The Strandling

De: James Brogden

Narrado por: Marisa Calin

An ancient evil arises.

An ancient power awakens.

Nineteen-year-old Megan Howatt lives in a house on the edge of a crumbling sea cliff, waiting for her life to fall into the North Sea. Her mother is dead, and her father has lost his mind, obsessively hoarding the junk that he salvages from the shoreline. Her only friends are Lou, the eccentric owner of a beach-side cafe, and Kelpy, the large black dog that she rescued from the sea as a puppy. Desperate to escape, but unwilling to abandon her father, she scratches a living working at the Dry Dog Inn in the nearby village of Salwick.

A violent storm hits the village, and the killings begin. A flock of sheep is torn apart, and suspicious eyes turn towards Kelpy. The owner of a local antiques shop goes missing. Something prowls the village streets at night—something that smells of rot and endless hunger. Megan finds herself drawn to the story of Mad Annie, a local woman accused of witchcraft who died on the island of Nine Mothers. With Lou’s help, Megan must reckon with the occult powers awakening in her, face the ghosts of her childhood and save her home from a shape-shifting horror of the ancient world.

©2024 James Brogden (P)2025 Blackstone Publishing

cool story about a mythical creature

characters for believable plot was believable I like the dog This is no fancy review I just enjoyed the story. And the actor reading the story did a great job and brought the story to life. And it was just entertaining.

Ancient myths and cryptids

I loved the story and how it wove together the history of the land and its people with the modern horror plot.

New Favorite

I’ve only recently discovered James Brogden but as soon as I did I caught up on as many of works as I can find. This one is the best of a lot of really great books. Mr. Brogden’s characters are fully realized with depth and purpose. He captures the allure of traditional folklore and melds it perfectly with modern day. His (human) characters are never completely good or completely evil, another thing I like. They may make bad and immoral choices but they make sense for the characters … even if I wish they could see their folly!

Wonderful characters, suspenseful and beautifully told

I discovered this author a few months ago and have read all his books, can’t wait for more. This was my favorite, as I am a dog lover and the relationship between Kelpie and Meghan brings me to tears. This book has everything—a terrifying monster, a transgender heroine, perspectives on grief, mental illness, bigotry….the narrator is fabulous, I’m now looking for another title to hear her voice. 5 stars all the way for this great story that I didn’t want to end!

Everything to love

Great characters, fun folklore, spooky beasties, loads of excitement and intrigue, and a bit of humor, all read by an excellent narrator. Brilliant. Loved it.