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)

great book...right up until the end

I really wanted to like this book. It started out so well and had lots of good things going for it. There's a ton of interesting characters, a pretty good mystery (ie. you are unlikely to guess the culprit in the first twenty pages), well researched history, a plot that moves along at a fair pace. Then, at the last maybe the last fifth of the book it all fell apart for me. In general, I liked Matthew, and I appreciated that McCammon didn't fall into the anachronistic trend of having his 'good' characters assume that there are no such things as witches or witchcraft. Matthew really isn't sure if Rachel is a witch or not for a fair chunk of the book. It's the kind of book where there are lots of clues given here and there and you know perfectly well that they're clues and will be important later, but it's hard to predict how they will be useful. It seemed like it was going places. Then everything went to pieces, when Matthew leaves Fount Royal the book starts to fail. The ending was such a disappointment. It was't that the villain didn't fit the role, but there was an entire chapter of exposition on why he/she had done what he/she had done and all the tired cliched reasons. After such a carefully realistic and convoluted setup, it all wraps up so neat and tidy. I just wanted more. I suppose if the next book in the series went on sale, I might consider it, but I won't be rushing out to spend a credit on it.

loved it. lots of twists and turns.

The story line was awesome. lots of twist and turns. some were predictable whereas some were a complete surprise.

Unexpectedly engaging, despite the pace

It wasn't slow moving, but it wasn't fast by any means - a constant trickle. There's action up front that gives way to the slower, more complex story line. Good character development. It was a good mystery with lots of details that doubly served as puzzle pieces for Matthew to solve the case by and red herrings to trick me and keep me guessing. I liked the narrator. I'd definitely consider getting a second book in this series.

Excellent narrator makes this good book better

Would you listen to Speaks the Nightbird again? Why?

I am looking forward to the sequels. The book is well written and thought provoking.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Eduardo Ballerini is one of the best narrators I have listened to. His accents are impeccable and each character is distinctly identifiable.

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

Yes. I had a hard time "putting it down"

Any additional comments?

I will put any book by this narrator on my wish list.

Awesome read!

The story is very well written with a variety of complex characters and sub plots. The detail the author gives regarding the descriptions of everything from the clothing to food to the illnesses which were present during this time in history make the read so interesting. There is ample historical detail that you can easily find yourself present with the characters before you realize it's just a book. Great mysteries are woven with many of the characters. The narrator is incredible. He is masterful in his ability to fully distinguish voices and nuisances with each character. I will be reading all of the Matthew books!

Didn't want it to end

Where does Speaks the Nightbird rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of Speaks the Nightbird?

when Matthew's mentor dies

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

MR Ballerini's voice paints pictures in your mind

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

30 hours is a long time to listen to all in one setting, but I woodda if I couldda

Any additional comments?

I just bought books 2&3 Can't wait to listen

Magnificently written, masterfully narrated

This audiobook is a masterpiece. McCammon painted the characters so skillfully, I could almost reach out and shake their hands. The plot grew from interesting to intriguing to riviting. I became caught up in solving the puzzle, to the point I didn't want to put the book down. The narration is excellent, I could listen to Ballerini's voice all day. I've added this series to my wish list, and I'm buying book 2 now!

Awesome story!

A really good story although I was anticipating/hoping for an alternate ending. I thought the author did a great job.

Once again outwitted and outplayed

Once again, Mr. McCammon has proven why he remains one of my all time favorite weavers of words.

I developed a theory, had it dashed, twisted and brought back at me. Stories within stories and plots within plots had me listening in a marathon. If you could see it, I would give a standing ovation for the performance of the cast.

The narration could not have been more perfect. His voice put me right in the middle of 1699, glancing over my shoulder for terrors yet discovered. Well done!

One of the best books I've ever listened to!

Would you consider the audio edition of Speaks the Nightbird to be better than the print version?

As well-written, original, and amazing as the book is, Eduardo Ballerini is outstanding as a narrator. I thought he was good in Beautiful Ruins,, but this book was a tour de force for him. I don't want to give the plot away, so let's just say when a new character showed up toward the end of the book who was totally unlike any previous characters, the first time he read in that character's voice, I said "Wow" very softly to myself. If I had seen his performance in a theater, I would have given him a standing ovation.

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

Not the first part of the book. It did not get truly riveting for me until he arrived in Fount Royal. After that, the time flew by. The relationship between Matthew and Rachel - well, actually Matthew's relationship with anyone - was so vivid and palpable. I was also riveted by the action because I had no idea how it was going to end up. I figured out one of the mysteries fairly early on, but could not envision the whole ending. And finally, I enjoyed that the characters' sensibilities about such subjects such as witchcraft were totally congruent with the time period. Even the most thoughtful of characters could not rule it out entirely, while others have an unthinking, knee-jjerk reaction that to a modern reader is maddening and disgusting, but still totally congruent.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

The way he was able to do so many voices. His upper class characters speak with English accents, as would a well-educated character from that time, and his lower class ones speak in a more Americanized version. But even more amazing, he put enough nuance in a character of the same class that i was able to differentiate them easily in my head. also able to do the voices so well that I could easily tell the difference between characters in my head.

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

Once the action moved to Fount Royal, I did.

Any additional comments?

I was taking a risk when I downloaded a book of this length, but I took a chance because of the subject and Ballerini's narration. As moved into the book, I didn't want it to end, and was delighted to find out it was one of a series! I have already begun the second in the series.