The Owl Killers

by Karen Maitland

Another sensational slice of Dark Ages Gothic from the author of the triumphant seller Company of Liars

England, 1321
Welcome to the Dark Ages

In the heart of the countryside lies an isolated village, where pagan Owl Masters rule through fear, superstition and murder.

When a group of religious women ill-advisedly settles outside the village, they awaken dangerous jealousies. Why do their crops succeed? How do their cattle survive the plague? Are they concealing a holy relic which protects them from harm?

The Owl Masters cry 'Witchcraft' and sharpen their talons. As torment and hellfire rain down, the women must look to their faith to save them from the darkness spreading across the land.

Fear is a question of what you believe.
And death alone the answer.


Karen Maitland lives in Lincolnshire and is the author of The White Room, which won an Author's Club Best First Novel Award, and Company of Liars, published to outstanding critical acclaim in 2008.

• ISBN10: 0141031891
• ISBN13: 9780141031897
• Publish Date: 1 April 2010 (first published 1 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 October 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 576
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

I don't often read historical fiction, but when I do, I read novels like The Owl Killers - books backed up with solid research, featuring issues that are just as relevant today as they were in times past.

A group of beguines, women who dedicate their lives to charity and religion without making lasting vows, settles in a small village in England called Ulewick. There they are not welcomed by the villagers, who still cling to the their old heathen ways, terrorized by the anonymous Owl Masters.

The Owl Killers is set in the fourteenth century, which is not a very popular choice for historical fiction. Maitland seems to feel really passionate about the middle ages, and it makes my aspiring-historian heart happy to see how she truly captures the day to day life for villagers in the fourteenth century. The way they interact with each other, how they work, the clash of religion and tradition - it all fits. She weaves themes of feminism, abuse, self-determinism and freedom into this setting in a way that feels natural for the time. Instead of enforcing twenty-first century ideals on the setting, she uses the questions that rises from the material itself.

The book is narrated by five characters, and one of the main themes is that of misunderstanding. Maitland uses the multiple points of view to enlighten the character dynamics from different sides, showing how disagreements and emotions are fuelled by ignorance. I really enjoyed this technique. On the other hand, the biggest weakness of the book lies in the characterization. While the characters do all have their own wishes and dreams and fears, somehow they never truly come to life. Maybe the chapters are too short for this, or maybe the technical skill to write life-like characters is absent, but none of them quite jumped off the page.

In a way The Owl Killers asks the reader to fill in the blanks. Not every event is shown from every perspective, and often the point of view that is not shown is a key one. Because of this, this novel is one which gained a life of its own within my subconscious, and I found myself thinking of the book throughout the days I spent reading it, and even some days after.