The Ravenmaster

My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London

De: Christopher Skaife

Narrado por: Christopher Skaife

This program is read by the author.

The first behind-the-scenes account of life with the legendary ravens at the world’s eeriest monument.

The ravens at the Tower of London are of mighty importance: rumor has it that if a raven from the Tower should ever leave, the city will fall.

The title of Ravenmaster, therefore, is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. In The Ravenmaster, he lets listeners in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year.

A rewarding, intimate, and inspiring partnership has developed between the ravens and their charismatic and charming human, the Ravenmaster, who shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding the ravens and the Tower. Shining a light on the behavior of the birds, their pecking order and social structure, and the tricks they play on us, Skaife shows who the Tower’s true guardians really are - and the result is a compelling and irreverent audiobook that will surprise and enchant.

©2018 Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises Ltd. (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[Christopher Skaife's] natural storyteller's charm results in a performance that is conversational, funny, and self-deprecating...Ravenmaster is a joyful listening experience." (AudioFile Magazine)

Very Enjoyable

A great listen!!! Highly recommended!! Engaging non-fiction look at the ravens of the Tower. Brilliant!

Fast listen

Great story by a great storyteller. Listened to the book straight through once I started.

For Raven lovers, a delight!

What wonderful stories that you would never hear elsewhere. And the author as the narrator is always the best. You get a real feel for who he is and the stories beyond the words.

Birds and more birds

I am just cuckoo for birds. This is a lovely book about a man who has dedicated his life to caring for a London treasure, the ravens of the Tower. I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a book totally in the black. #unique #FeelGood #Birdalicious #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Educational and Fun

I bought this book for research about ravens, and not only did I find it to be wonderfully detailed, but the author lent the subject a great deal of charm by sharing the details of his fascinating life with these clever beings. A great listen!

Funny, informative, wonderful book on a fascinating topic & person!

Thank goodness the Ravenmaster himself reads this book on Audible, as his performance is "spot on" for conveying the excitement, challenges, joy, and at times great sadness of being the person in charge of 7 highly intelligent wild birds on display year-round to the public at their very own majestic Tower.
I read this book and enjoyed it, and then found that Christopher Skaife did the Audible version and I decided to effectively pay twice for the book, and I am so thankful I did! The book offers a few photos, which make it worthwhile, but the audio version is truly priceless as Chris' rendition of the stories in the book make them come alive through his theatrical readings as well as his obvious emotions and tenderness towards his "subjects".
Throughout this book, I laughed, I cried, I had friends, family and coworkers listening along and enjoying the stories as much as I was, and I was left with the urge to get on a flight to London and visit the ravens and hope to see Chris out on the yard clicking away in "Ravenish" with Merlina. I will make a plan to get there soon..and I hope Chris does not plan to retire anytime in the next 10-20 years as the ravens undoubtedly have a far better life under his care than they would otherwise.
Thank goodness there are wonderful people like the Ravenmaster who look after these international treasures on behalf of the public that cares about history and cares about wild animals.
I think to a person that has listened along with me to this book, they have enjoyed it and most have gone on to buy their own copies..and to me, that says a lot as I have a whole library of personal books for which most never have any general interest besides my own. Thus, I would say to anyone who loves birds, loves history, loves England, or just loves hearing a great storyteller, they too should buy this Audible book!!

GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE RAVENS

Well written history of the Ravens from their devoted keeper Chris Skaife. His passion for these magnificent birds is evident as he reads the story. I enjoyed hearing it with his delightful accent and actually felt as though we were friends. I wanted to meet him after this instead of seeing the Crown Jewels.

captivating

loved it. humorous....halaious.
loved author's accent
drew me into his time at the castle, Raven's behavior

LOVED IT!

I'm a big fan of corvids, so this book already intrigued me as soon as I saw it...then I saw Christopher was reading it, so I had to get the audible version. Absolutely wonderful book full of history, information, and funny stories. Merlina and Munin have captured my heart. I'd love to see a sequel at some point.

An amazing story;

An amazing book about a man's astonishing carrier, and the magnificent Ravens of the Tower of London. I was so sad to hear about Melina after reading the book. I hope she returns.