August 2009: Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

[diamondlil]

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Please discuss Company of Liars by Karen Maitland in this thread.

[Susan]

I wonder if there is no discussion about this book because it is difficult to discuss it without revealing spoilers.

[Margaret]

But it's okay to include spoilers in this thread, isn't it? I was just waiting for someone else to get the discussion started, because it's been a few months since I read Company. However, since no one else has jumped in, here goes:

People sometimes talk about the setting in a novel being so strong it's like a character in itself. In this novel, I thought the plague was like a character. The sense of impending doom as the epidemic comes closer and closer to the travelers was so powerful.

I have mixed feelings about Narigorm. She's sort of like a medieval version of those novels about Satanic children, isn't she? Certainly, Maitland portrays her in a way that always has a slightly creepy edge and makes her mysterious in a way that I was hungry to read more about her even while I felt no affection for her. Whether I like the general idea of portraying a child character in this way or not, I have to admit, it's a masterful piece of writing.

I'm also interested in how people felt about the mix of realism and fantasy in this novel.

[annis]

My feeling was that "Company of Liars" is like a dark folk tale in which fact and fantasy merge without any stretch of credulity for the reader, along the lines of some of the old sagas and fairy stories. Maybe something from the Grimm Brothers' collection!

[Leo62]

I'm going to be Mrs Miseryguts again, because I was seriously disappointed by this book. Maybe my expectations were too high. It wasn't exactly bad - it was well-written - but I was extremely underwhelmed on many levels by this novel. :(

Margaret - I didn't feel the plague was a character - in fact, my major complaint was that the plague hardly featured at all. It was more like a "maguffin", something to bring the characters together, something for them to run away from. The story could have been set in any number of time periods and still worked, with only minimal alterations.

Perhaps that's a strength, but I was hoping for a novel that was specifically about the Black Death so I was well let down.

Also, most of the characters' secrets were pretty easy to guess (apart from the narrators'), and it was annoyingly obvious that Narigorm was behind everything - for me it became like one of those creaky horror movies where you want to yell "it's behind you!" or "no, don't go into that room all on your own!" because the characters just keep doing stupid, pointless stuff and don't see what's right in front of them.

I liked the twist at the end, but then having Narigorm turn up like something out of The Midwich Cuckoos was just too daft for words...

This one gets the Isa rune from me I'm afraid. :D

[annis]

Posted by Leo62
This one gets the Isa rune from me I'm afraid.

Lol! I enjoyed COL. I've probably mentioned this before, but for those with too much time on their hands ( as I did one day) it's fun translating the runes on the cover wolf's tongue-- they do make a word which makes sense if you've read the novel.

I got the idea from Carla's "Paths of Exile" and used the set of Anglo-Saxon runes she gave me to translate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_Futhorc

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3786918058_2a83fba038.jpg

[Margaret]

That's cool about the runes, Annis. They're not on my copy of the book, alas, because it's the U.S. version. Why is it that 99% of the time, the Brits get the best book covers? Are we Americans supposed to be too cloddish (at least, according to American publishers) to appreciate an artistic cover?

It's true that none of the main characters actually comes down with the plague in COL (correct me if I'm wrong - I may have forgotten an episode), but the fear of it is such a driving force, as the travelers first hear rumors of cases in seaport towns, then decide to bypass towns that have obviously been hit, and so on. It seems to me, it must have been like that for people at the time, wondering when they, too, were going to be exposed and catch it. I thought it worked well to get the perspective of a group of travelers, because they were able to experience how people reacted at different places at different times as the plague spread.

Perhaps I was more tolerant of the novel because I didn't have especially high expectations. I thought it was going to be a collection of short stories told by the travelers, because the promotional copy for the book kept saying it was so much like the Canterbury Tales. I'm not a great fan of the linked short story type of novel, so I was quite pleasantly surprised to find out that the story really was about the travelers.

I'm not a big fan of fantasy fiction, so to me, the denouement featuring Narigorm's supernatural powers was the least interesting part of the novel. Through most of it, I kept trying to figure out if it was a fantasy novel or not. So much of what seemed fantastical actually had a realistic explanation, but I kept trying to figure out the character with the swan wing. Did he really have a swan wing, in the style of the Grimm's fairy tale? (I've always been fond of that one, about the brothers who were turned into swans, and the sister who patiently sewed seven shirts for them, but got caught up short when the magical moment arrived and she hadn't finished the second sleeve on the last shirt.) Or was it a combination of a P.T. Barnum-like scheme and a psychological delusion? I was rooting for the latter, really, and was a bit disappointed when the author finally went for fantasy in the end, with Narigorm.

But I liked their suspicions that a werewolf was following them. People did actually believe in them, and it made a nice echo of the very real plague contagion that was afoot.

[annis]

Yes, I saw the werewolf as a metaphor for the plague, too.

The story of the Wild Swans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Swans) seems to exist in several cultures, though the version best known is the Irish one, the Children of Lir. Juliet Mariliier has written a fantasy series inspired by this legend, known the Sevenwaters (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/juliet-marillier) books, which I really enjoyed. I see that a version of the story does appear in Grimm's Fairy Tales ( often grim by nature :)) I blame the Grimm Brothers for the fact that I've never been able to wear a pair of red shoes!

[Margaret]

You'll have to remind me which story involved the red shoes. Didn't someone put on a pair of enchanted shoes and dance themselves to death because they couldn't stop? Was that the one? I also liked "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" (or at least was struck by it), "Rapunzel" and the one about the guy that had a sailing ship he could fold up and keep in his pocket while traveling on land - wouldn't that be handy!

Company of Liars was much more of a Grimm's Fairy Tale book than a Canterbury Tales book IMHO.

[annis]

Like "The Wild Swans" the story of the Red Shoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(fairy_tale)) is a Hans Christian Andersen tale, but appears in a slightly different version in the earlier Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales, so HCA probably took it from there. They're pretty dark stuff. Actually, come to think of it, I used to cry every time I read HCA's "The Little Mermaid" when I was a kid!

Just remembered - the Grimm version was in "Snow White" where at the end the wicked step-mother was forced to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance in them till she died. Heavy!

[Ludmilla]

Haven't read the replies too closely, but plan on picking up the book when it comes out in paperback at the end of August. Might be September before I get to it.

