Wyntertide

By: Andrew Caldecott

Narrated by: Kris Dyer

Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

Welcome back to Rotherweird.

The town of Rotherweird has been independent from the rest of England for 400 years to protect a deadly secret. 

Sir Veronal Slickstone is dead, his bid to exploit that secret consigned to dust, leaving Rotherweird to resume its abnormal normality after the travails of the summer...but someone is playing a very long game. 

Disturbing omens multiply: a funeral delivers a cryptic warning; an ancient portrait speaks; the Herald disappears - and democracy threatens the uneasy covenant between town and countryside. 

Geryon Wynter's intricate plot, centuries in the making, is on the move. Everything points to one objective - the resurrection of Rotherweird's dark Elizabethan past - and to one date: the Winter Solstice.

Wynter is coming....

©2018 Andrew Caldecott (P)2018 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic Reviews

"Intricate and crisp, witty and solemn. Line by line, silent and adroit, it opens a series of trap-doors in the reader's imagination." (Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall)

"Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold. An enthralling puzzle picture of a book." (M. R. Carey, best-selling author of The Girl with All the Gifts)

For me stilted plot at end

I enjoyed the first visit to this mystical town. This visit was hard work, I know many who would have given up half way through. The twists in the plot initially intriguing, at the end , for me, became a bit stilted. The fact I kept on falling asleep as I listen to it and therefore had to keep repeating parts of the story to make sense didn’t help.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great second instalment

I very much enjoyed the first book which I listened to without knowing it was part of a planned trilogy. I was glad to revisit the characters and the town. The story is complex and intriguing and the writing style refined. The narrator reads quite slowly but it suits the style of the book and lets the listener absorb the story. Every main character has its unique personality and there are quite a few surprises along the way. I would definitely recommend. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because the story doesn't really conclude and we now have to wait until May 2019 to find out what happens.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Maybe It's Me.

I picked this out because someone recommended it. I read the first book a while ago but didn't really remember much about it. I relistened ahead of this and it was okay.
I had trouble with this one.
I'm a seasoned Audibler with over 4-500 titles in my library, so used to the skill of listening to a book, but this one kept slipping off my brain. I'd find my mind was elsewhere and I'd constantly be flicking back.
I had trouble attaching voices to names and characters even before multiple names happened. Whether poorly differentiated in the text, weakly defined by the narrator or just because of the constant going back a chapter, I don't know. I handled GoT and histories of the Wars of the Roses so I'm usually okay with fat cast lists.
The narrator isn't bad but my brain just couldn't latch on. The story wasn't bad, maybe a little pompous, and I liked the Gormanghast feel of it, but I shan't bother with the third.
Only my ridiculous politeness and refusal to be beaten made me see it though but it did become a bit of a chore. Sorry.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Exceptionally confusing

The story continues but it has a very confusing way of making progress. The title Wyntertide suggests that we would see Wynter return earlier on into the book; he does not! A review into his misdeeds to follow. I fear Mr Caldecott wasted time on assembling the lead up for far too long and with publishers on his back sent it to print.
I had to restart it too often, then bought the book in which to try to follow the nuances of the book. Defeating the purpose of an audible copy.
Performance as ever was superb.
Not sure about lost acre but ho hum let’s see!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting characters and concepts

Engaging and very well read, by same narrator as Rotherweird. It’s a captivating story and I did find myself re-listening every now again to be sure I did get what was happening! Looking forward to more of this story - it can’t end here surely!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I am SO in love with this series!!!

I have eclectic tastes and this is an eclectic book of profound excellence as was its predecessor! I love the characters so much I’m currently in mourning and deeply unhappy at events which have just unfurled and quite desperate to know what is now to come! I could happily read of Rotherweird and it’s inhabitants for all time and we’re this place real I’d be applying to be an accepted outsider right away! Thank you Mr Caldecott for brightening my days with this marvellous series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good book it takes a lot of concentration

Likable book but can stretch in the middle took me ages to remember all the characters and the roles they played I had to keep going back to reacquaint myself with them

Brilliant escapism

Second in series love it as much as first. Enjoys good narration and interesting characters

disjointed

I can't figure out if it is the story that is disjointed or the narration. the narrator isn't awful, but his accents for different characters specifically anyone with a haughty voice sounds like the annoying village busy body you want to throw eggs at. and I'm pretty sure some of the characters aren't even haughty. the story skips between modern day and history and imaginary lands modern day and history, it is quite confusing to keep up especially as there are SO many characters. I listened to the first book and found it quite hard to get through, and thought I'd try again with this one, but I just can't. it hasn't gripped me and I keep finding other things to do instead of listen to it.

Good, Gripping and not predictable.

Another good book by Andrew Caldecott. A few more names and characters to remember but if you don't leave it too long between the first and second book it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

This book took a little while to get into but once it gets going it gets you gripped.

I didn't predict the event of the book at any stage and every chapter was something new.

An elusive ending too leaving the imagination to make of it what you will.

When I purchased this book it was only a two part series; however now there is a 3rd.

I can only wait for the next one to see if it tallies up with what I thought would happen...