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Witches of Lychford

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Witches of Lychford

By: Paul Cornell
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
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About this listen

Traveler, cleric, witch.

The villagers in the sleepy hamlet of Lychford are divided. A supermarket wants to build a major branch on their border. Some welcome the employment opportunities while some object to the modernization of the local environment.

Judith Mawson (local crank) knows the truth - that Lychford lies on the boundary between two worlds and that the destruction of the border will open wide the gateways to malevolent beings beyond imagination. But if she is to have her voice heard, she's going to need the assistance of some unlikely allies....

©2015 Paul Cornell (P)2015 Macmillan Audio Fantasy Fiction Magic Users Paranormal Witchcraft Scary City

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Critic reviews

"At once epic and terribly intimate. This is the story of a village, not a city, and all the more powerful for that; not all big fantasy needs an urban setting. Beautifully written, perfectly cruel, and ultimately kind. This is Cornell at the height of his craft." (Seanan McGuire, New York Times best-selling author of the InCryptid and October Daye series)

"Rich in charm...local politics and witchcraft writ small and personal, but large in consequence. [Cornell] adeptly describes the emotion of magic; its effects and internal ignition of wonder. The feel of being exposed to magic for the first time and the feel of doing magic and having it done to you have never been better described in any story." (Bill Willingham, author of Fables and Down the Mysterly River)

"Masterfully creepy and sinister, all the more so for taking place in the beautifully drawn English countryside." (Jenny Colgan, author of Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere)

All stars
Most relevant  
Bought this on a whim and I'm glad I did.

It was a good story, albeit a short story and I think so much more could have been done, expanding into new chapters after the conclusion of this 'episode', going a little more into the lives of the three protagonists, but I was still happy to listen and found the performance of Marisa Calin very pleasant to listen to.
My first Paul Cornell book and I'm happy to say it's not going to be my last. If you have an afternoon free and fancy doing as I did, sitting on the beach or in the garden listening then I highly recommend the Witches of Lychford

Nice afternoon listen

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I prefer the hard boiled procedural of the shadow police - but a nice excursion for Mr Cornell - for those who like Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaranovitch.

enjoyable

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As others have said, it would have made a good novel. I loved the characters and enjoyed the story and would be very happy if the author wrote a sequel!

A thoroughly enjoyable story

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The story and characters are of the sort that Terry Pratchett made his own. A sort of cut price Granny Weatherwax meets occult planners in a village which is a gateway between worlds. No real surprises but it is very well read and so worth a listen.

Well read modern occult

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If you could sum up Witches of Lychford in three words, what would they be?

Magical, fascinating, engaging.

What other book might you compare Witches of Lychford to, and why?

Somewhere between Terry Pratchetts' Witches and Midsommer murders. ... or 'The Famous three go mad in Lychford'

Which character – as performed by Marisa Calin – was your favourite?

Judith - she is a grumpy old superstar - think of a rural Maggie Smith

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The subtle humour in the book was excellent - especially the reference to lesbianism. Absolute gold!

Any additional comments?

Marisa Calin was a really good reader.

Another excellent offering from Paul Cornell

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I love the amazing worlds within worlds that Paul Cornell creates & transports you to. & the wonderful choice of such talented sympathetic voice artists who read his works, always seem like the perfectly considered performers.. He has fast become one of my favourite authors & I eagerly await any new works from him & Ben Aaronovich, if you like Ben, you’ll like Paul.. or perhaps, love him as I do... xxxx

Love Everything by this Author, highly recommend!

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I enjoyed this story and the narrator really draws you in, she has the perfect voice forthe story and her delivery is a joy to listen to.
I have listened to the next two books in the series and whilst the stories are good, I was disappointed to find the narrator changed for each book, neither fitting as well as the first. In hindsight, if I had realised the narrator would change I would have opted to read the the physical book. It is quite jarring to hear the characters read in such wildly different styles and in the third book the character's accents become blurred and intertwine making it a little difficult to follow in places.

Enjoyable Story, Great Narration

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A beautiful story made even better by the reading done by Marisa Calin. Highly recommended short story - for me even better literary performance than the regular series Paul Cornell is famous for.

Fantasy and reality in a beautiful mix!

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What did you like most about Witches of Lychford?

A great autumnal listen and a fantasy for our times. The story has blended flavours of Good Omens, The Sugar Queen & a Guardian Column by Owen Jones. A small town on the cross-roads of reality, a diverse trio of strong women including a bereaved Reverend, an elderly witch and a skeptic who was abducted by the fey stand in the way of all life collapsing. If you are not a fan of big business and austerity and do enjoy a good fantasy with a predictable but not too tidy end, I recommend this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was a story that was easy to listen to in one or two sittings.

A Timely Fantasy

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Couldn't sleep, so I picked this up. I found The story to be darkly gripping, short and sweet, the characters distinct with there own tale to tell. The narration provided by Marisa Calin added that extra sense of for-boding to the atmosphere. It kept me awake, that's all I'm saying. I liked it.

A fun read, well worth my credit

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