[Margaret]

What a horrible story! I never liked the Hans Christian Anderson stories - much grimmer than Grimm.

Ludmilla, do come back when you've read Company of Liars. I didn't get to read Agincourt until after the BOM month was over, but had a good time posting and discussing on the thread after I did read it.

So who else has read this besides me and Annis and Leo62? Don't be shy! Tell us what you thought!

[Susan]

So who else has read this besides me and Annis and Leo62? Don't be shy! Tell us what you thought!

I've read it and I'll post some thoughts a bit later when I come back from taking my daughter to the airport. (She's returning to Seattle after a three week stay.)

[Leo62]

So who else has read this besides me and Annis and Leo62? Don't be shy! Tell us what you thought!

Didn't loadsa people vote for this? Where are they?? :D

[Vanessa]

It's on my list to read this month.

[Madeleine]

I read this a couple of months ago and enjoyed it. Anyone expecting the plague to be the main part of the story will be disappointed, it does form a menacing backdrop and is almost like a shadow stalking the company. Some of it I did find a bit fantastical - I have read the story of the swan brothers somewhere before, and I found Adela's story completely off the wall and over the top, and ultimately I think the mystery of the wolf turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax, but the air of menace and fear is well sustained, and it's very well-written. It's certainly different to what I was expecting, and not the usual historical novel, more like a historical fairytale. I'd definitely read more by this author.

[Ariadne]

I covered it for Booklist about a year ago and just found the review posted on the novel's Amazon page (http://www.amazon.com/Company-Liars-Novel-Karen-Maitland/dp/0440244420). (Can't repost it here due to copyright.)

Paraphrased, I found it fascinating but very slow in places, and some revelations I saw coming from a mile away. That said, it's one of a few novels I've come to admire more, long after the review was written. As Madeleine said, it was different than the usual, and I like different. The fantastical elements didn't bother me, as they seemed in keeping with the superstitions and folk magic entwined in the plot.

[Carine]

Didn't loadsa people vote for this? Where are they?? :D

I'm reading it now but am only at page 50 at the moment, so can't say much about it as yet :)

[Susan]

While I was reading Company of Liars, I kept using the word compelling when describing the book to my husband. I very much liked Karen Maitland’s writing style which kept me turning the pages quite quickly. Yes, it was possible to figure out at least some of the characters’ secrets, but that didn’t bother me at all. I figured out two secrets completely and partially figured out some others. I did not figure out the narrator’s secret, but looking back, there was one big hint that I thought was just strange at the time. I can buy into Margaret’s suggestion that the plague was a character because it did help drive the plot.

I was a bit dismayed when the fantasy element was revealed because I thought I was reading an historical novel, but I soon accepted it. Narigorm seems to be the most intriguing character. I couldn’t help but think of the marsh folk and fairy folk from The Mists of Avalon when reading about her. I wonder if she really was a child.

[zsigandr]

I too was expecting this to be a collection of short stories and was pleasantly surprised when it really was not.

I did enjoy this novel and I am not usually a fantasy fan. I too felt like the plague was like an entity chasing them and driving the plot as well. If not for the plague, they would not have been traveling, etc. I also could feel the absolute despair of the characters. Between the weather, the plague on their tale and the troubles they seem to encounter in every village their life was hell!

Narigorm gave me the creeps from the moment she was introduced. I find nothing more disturbing than an evil child character.

I did figure out the narrator's secret after the way that they described certain aspects of their past (won't divulge right now for those not finished).

Overall, I have to say that I did like this book as it was completely different from anything that I read and would read another book by this author.

[Margaret]

How do you feel about evil child characters in fiction? To me, Narigorm fits in the Rosemary's Baby, Damian category - a child who is not at all innocent, but seems to embody a sense of primal evil. It also reminds me a bit of the way the character Smerdyakov in Dostoyevksky's The Idiot thinks about a child character he believes is trying to seduce him. In The Idiot, it's very possible - perhaps essential - to read the scene as the creepy Smerdyakov's projection of his own desires onto the child. In the other stories, it's clear the evil child character, at least within the terms of the story, truly is evil. I always wonder what authors mean for us to take from stories like this. Are they take-offs on the idea of original sin? Or just ways for frustrated parents to spend some imaginative hours feeling relieved that their own children, aggravating as they are, at least are not actually devil's spawn?

[annis]

The image of an evil child is particularly disturbing, given that we see little children as the epitome of innocence. I suspect that the idea of the" evil child" character may have come from those children who had psychopathic tendencies. While often looking and seeming harmless and even quite charming, such children are capable of torturing cats and killing siblings without feeling any compunction. In the past, before any understanding of psychiatric disorders, such behaviour could only be seen as a manifestation of evil.

I'm sure there's a Susanna Gregory story which has a child or children as murderers, though the title isn't coming to mind right now. Come to think of it, several of her "Matthew Bartholomew" mysteries feature the plague.

*Edit My brain is getting muddled- the story I was thinking of was Kate Sedley's "Holy Innocents" (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/kate-sedley/holy-innocents.htm), a "Roger Chapman" mystery. Over time all these stories have a tendency to blend into each other :)

[Ariadne]

Anyone know if the name "Narigorm" has any meaning, or significance in itself?

[annis]

No, I don't think I've seen a meaning for the name mentioned anywhere. It sounds Norse rather than English to me. Narigorm herself seems very much in the tradition of the old Norse witches or soothsayers.

[Margaret]

She does tell the future by consulting rune stones - very Norse.

[annis]

Well, I got it wrong with the Norse connection. I emailed Karen Maitland and asked her about Narigorm's name, and received a very helpful and friendly reply in response. I'm sure Karen won't mind me passing on her answer:

"In answer to your question. Narigorm is an anagram of Morrigan, the ancient shape-shifting goddess bringer of war, discord and destruction. She could assume the form of a wolf, swan or a red cow and also in common with many of the ancient goddess could appear as girl, woman or hag. She was known to punish lies and deception and was much feared if she turned up on a battlefield because she turn a certain victory into defeat if she chose.

I love to chose names for characters with a meaning or history which is relevant to the character's personality or appearance. Even if most readers won't know the meaning of the name, it is fun for the ones who do. But in Narigorm's case I wanted a name that in one sense came from nowhere and has no history or meaning in itself, because the child appears from nowhere and her personality and thoughts are initially hidden from the other characters. So I decided to invent a name for her, or rather conceal her name and nature within an anagram. I hope you feel that works."

