, you were totally enjoy this book.

Journey into a world of tragic delights.

Depth of both character and world development. Truly a delightful and emotional journey to witness. Souring during their triumphs and heartache at their failures, but loving them always. The weaving of this world is a joy to behold and will be cherished for some time.

Amazing stories

Loved the flow and characters in this book.
The flow between past, present and folk tales is a beautiful thing. Unexpected twists and turns makes this book addictive. I read this in one day!

Fantastic

I listen to a LOT of audiobooks. I like to joke with friends that I can do any amount of tedious chores (like a mountain of laundry) and any amount of hard physical labor (like fixing my fence), but the moment my headphones say “please charge me” all work must come to an end. I originally selected this book because it was free and as a publisher’s pack it was longer. You see what strict requirements I have for listening. I didn’t even read the description of the book, just pressed download in a fit of desperation when my previous book ended abruptly 15 minutes into the hour of chores I do daily at 4am.
I was surprised to find myself lingering over my chores; reluctant to rush back to bed because I wanted to hear just a little more.
In my previous reviews I have not hesitated to point out plot holes and give any spoilers necessary to provide evidence. I have no such critique to give for this story it was well stitched together and in addition to reviewing it online have also recommended it in real life to friends and family.
It is a little odd that the pack is book 1 and 4 in an effort to get you to purchase the other books. As precious as my credits are I will probably purchase them. The story was too good not to.