The Owl Killers

Firstly let me reassure that even at 600 pages, this is a fairly quick, manageable read. It is not overly complicated, and there are not too many complexities with the number of characters or details that need to be kept track of by the reader - it is all pretty straightforward, and it is spelled out.

It is entertaining historical fiction with some interesting gruesomeness, some atmospheric settings and some legitimate-sounding history. There is even a section at the end of the book explaining the history and the background to the story (which I take from ruthlessly for the below).

There are loads of reviews which describe the plot, and while I am not going to be drawn to explain it all... but...
Set in 1321, a particularly interesting period of time in England and Europe. Climatic change is causing widespread droughts, flooding and crop failure. Livestock were subject to new diseases spreading throughout the countryside (thought to be anthrax), and fear and suspicion were rampant. The pope ordered special prayers to be said in church five times a day, and likely tithes were increased at a time where they were least affordable.

People began revolting against the church, and in some cases throwing priests out of their churches and engaged in bizarre cults, and reverting to pagan beliefs.

Against this background a remarkable movement emerged in Europe, which came to be known as the Beguinage communities. Thousands of women who did not wish to marry or take the veil as nuns began to set themselves up in female collectives. The women farmed, engaged in crafts such as weaving, established hospitals, and educated girls. They preached in the streets and translated the bible into the local vernacular, therefore challenging the role of the church. They also challenged the male guilds (often undercutting their prices).


This story revolves around a group of such women who had come across from Flanders to England and established a Beguinage community in a Norfolk village. Here they are resisted by not only the church, but the wealthy landowner and the Owl Masters - anonymous pagan cult leaders who also challenge the church for control over the villagers.

The copy I have is an uncorrected proof, so the infrequent typos are forgiven, but as I said above, the writing style and the way the story plays out is simple - there are no leaps to make, no ambiguous occurrences to keep us guessing, just a linear timeline. I had hoped for a more engaging approach - although the straight forward made for easy, quick reading.
The other minor negative was the voice - each chapter is written in first person narrative. Unfortunately, across all of the characters, there is no variance - they all present in the same way, and there was nothing unique to each character.

Notwithstanding the criticisms above, this is still a good read. It is an engaging story, based in viable history, with interesting characters.
3.5 stars, rounded down.