So Narigorm is not Norse, but Celtic! Hopefully Karen may find time at some stage to visit the forum, which would be very cool.

[diamondlil]

I had also sent her an invitation just before the month started, so it would be cool if she was able to stop by!

[Ariadne]

Thanks for emailing her about Narigorm's name, Annis! The answer makes perfect sense.

[Susan]

So Narigorm is not Norse, but Celtic! Hopefully Karen may find time at some stage to visit the forum, which would be very cool.

Interesting! Narigorm did mention Morrigan in the book.

[zsigandr]

Thanks for sharing that with us Annis!

[Madeleine]

Interesting! Narigorm did mention Morrigan in the book.

yes she does, I remember now but never made the connection.

[Margaret]

Very illuminating! This makes Narigorm less childish, I think, since it introduces the idea that the Morrigan has taken on a form that will cause people to think her unthreatening.

The Morrigan is such a potent image. In many Celtic folk tales, a warrior on his way to battle will receive a premonition of his death by seeing the Morrigan at the edge of a river, washing blood out of clothing.

[Susan]

Here's some information on Morrigan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrigan
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/morrigan.html

[annis]

I see that the Morrigan is associated with prophecy, which is very apt. As Margaret points out, it changes the way we see Narigorm if she is an incarnation in the form of a child, rather than an actual child, though she has always had a certain otherworldly aspect. Narigorm also displays the relentless nature characteristic of the Morrigan.

[Margaret]

she has always had a certain otherworldly aspect

And far more patience than an actual child would ever have!

[annis]

Karen did find time to visit the forum, and happily found our discussion interesting. I'll pass on her comments, which are intriguing because she provides some additional background information:

"I've had a look at the forum this morning. Thank you so much. Some really interesting comments and obviously very knowledgeable readers. I was struck by the comment one lady wrote about having read the Swan Brothers story before. Yes, both the Swan Brother tales that Cygnus recounts are tales taken from stories current at the time. They are there because they illustrate two nice pieces of political spin or 'official lies.'

In pre-Christian times there were wonderful tales all over Europe of the immortals of air and water who lived as swans but could change into human form in order to seduce a human. When they tired of their lover, they resumed their form as swans. This was anathema to the Church who taught that birds and beasts were lower than humans,. Unable to suppress the stories they put a spin on them and said that the swan creatures were humans changed into being swans by evil enchanters and they were desperate to be human again, and only the Christian virtues of faithfulness, chastity etc. could undo the enchantment. This spin on the original legends was the one picked up later in the tale of Swan Lake and also by Hans Anderson.

Camelot assumes Cygnus wants to be fully human, but in fact like the swans in the pre-Christian version he wants to be free and who he is. I was inspired to write the character of Cygnus because as I child I'd heard the Anderson story read by my teacher who got very angry with me because I ask what happened to the little prince who was left with the single swans wing. She said that wasn't the point of the story. But I was also inspired by the disabled child in Sara Maitland's novel ( no relation) Virgin Territory, whose parents are desperate trying to make her 'normal', but the child actually wants to be who she is, not changed into her parents' idea of normal. The question I wanted to pose was - do we see people like Cygnus who are different as having a rare and beautiful gift as Adela does, or do we see someone who is different as disabled and less than human as Zophiel does. (Having spent eighteen months in a wheelchair ten years ago, I'm afraid I encountered a number of Zophiels.)

The last story that Cygnus tells is partly based on a medieval ballad. The first Knight Commander of the Crusades became a very wealthy and powerful man, and was a great hero at the time displaying what were considered to be the noble virtues. The trouble was that rumours began to circulate that he was not of noble birth. If the ordinary people had learnt of this it could have caused revolution because the whole feudal system was based on the idea that you were born nobleman or commoner, that's what God had ordained and you couldn't change it. And only those of noble birth could exhibit the noble virtues. So a court minstrel was commissioned to compose a ballad that would explain away the fact that no one could trace this man's linage. Just as some would-be politicians and other celebs create interesting family backgrounds for themselves today. OK so that particular story wouldn't work for today's politicians, but it was so successful back then that two other families with the same problem claimed the same story. So Cygnus uses it both as a kind of parable, but also because it was a official lie of the time which many nobles and churchmen colluded in."

[Margaret]

Thank you, Annis - what fascinating comments! Cygnus was definitely my favorite character in the novel, though he was also the hardest for me to wrap my mind around, because I couldn't tell if he was a fantasy figure or if his wing could be explained in some realistic way.

[annis]

It's interesting- I hadn't thought of Hans Christian Andersen for many years, but when we started discussing his work here it occurred to me that I never felt any inclination to read his stories to my kids when they were young. Thinking about them now I realise it was because as a child I instinctively reacted against his heavily moralistic tone, rejected it, and didn't want to impose it on impressionable little minds.

I felt slightly confused about Cygnus at first, and thought that maybe his mother had made a wonderfully creative articifial limb for him in the form of a wing, in order to make him feel special, but as the story went on I realised that it was more than that. One of the saddest things for me in "Company of Liars" was Cygnus losing his feathers, and his hope. In a way I was reminded of JM Barrie's Tinkerbell, and how she would die if no-one believed in her. The power of belief is an essential ingredient in magic and mystery.

[Lady Macbeth]

Here be spoilers............



Well, I've been avoiding this thread like the.....erm....plague as I didn't want to be spoiled whilst reading the novel which I came fairly late to, being a newbie to the forum.

I'd have to say that I very much enjoyed this novel and was intrigued from beginning to end. I knew that they must all be hiding secrets by the novel's title and I think I first guessed Adela and Osmond's when he was discussing swimming as a child. As the novel progressed, I found myself becoming more and more suspicious of Camelot who had far too compassionate a view on life for a gnarled old relic seller and, as soon as the healer called him Mistress, my suspicions were confirmed.

So many other novels came to mind when reading this - the Hobbit flashed back strongly, probably the road-trip theme and, often, the movie Pan's Labyrinth.

In the end, as we are relying on Camelot to narrate the story, do we really trust what he was saying? This is a deeply superstitious time and belief in witches was strongly held - so is Camelot's version of the story to be believed? Was Narigorm really to blame for their misfortunes or is this just a fantasy created and told by Camelot to somehow make sense and reason of the terrible times they were existing in? Shades of Pan's Labyrinth here.

