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Mischief Acts
- Narrated by: James Goode, Jilly Bond, Kit Griffiths, Sean Barrett, Sharon Eckman
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
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Mischief Acts
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert, read by James Goode, Jilly Bond, Kit Griffiths, Sean Barrett and Sharon Eckman.
Herne - the hunter, mischief-maker, spirit of the forest, leader of the wild hunt - hurtles through the centuries pursued by his creator.
A shape-shifter, Herne dons many guises as he slips and ripples through time - at candlelit Twelfth Night revels, at the spectacular burning of the Crystal Palace, at an acid-laced '60s party. Wherever he goes, transgression, debauch and enchantment always follow in his wake.
But as the forest is increasingly encroached upon by urban sprawl and gentrification and the world slides into crisis, Herne must find a way to survive - or exact his revenge.
With its intoxicating chameleonic voice and boundless imagination, Mischief Acts is British folklore as you’ve never heard it before: dangerous, sexy, troubling, daring, savage, an exhilarating race through time and space, weaving together the ancient and the contemporary.
Critic reviews
"Mischief Acts is a deeply lyrical, century-spanning polyphony of voices; a dazzling new take on an ancient myth, reminding us of the wildness within. I adored it." (Kerry Andrew)
"A dark-dazzling archive of enchantments, pursuit and desire." (Eley Williams)
"This is the most adventurous, stylistically magnificent thing I’ve read for years. Nobody does fantasy like Zoe Gilbert." (Natasha Pulley)
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What listeners say about Mischief Acts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Jackson
- 23-04-23
British folklore at its finest
Fantastic book with interwoven and fantastically narrated stories.
It is a strange, if not, beautiful tale of human vs nature.
Personally I felt part 1 is where this book shines, part 2 and 3 are equally well told but due to the stories being distinct rather than 1 overarching narrative, one can’t help but judge chapters and I felt some of the later chapters were not as strong.
Also, if English is not your first language, this will be a very difficult book but worthwhile reading.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of folklore, poetry, or who appreciates English literature but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to everybody.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Francine
- 14-01-23
Outstanding narration
This was so good and I am so glad I read and listened to the audiobook together, the performances were outstanding and definitely enhanced the stories - highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AnnaBanya
- 11-09-23
Extraordinary
Incredible story-telling, narrated impeccably. I’m going right back to the beginning to listen again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ydun
- 22-04-23
Myths through time
I do love mythical storytelling and the string of recurrencies over time (as in Rutherfurd's historical novels). The narrators all do wonderful work, too.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-12-23
An answer to the question where do fairies come from?
One of the challenges in addressing British mythology is that it has become swallowed up in cliches and commecialism. This book takes a single character and follows his evolution over time. Zoe Gilbert shows us the dark origins of folk mythology, how it became fantasy and how dark spectres of death evolve into diminutive mischief makers and beyond. Though not overtly stated, this book successfully gives us a history lesson in folk lore and fairy through compelling narratives. The narration is also great. Sean Barrett deserves special mention for his gravelly tones!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 04-12-22
A unique experience.
A fascinating book that shifts between different styles with each chapter. It is quite unlike anything I have read previously and I enjoyed it immensely. The different narrators kept things fresh and the quality of writing is top drawer stuff.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-08-23
Loved this
Interesting, intelligent tale telling. Beautifully narrated by a talented ensemble.
Myth made modern.
Thank you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- V. O'Regan
- 27-03-22
A wonderful collection of stories
This was an excellent collection of stories inspired by the myth of Herne
Especially appreciated the chants that interspersed each story
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-04-23
SERIOUSLY UNUSUAL
Didn't know what to expect but I did enjoy this unusual series of tales about Herne, in the many and varied guises and disguises over the centuries. Beautifully narrated by all though I wasn't all that keen on the folk song sections, but that's just me.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 27-12-22
A Sublime Listening Experience
Zoe Gilbert has written a gloriously imaginative novel, mixing folklore, history and song
in a series of disparate stories featuring the Lord of Misrule and Mischief, Herne the Hunter. It is a thoroughly engaging read,1 but this is one occasion where I would also really recommend the audio book. Each story is read by a different narrator from a superb cast. The songs and rhymes are delivered with great panache. Above all, these tales really lend themselves to a rich, thoroughly engaging, listening experience. I would give it 6 stars in all areas of I could. If you are new to audio books you could give this one a try. I don't think you will regret it.
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