Still kudos are due for Jones in uncovering this medieval story and making it known to a broader audience, 2.5 stars rounded up.

Underlying it all is a quest for redemption in the afterlife, only to be obtained by an absolution of a priest.ĭespite being written in an abbey the church people don’t have a glamorous role in this book, more corrupt and haggling than pious.įor a ghost story the book nowhere feels scary, and its stretching the factual content thinly when trying to make it into a standalone slight book. Snowball the Tailor and Borin his horse travel and then a broken raven falls from the sky, lights up green and transforms in a kind of zombie dog, and later on into the titular king. Rowling, while I also thought of the fairytale of the three dogs encountered by the soldier from Andersen ( The Tinderbox).

The actual story itself gives vibes of A Christmas Carol, with three ghosts mentioned, The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Pages of the original can be viewed on the website of the British Library. The story of the original latin 14th century manuscript containing a dozen medieval ghost tales, and how this was later found in the British Library by an actual ghost story author, is just brilliant. Building on that tradition, now bestselling historian Dan Jones retells this medieval ghost story in crisp and creepy prose.A truly fascinating backstory makes the rendition of Jones in this slim book feel kind of underwhelming. The dog issues the tailor with a warning: he must go to a priest and ask for absolution and return to the road, or else there will be consequences.įirst recorded in the early fifteenth century by an unknown monk, The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings was transcribed from the Latin by the great medievalist M.R. Then, out of nowhere, the tailor is knocked off his horse by a raven, who then transforms into a hideous dog, his mouth writhing with its own innards. It was dank, wet and gloomy he couldn't wait to get home and sit in front of a blazing fire. One winter, in the dark days of King Richard II, a tailor was riding home on the road from Gilling to Ampleforth. Published in a beautiful small-format hardback, perfect as a Halloween read or a Christmas gift.

A chilling medieval ghost story, retold by bestselling historian Dan Jones.

The tailor and the three dead kings