I wasn't too concerned that we didn't see much of the plague, the story is about the characters and their journey and the plague and the wolf are just unseen forces stalking them and add to the sense of dread and desperation.

There were moments I loved - the face of the Virgin Mary being replaced by the incestuous Adela's, the hand-fasting of the cripples in the graveyard to name just a few. Narigorm's description actually resembles more an angel than a witch - I wonder how the story would have sounded told from her perspective.

In the end, I was left wanting more - I wanted to know what happened next to Camelot and what happened to Adela, Osmond et al but then I think most writers aim to achieve that.

While I was reading the novel, I looked up the names on the internet and was very happy to find that they were all significant. I wondered if Morrigan was connected in some way to Morgan Le Fey? It sounds a little alike.

Great book - really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Susan]

I wondered if Morrigan was connected in some way to Morgan Le Fey? It sounds a little alike.

There was a reference to this in the Wikipedia link I posted. Some modern authors have tried to make a link between Morgan le Fey and the Morrigan. However scholars say the names are unrelated. "Morgan" comes from words associated with the sea and Morrigan comes from words associated with terror or greatness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrigan#Arthurian_legend

From Behind the Name
http://www.behindthename.com/

MORGAN (1)
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French
Pronounced: MOR-gən (English) [key]
From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of Morgan le Fay.

MORRIGAN
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Derived from Irish Mhór Rioghain meaning "great queen". In Irish myth she was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow.

(As I type this there are crows cawing in my backyard! :eek: )

[Madeleine]

Here be spoilers............



As the novel progressed, I found myself becoming more and more suspicious of Camelot who had far too compassionate a view on life for a gnarled old relic seller and, as soon as the healer called him Mistress, my suspicions were confirmed.



yes that was a bit of a giveaway wasn't it!:)

[Margaret]

Enjoyed your post, Lady Mac - it's full of interesting ideas!

Was Narigorm really to blame for their misfortunes or is this just a fantasy created and told by Camelot to somehow make sense and reason of the terrible times they were existing in? Shades of Pan's Labyrinth here.

I hadn't though of this, but it's an intriguing interpretation - also like The Life of Pi. We know Camelot is an unreliable narrator, after all, because of the gender issue (I didn't guess that for an instant until the big revelation, although it all suddenly made sense then).

Yes, the handfasting of the cripples was a striking scene - I assume this was based on research, and similar things really did take place. It has the feel of something medieval people might have done. It was such a superstitious time. One of the things Maitland did especially well, I think, was to convey the way people of the time thought and how they were so quick to blame their troubles on demonic forces. It's one of the reasons I was never quite sure whether Company of Liars was meant to be a fantasy novel or a realistic representation of the way people viewed the world around them.

[annis]

Yes, it was the wisewoman who gave away Camelot's secret.

Whether we take the folkloric elements as fact or fantasy, I feel that the device is a good way of presenting the way ordinary people must have regarded a world about which they knew very little, having no real access to knowledge and learning. Things which we now know from scientific research would have seemed strange and mysterious to those who lived on the whole a pretty claustrophobic lifestyle. Even the people from the village a few miles away were regarded with suspicion.

Karen has asked me to pass on the message that she is happy to answer any questions readers on this forum might have:

"If you or anyone else in the forum have any more questions or queries, please do contact me I'm always delighted to answer them. Forgive me for not joining in the discussion directly, but I feel more comfortable answering specific questions, rather than joining on the forum itself.
It is a superb site and so visually interesting to look as well."

She can be contacted at
karen@karenmaitland.com
I was impressed with her warm and friendly response, and I'm sure that she would genuinely welcome discussion with forum members.

[Vanessa]

I've just finished this book and thought it was fabulous, very well written. I agree that it's more of a medieval fairytale with a bit hocus pocus to boot!

Yes, I read the 'wolf' to be a metaphor for the plague. I liked Cygnus and could quite visualise his wing! It was quite sad when he started to lose his feathers. I did wonder whether it was a false wing but then realised he had a deeper meaning than that for the group as a whole. Like others, I found Narigorm quite creepy and scary due to the fact she was a child. I found it interesting reading the comments about her name being an anagram, etc. I suppose the whole book is a parable about hopes, fears and survival.

I didn't work out the narrator's secret until the healer called her 'mistress'. I worked out Pleasance's, Jofre's, Osmond and Adela's secrets quite early on, though.

I have The Owl Killers on my TBR pile so shall definitely look forward to reading this.

[Vanessa]

Any thoughts on the mermaid? I was wondering whether it was actually a mermaid or something else?

[Ash]

Takes me a while sometimes; I just bought this book. Ive read the first 25 pages or so and am hooked. Looks like a good weekend read, so hopefully there will still be people around when I start reading the posts here and writing my own!

[EC2]

I'm going to be starting it today, so I'm just behind you Ash. It'll be slow going because I've got a lot on. I'm only skimming the posts at the moment because I need to think my own thoughts first as it were, but I'm looking forward to reading in full once I'm done.

[JaneConsumer]

I'm reading the book now. I'm not too far into it, but past the mermaid scene. I think the mermaid was clearly a hoax. But how it was achieved, I don't have a clue.

The emphasis on slight of hand and the magician's character make me think it's a hoax.

[Lady Macbeth]

I'm glad there are still some more views to come on this novel. I'd be interested to know whether you all feel that this is a genuine supernatural story or whether the supernatural elements were all invented by Camelot.

[Ash]

I think it would depend on how you view the supernatural.

Looking at some reviews, I saw this

I was impressed with Maitland's several seamless allusions to the fairy-tale works of Angela Carter (The Company of Wolves) and her exploration of the same themes and manners (into gender poliics and wolves among other things).

Has anyone read that? Any comments?

I thought the misstep that Pleasance made a word she said a very interesting clue, esp given Z's rant later on. Dear lord, that was a horrible time to be anything other than Christian and white. Oh, and rich.

[JaneConsumer]

I haven't finished the book yet. I'm about a third of the way through.

I flipped to the back and read the author's bio. Does anybody know what a psycholinguistic is? I don't suppose it means freaking out. ;)

[Ash]

Wiki says:

A psycholinguist is a social scientist who studies Psycholinguistics. Psycholinguistics is interdisciplinary in nature and is studied by people in a variety of fields, such as psychology, cognitive science, and linguistics. There are several subdivisions within psycholinguistics that are based on the components that make up human language.

More specifically, a psycholinguist studies language, speech production and comprehension using behavioral and neurological methods traditionally developed in the field of psychology, though other methods such as corpus analysis are also widely used. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, psycholinguists can be found in linguistic, psychology, cognitive sciences, communication science, disorders and other departments. The main aim of psycholinguistics is to outline and describe the process of producing and comprehending communication. In the tradition of psychology, various models are used to further this understanding.

Following the "Chomsky Revolution", linguists suddenly found themselves the center of attention. Shortly thereafter, the exciting idea of finding meaning in language was rejected by Chomsky himself and linguists rapidly lost their celebrity status. Following the turbulence of the field in the 60's and 70's, many linguists chose to revert to previously favored methods of strict observation and description. Linguists look upon psycholinguists as missing the point in language description and ignoring wide amounts of variability in language. Psycholinguists look upon linguists as antiquated and atheoretical.[citation needed]

Psycholinguists currently represent a widely diverse field. Many psycholinguists are also considered to be neurolinguists, cognitive linguists, and/or neurocognitive linguists themselves or are associated with those who are. There are subtle differences between the titles, though they are all attempting to use different facets of similar issues.

[Margaret]

I'd be interested to know whether you all feel that this is a genuine supernatural story or whether the supernatural elements were all invented by Camelot.

Have you finished reading the novel yet, Lady Macbeth? Because I think answering this question before you've finished reading would constitute a spoiler. So, with that warning -


SPOILER ... SPOILER ... SPOILER ... SPOILER


I think Narigorm makes this a genuine supernatural story. All of the other supernatural elements can be explained away in some fashion (although the swan wing takes some doing), but Narigorm clearly has some type of occult powers.

[Lady Macbeth]

Yes, I have finished the novel - in fact, I'm almost at the end of her next novel, The Owl Killers. I guess we do have to take Camelot's word for the events - it's that all the other members of the ensemble couldn't believe Camelot's accusations against Narigorm and it smacked of all the jumped up charges made against so called witches in medieval times. It got me thinking that, even if Camelot believes this, it may not be so..........

[Ash]

I haven't gotten to the end yet, but my feeling is that it is indeed supernatural, that these events can't be explained without it. My only reason is that I have read enough fantasy novels in my day to take all supernatural as natural, if that makes sense.

There are a couple of anachronisms in the book that normally would have had me question the author, if not flat out wallbanged it. But they didn't bother me this time. One was the use of Yiddish by a character in England of 1300s. At that time it was very much a German and Eastern European language, and am not sure it would have been used much even among 'converted' Jews in any country. The fact that Romingo recognized it made her story come out, but I am not even sure it was used in Venice at that time (I need to check; I know that the ghetto was already in place in the 13th century. But I don't think the term she used for it was). I think tho that the author could get away with this, because having her use Yiddish, as well as Romingo recognizing it, was an easy way for 21st century readers to catch on to her secret very quickly. Not sure any other Judaica trait would have helped most readers to make that connection.

The other anachronism was the attitudes of some characters that felt like they came from the 21 century and not the 14th. But this wasn't as pervasive as some books, and I could explain it by suggesting that in that horrible time of death, the idea that people might start questioning belief in the same way wouldn't have been a stretch. People are human after all, and some attitudes that might sound modern probably were considered, if not voiced, in that desparate time, in the same was as Job did.

BTW was anyone else bothered by Norigam being treated as a child, at the age of 12 when she would have been close to married age? Making her closer to 9 would have worked better for me.

[Margaret]

I didn't realize Narigorm was 12. She seemed younger, because she was presented as being strangely knowledgeable and confident for her years. Of course, even though medieval girls were marriageable at a very young age doesn't mean they were any more mature than 12-year-old girls today. Also, I don't think people in the peasant classes married especially early. The girls who were married at puberty (and younger!) were from aristocratic families who used them as political pawns. In the peasant classes, people married to establish families, so it wouldn't make sense to marry until a girl was old enough to bear a healthy child and stay healthy herself.

[Ash]

I am not sure where I got the 12 year old age from, but it has stuck with me; I am thinking its in the book. But anyway, I do see your point, thanks, Id forgotten the difference between peasant and royalty in that matter.

Ok, a few anachronisms that are really killing me. They've been traveling for many months together. No one saw Adela's hair unveiled in all that time? And not picking up that Camelot was not what he says he is for that long really does stretch things. Even if she was in menopause, she'd still have to go to the bathroom sometime. Other guys would probably notice this thing. Finally whats with the sherlock holmes scene when they found Jofre's body? Did villages in that time actually have coroners? Did they atualy talk like Perry Mason?

Alright, thats out of my system. Taking a break from reading, going back in a few hours to finish it. Its interesting, even tho the anachronisms are bothering me, she is a good enough writer that I am sitting for two days reading almost non stop!

[Margaret]

Women in many centuries really did disguise themselves as men and pull it off successfully. Donna Woolfolk Cross handles this quite well in Pope Joan, because the novel shows how Joan makes the decision to live as a man and what she does to make sure no one discovers that she has breasts, menstruates, etc. Of course, in Company of Liars, Maitland can't do this, because she's keeping Camelot's gender secret from the readers, too. The Scandalous Women blog recently interviewed Cross (http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com/2009/08/scandalous-interview-with-donna.html) and asked her how it would have been possible for Joan to successfully disguise herself as a man for so long. Cross points out that some 400 soldiers who fought in the American Civil War were actually women disguised as men!

A number of women served in the Royal Navy disguised as men, and the pirate Mary Read is another example of a woman who lived as a man. I've read of cases where a woman living as a man was only found out when she died and her body was prepared for burial.

[annis]

Posted by Ash
Did villages in that time actually have coroners?

Coroners were indeed an institiution by the 13th century, the post being originally created in the 12th century by Richard the Lionheart as another one of his many money-making schemes. This was after all the monarch who treated England aa a cash cow and is reputed to have said "I'd sell London if I could find a buyer for it". Tell me again why the English adored him?

In fact it's quite possible that the term "coroner" was even older, going back to the time of King Alfred, but what role the Saxon coroner played isn't clear.

http://www.britannia.com/history/coroner1.html

Bernard Knight has written an entertaining historical mystery series feauturing a (fictional) early coroner or crowner, known as the "The Crowner John" mysteries.

[Margaret]

Tell me again why the English adored him?

My guess - he wasn't there very much of the time, and they hated his brother John.

[annis]

I think that Richard had the glamour expected of a king. He was a larger-than-life character, cut a heroic figure and was a warrior of great prowess and courage. And quite right, he wasn't around long enough for the glamour to wear thin :)

[Madeleine]

Michael Jecks's series of books set in the early 1300s also features coroners!

[Ash]

Ok, thanks. But something tells me they didn't talk like Sherlock Holmes (trying to remember in Caedfael, if there was a character who acted as a coroner. Think he was his own, as he investigated murders)

[annis]

Posted by Margaret
The Scandalous Women blog recently interviewed Cross and asked her how it would have been possible for Joan to successfully disguise herself as a man for so long. Cross points out that some 400 soldiers who fought in the American Civil War were actually women disguised as men!


I'm reminded of Terry Pratchett's very funny "Monstrous Regiment"!

[Ash]

I'm sure there's a Susanna Gregory story which has a child or children as murderers, though the title isn't coming to mind right now. Come to think of it, several of her "Matthew Bartholomew" mysteries feature the plague.

There is of course the famous Bad Seed, originally a play, then a movie. Play can be very very spooky when done right. Movie is a bit melodramatic, with a Hollywood ending. But worth watching, certainly for the genetic element introduced. Oh and the gal playing Rhonda in the movie is Patty McCormack, kind of fun to see her grow as an actress over the years.

[Ludmilla]

Finished this last night and enjoyed it. I did think the setup was rather long; I didn't really start to get into it until the second half of the novel. I liked the fairy tale connection, and probably spent too much of the novel looking for connections on that level.

Narigorm's description reminded me of a Poe film I saw when I was young (and I can't remember how faithful the film was to the stories), but in this film the Devil is portrayed as a young, silvery-haired girl. It haunted me for a long time after that, so I've never forgotten the image. I also found myself thinking of the film "The Seventh Seal", also about a group of travellers trying to outrun the plague and a knight who plays chess with Death to forestall his claim on the victims.

[Ash]

I had written Karen with some of my questions regarding the use of Yiddish at that time period. She sent me a very quick (like less than 6 hours!) and generous response below

Dear Cindy,
Great that you got Pleasance's secret at that point, which is what I intended. I meant for readers to guess all the characters secrets before the other characters so that they could anticipate the trouble ahead, but feedback from readers seems to suggest that only about 20% do so, which is equally good if it comes as a surprise to some.

The words which Pleasance uses were in use in their early form in Medieval Jewish communities across Europe at that time. I selected words which were in use throughout the Ashkenazi Jewish world, not just in the developing Yiddish speaking areas. Yiddish evolved, as you quite rightly say from a large, but not exclusively, Germany influence and was also influenced by Hebrew and other languages.

In Norwich, England in the early 1200's there was a very important Talmudic school with a number of German scholars who brought with them the early kabbalistic and mystic writings which employed the specific terms Pleasance uses, though of course in an earlier form. I used the later form, just as I use modern English instead of Chaucer's English which my characters would have spoken at the time, because otherwise it wouldn't be understood by modern readers.

Before they were expelled, many English Jews traded with and studied in Germany and Jews also traded with Italy, so certainly while you are right there is no evidence to suggest that Yiddish as a language was spoken in England or Italy at that time, by 1348 the particular words which Pleasance uses appear to have been familiar to Jews right across both Eastern and Western Europe. The story Pleasance tells has it origins in the pre-Roman period before the Diaspora, and simplified variations of it are found in both Ashenazi and Sephardic oral traditions, adapted to the local conditions.

I'm afraid it now being three books ago, I can't recall Pleasance referring to the Jewish quarter in Venice, though Rodrigo describes it. I'll need to go back and see what he says to pick up the word you are querying, but it may take me a while to get back to you on that one as deadlines are pressing hard.

Thank you again so much for your interest and I'll back to on the Venice question when I've time to check back through the book,
warmest wishes,
Karen

[Ludmilla]

Here be spoilers............
So many other novels came to mind when reading this - the Hobbit flashed back strongly, probably the road-trip theme and, often, the movie Pan's Labyrinth.

In the end, as we are relying on Camelot to narrate the story, do we really trust what he was saying? This is a deeply superstitious time and belief in witches was strongly held - so is Camelot's version of the story to be believed? Was Narigorm really to blame for their misfortunes or is this just a fantasy created and told by Camelot to somehow make sense and reason of the terrible times they were existing in? Shades of Pan's Labyrinth here.



Camelot mentions hope repeatedly throughout the novel. I think the Pan's Labyrinth theme is particularly relevant to Cygnus -- his withering wing and loss of feathers symbolize that loss of hope. Even Camelot's tone toward the end changes toward the need for hope. Underscoring all of that is the need to tell stories.

Entangled with the lies would be mortal sins as perceived by Christians. It was interesting that a pagan god should provide the ultimate justice for the atonement (or punishment) of those sins.

Does anyone else find themselves trying to avoid using gender-specific pronouns in this discussion? Not easy!

[Margaret]

I went through some contortions when I reviewed this so as not to give away any spoilers, without being inaccurate! Hopefully, the contortions don't show in the finished review (http://www.historicalnovels.info/Company-of-Liars.html).

[annis]

Darn - I just realised that I've ben posting on this thread assuming that readers/posters will have read the book --- oops! Makes it a bit hard to discuss in any depth if you're trying not to give anything away.

[Ludmilla]

Personally, I expect spoilers in a bookclub discussion and I don't think readers should tread lightly for those who haven't read the book who are investigating the thread. I think the pronoun issue is problematic not just from a spoiler perspective but also from a logical perspective when writing about anyone who has lived as the opposite gender for a time.

[Margaret]

I think we did have this discussion not long ago and agreed that the BOM thread is for full discussion, and people read it at their own risk if they haven't read the book yet. It's impossible to discuss a book in very much depth and also avoid spoilers for people who haven't read it.

[JaneConsumer]

It got me thinking that, even if Camelot believes this, it may not be so...

This is a reasonable response. I felt the same way, especially during the second half of the book.

To me, Narigorm represents death, and Camelot believes in her/it. What I can't really decide is, which prevailed - truth or hope?

[Ludmilla]

Good question. I think truth. Each traveler represents some kind of social taboo and is denying either their true nature or identity in some fashion. I think the end shows us none can successfully deny their true natures so truth prevails.

[Madeleine]

Yes I thought that too, truth will always come out and some people will get their come-uppance! I suppose you could call it a parable or something similar.

[JaneConsumer]

I do think it's a parable. Moreover, I think it's a moral statement about truth and hope.

If truth prevails, it's a fairly dark statement as well.

[Margaret]

What an interesting turn this discussion has taken! There's a difference, I think, between foolish hope and realistic hope. If the travelers had ignored evidence that plague had struck a town and entered it with the hope they would all be okay, their story would likely have been a lot shorter. Narigorm probably doesn't represent truth so much as she represents the flip side of hope, despair. After all, the story doesn't end in complete tragedy for everyone - but Narigorm only predicts bad developments, not the good things that happen along with the bad. Just like hope, despair can be based on evidence or it can be a habit of mind that dismisses evidence of a happier truth. We never know the full truth about everything, so we always have to base our conclusions on partial truths mixed with hope or despair.

[EC2]

Just had an e-mail meltdown, and striving to do all sorts of other things, but wanted to post a few thoughts about my impressions of the book.

I enjoyed Company of Liars a lot. It's one of those 'muesli' novels that gives you all sorts of different things to chew on, and depending on how you dip your spoon, you will get an assortment of flavours. If you are spellbound by story and don't go hunting under the surface, you can enjoy this one just for the entertainment value of the narrative and to find out what the next tale is going to be and what is going to happen to the travellers. But if you want more from your reading, this book provides it in spades.
I did think the story dragged slightly at times - like Xanthus's cartwheels in the mud. I thought it interesting that they had this wonderful, gleaming horse amid all the horrors - and a horse of a Greek hero at that.(how did they manage to keep it in such good nick, pulling a cart all day?) I don't know enough about times of plague to know how realistic a portrayal it was. In some ways it reminded me of the paintings of Hieronymous Bosch, but rendered in shades of grey.
The stories themselves were interesting because I recognised most of them from medieval romantic tales. Camelot therefore, as well as being the title of a travelling relic seller, also has the associations with the cycle of Arthurian legends. Narigorm, reminded me not so much of the Morrigan, as of one of those creepy children you see in Hollywood horror films with the staring milky blue eyes. You always knew something bad was going to happen and I had this sort of filmic image in my head of the director cutting to her at the end of certain scenes in order to foreshadow doom. 'Uh oh, this one ain't going to end in the HEA for someone.' The wolf was interesting to start with, but steadily got on my nerves. A bit less 'crying wolf' would have made for increased tension I think. In the end I just wanted to chuck a boot in it's direction and shout 'sod off!'. I wasn't convinced by how Camelot ended up at the finish of the book, nor by Camelot's 'true' story. But was it true? Therein lies the rub. Dear reader decide! I haven't yet. I am still munching and pondering.
I would like to have known more about the Plague, but I guess it was the ploy to bring the company together and to explore how disparate people behave when taken to extremes.
My favourite character was Cygnus, for his grace and his sensitivity. My least favourite in terms of personality was Zophiel, but I think the author drew all the characters extremely well and kept their voices separate and entire.
An enjoyable novel. I don't think I've sussed the half of it, and if I re-read it, then, like the muesli, it would be different again and give me a lot more to chew over.

[Ash]

. Just like hope, despair can be based on evidence or it can be a habit of mind that dismisses evidence of a happier truth. We never know the full truth about everything, so we always have to base our conclusions on partial truths mixed with hope or despair.


Well said; words to remember esp in this day and age when all around you are talking heads supposely telling you the truth, when they are really just parts of the whole. What we don't know certainly affects us and the way we see the world.

EC, I love your use of muesli to describe this book! Yes, there is much to ponder, a bit for everyone. I agree with the wolf; sod off indeed. I kept thinking of 'the wolf at the door', a phrase we use to describe something awful about to happen, and remembering how it evokes old fairy tales (the three little pigs, for one). Once again the author is using tales to rite her tale, in a rather wonderful way. But while I understood what she was doing, I could have used a little less of the wolf as well.

[JaneConsumer]

But was it true? Therein lies the rub. Dear reader decide! I haven't yet. I am still munching and pondering.

Still pondering too. Because if it's true, the moral of the story, in my mind anyway, is, hope is a lie in disguise.

And what is hope? Does anyone else sense a spiritual undertone. I don't mean the poisonous mists or seeming powers of Narigorm, but a spiritual, or perhaps religious, message.

Just like hope, despair can be based on evidence or it can be a habit of mind that dismisses evidence of a happier truth. We never know the full truth about everything, so we always have to base our conclusions on partial truths mixed with hope or despair.

I think Margaret's suggestion that N. represents despair, rather than death, makes sense. So, the conclusion we draw, is based on the partial truth revealed by the author.

This underscores what EC said about Camelot's story. Whether or not it's "true," depends on the reader's own perspective.

Chilling, is it not?

[Madeleine]

I like the muesli comparison too!

I agree about the use of "the wolf" too, that got a bit overdone after a while and became a bit anti-climatic.

I found the most unbelievable story to be that of the brother and sister (hope that doesn't give anything away!), and I found Adela quite irritating. I think Cygnus was the most tragic character, and Zophiel the most unlikeable, but I think he was deliberately written that way.

[Ash]

I found the most unbelievable story to be that of the brother and sister (hope that doesn't give anything away!), and I found Adela quite irritating.

While her story does explain how the two happened to be on the road, there was still much that wasn't explained. Her story I think was a front to hide what really did happen, made more extravagant because she seemed like she couldn't accept the truth. I didn't find her irritating as much as very sheltered and naive.

[Leyland]

I just finished COL last night and completely enjoyed it. I thought the multi layered storyline and characterization of the 14th company of travelers were very creative and absorbing – more so than many novels I’ve read this year. I agree with Susan’s appreciation for the author’s writing style.

SPOILERS BELOW since this the Book of the Month thread!

I enjoy fantasy fiction, so the supernatural/fairy myth elements worked for me very well. I could tell Narigorm’s name was a version of Morrigan after she talked about the ancient mythical goddess, but didn’t realize the child was tapping into those mythic powers herself to cause the terror and deaths resulting among the travelers. I assumed the wolf’s origin came from a very persistent outside pursuer, though not the bishop’s men as Zophiel made the others believe. Why would a bishop waste his resources during a plague time for so long – just snatch the stolen items as soon as possible and return them. I was surprised by Camleot’s discovery in the poisonous hollows when Narigorm was making the wolf howl sounds, etc., and prefer to think Camelot knew the child was evil and had to be killed. Would Camelot have risked losing Rodrigo otherwise?

Do you think Narigorm could have been as successful in gathering the travelers together and then getting them where she intended (in the poisonous fens) if the plague had not been present? I wonder how she ‘operated’ when there was no countrywide fear that made these particular secretive 14th C residents able to be manipulated and moved around like chess pieces? They would not travel as secluded together in winter conditions if not for fear of the plague.

I’d love to read a sequel of sorts featuring Narigorm and Camelot after she shows up at Camelot’s manor at the end of the novel. Maybe starting with Narigorm’s apparent escape from the fen folk, or if she didn’t escape, then perhaps she was Morrigan’s immortal incarnation. How does her evil work on stationary people? Someone takes pity on the lone sweet child as Pleasance did and gives her a base from which to work her sorcery?

I didn’t catch onto the healer’s Mistress remark the way I should have, so I was really surprised by Camelot’s gender revelation. Her high views of Rodrigo’s physical and emotional attributes also went over my head so I missed her developing feelings for him. I assumed Cygnus’ wing was a fake one attached to his shoulder and to the purple cloak so that when he pulled his cloak away from his body, it pulled the wing out as if it was real. It must have taken some maintenance to keep looking real and once he got on the road in a deepening spiral of fear and loss of hope, the wing started deteriorating? I’m not sure I believe faith and hope created the wing for him.

I thought the little mermaid was the preserved corpse of a female born with fused legs. Perhaps she was abandoned by a family as a cripple and couldn’t survive. Once deceased, she became a freak for show?

I will definitely read it again because I regarded it the first time through as an ‘adventure on the road with a mystery’ story and didn’t concentrate as much on the emotional stories of the travelers.

[Madeleine]

Interesting points Leyland - I didn't pick up on Camelot's feelings for Rodrigo; I gathered that she was fond of him but I just thought it was in a friendly way, but now you've said it, it does make sense. I agree with your theory about the mermaid and suspected pretty much the same as you. I also think Cygnus's wing was a fake, perhaps his arm was slightly deformed to begin with ie withered, so the wing would have disguised that.

Would also love a sequel as to what happened after Narigorm turned up again!

[CindyInOz]

I spent much of the first half of the book trying to decide whether to continue reading, but before I knew it, I was engrossed in the tale and ended up reading the second half in almost one night.

Maitland's ability to tell the story of so many complex characters using only first person narration was exceptional. I thought this was probably due to Camelot's maturity and the fact she was actually a woman (and therefore brought a woman's compassion to the narrative). Looking back now, I think it becomes obvious that Camelot was a woman (e.g. her compassion for Jofre and the way she talks of Rodrigo).

I loved the way myth and legend was such an integral aspect of the story, I think it added a beautiful richness and atmosphere to the book. The story Adela told of the well I thought was wonderful. I didn't think the wolf aspect was overdone. My interpretation is probably over simplistic, but I saw it as constant metaphor - they all felt the wolf was constantly hunting them, and them trying to outrun wolves was like each trying to outrun their 'sordid' pasts and devastating lies - pasts and lies that were always going to catch up with them, regardless of how hard they tried to hide or how fast they ran.

I wasn't convinced by Camelot's true story. I was left feeling that there was alot more to her story than she told us. She was the narrator after all, so we only have her version of events to go on, and I wonder how much of her story she's withheld from us.

I can't wait to re-read this one! I know I'll get alot more out of it the second time round.

[burlgirl]

I’m way late to this discussion, since I found the book on my own, and haven’t been part of the forum for long. I just finished this last night, having stumbled upon it from an Amazon recommendation. I actually listened to an unabridged version, narrated by Maxwell Caulfield, who did a simply marvelous job. He’s risen to a favorite narrator. Interestingly enough, there is another narrator for this book, also unabridged, but really, get Caulfield if you decided to listen to this.

On to the book:
I really wasn’t sure of this to begin with. In fact, I stopped listening midway through the first disc to listen to the first Percy Jackson book. I came back to listen to this because I loved the narrator’s voice, and I’m so glad I did.

I did not pick up the Camelot was a woman. I was very surprised by this development, and if I had read the book and not listened to it, I would have gone back and skimmed it again to pick up the clues I missed. I found this to be a satisfying surprise, and it worked for me, but I’m not sure why. It does make me wonder how old he was. Camelot was a man for most of the book for me, so I will think of him as a “he” before a “she”, even thought genetically, he’s a she… If I keep going I’ll flounder, so I’ll stop there. 

I guess I was a little misled by the title, since I was expecting people to lie to each other, rather than keep secrets, but I liked what she did with that, anyway. The only lie I don’t remember seeing is Rodrigo’s. What was it that he lied about? (I’m sure once someone posts it I’ll remember).

Along with many others, I kept expecting Cygnus’ wing to have been fake, and I’m still a little uncertain about it. Wouldn’t that have been his lie, if it was fake? So what did he really lie about? Do you think he really did kill that girl in the town where we first met him?

Why do you think Narigorm did what she did? Every one lies, when you get right down to it. Do you think that she targeted them because their lies were so intertwined with their lives, rather than the sort of lies most of us tell. (i.e. “No, I didn’t eat that last cookie”.) How did she pick those people out? I often wondered if she wasn’t a little girl, but was something else, much older, so the Morrigan part didn’t surprise me to awful much, but I really didn’t see the part where she was controlling the wolf/swans/sending coming. I just thought she was an fey, creepy girl.

I kept expecting that the wolf was really a werewolf.

I give this 4 out of 5 stars. Now I wish they’d do a movie.

By the way, what the runes say on the wolf cover?

[annis]

Posted by burlgirl
By the way, what the runes say on the wolf cover?

The runes form the name "Narigorm".

[burlgirl]

Thanks Annis. Glad I didin't know that when I was reading it!