
Once Was Willem
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Narrated by:
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Joe Jameson
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By:
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M. R. Carey
About this listen
Presenting an enthrallingly dark medieval fantasy—a fable of twisted folklore, macabre magic and the strangest of found families—from M. R. Carey, author of the million-copy bestseller, The Girl With All the Gifts.
Eleven hundred and some years after the death of Christ, in the kingdom that had but recently begun to call itself England, I, Once Was Willem, rose from the dead to defeat a great evil facing the humble village of Cosham. The words enclosed herein are true.
I speak of monsters and magic, battle and bloodletting, and the crimes of desperate men. I speak also of secret things, of that which lies beneath us and that which impends above. By the time you come to the end of this account you will know the truth of your own life and death, the path laid out for your immortal soul, your origin and your inevitable end.
You will not thank me.
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Critic reviews
"Carey crafts an empathetic portrait of a medieval monster as a young man in this revelatory dark fantasy... Wit and compassion, building to a wonderfully satisfying climax. Powerful, captivating, and occasionally stomach-churning, this quintessential tale of good and evil is sure to win fans." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“In Once Was Willem, M. R. Carey’s gorgeous prose weaves a fable full of dread and wonder, a deeply intelligent and emotionally gripping story boasting one of the nastiest sorcerers you’ll ever meet, and a narrator as inwardly gentle as he is outwardly monstrous. A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction. I love this book. Highest recommendation.” —Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief
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AIKEN MILL, VIRGINIA… A legend-haunted town in Sylvan County, located in a remote, mountainous corner of the state. With its long history of countless deaths and disappearances, Aiken Mill has become known to law enforcement as “The Cold Case Capital of the World.”Now, an unidentified, mutilated body has turned up in the town. During his investigation, Sheriff Bryce Parrott discovers frightening clues that lead him to believe some ghostly force—or entity—may be responsible for the killing.
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Excellent narration of a fantastic story
- By TravisAkron on 04-27-25
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And Put Away Childish Things
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children's books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids' television presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment. An impediment . . . or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn't delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?
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Next Level
- By Amazon Customer on 12-20-24
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The River Has Roots
- By: Amal El-Mohtar
- Narrated by: Gem Carmella
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family. There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk…
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Poetry and murder
- By Sam K on 05-02-25
By: Amal El-Mohtar
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Rose of Jericho
- By: Alex Grecian
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Something wicked is going on in the village of Ascension. A mother wasting away from cancer is suddenly up and about. A boy trampled by a milk cart walks away from the accident. A hanged man can still speak, broken neck and all. The dead are not dying. When Rabbit and Sadie Grace accompany their friend Rose to Ascension to help take care of her ailing cousin, they immediately notice that their new house, Bethany Hall, is occupied by dozens of ghosts. And something is waiting for them in the attic.
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The characters!
- By C. L on 05-04-25
By: Alex Grecian
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The Viking Saint
- Olaf II of Norway
- By: John Carr
- Narrated by: Maria Isabel Pita
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Vikings and sainthood are not concepts normally found side by side. But Norway’s King Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995-1030) embodied both to an extraordinary degree. As a battle-eager teenager he almost single-handedly pulled down London Bridge (as in the nursery rhyme) and took part in many other Viking raids. Olaf lacked none of the traditional Viking qualities of toughness and audacity, yet his routine baptism grew into a burning missionary faith that was all the more remarkable for being combined with his typically Viking determination and energy—and sometimes ruthlessness as well.
By: John Carr
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Two Truths and a Lie
- A Novel
- By: Cory O'Brien
- Narrated by: Tim Lounibos
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In a mostly underwater near-future Los Angeles, aging combat-drone veteran Orr Vue now lives a simple and small life, trading snippets of what's become the most valuable currency: information. So when the cops show up at his door looking for data on a murder he’s not even aware has happened, things get interesting for the first time in 25 years.
By: Cory O'Brien
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Orc-Hoard
- Half-Elven Thief, Book 4
- By: Jonathan Moeller
- Narrated by: Leanne Woodward
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Competitions between thieves always end in betrayal. Rivah Half-Elven has risen high in the Court of the Masked King, the thieves' guild of the imperial city of Tar-Carmatheion. When a powerful wizard demands that the Court obtain a magical relic for him, Rivah and her crew are the obvious choice. But the wizard wants the thieves of the Court to compete for the honor of stealing the relic. Unless Rivah uses all her courage and cunning, she won't be the last one standing.
By: Jonathan Moeller
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A Psalm Sung in Spores: Citadel
- By: John Baltisberger
- Narrated by: Susanna Lloyd
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Equipped with the very best in technology, weaponry, and armor, the Crusaders are an elite galaxy-spanning military organization dedicated to destroying the gods, psychic entities capable of twisting reality on a whim. They traverse the stars in power-suits, dealing death to the tyranny of false deities in the name of freedom and equality. Crusader Enianna Loret has trained her entire life to hunt down these twisted and cruel monsters.
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Such a Packed Story!
- By Megan McFall on 03-26-25
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Haunted by the Neverborn
- By: C. David Belt
- Narrated by: Karen T Miller
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Mari Gwynn possesses a unique gift—the ability to see the lingering spirits of the deceased. But the recently departed aren't the only spirits she can see . . . Seventeen years ago, a demon and his mortal avatar murdered Mari's parents. Defending her younger brother, Mari killed the demon's ally. Ever since that horrible night, the Neverborn has haunted Mari nearly every waking moment, plotting his revenge.
By: C. David Belt
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Rose/House
- By: Arkady Martine
- Narrated by: Raquel Beattie
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is a common thing: a house that is an artificial intelligence, infused with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else. But now Deniau's been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect's will: all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other.
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Bad Plot
- By xon69 on 10-22-24
By: Arkady Martine
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The Fourth Consort
- A Novel
- By: Edward Ashton
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Dalton Greaves is a hero. He’s one of humankind’s first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood. That’s what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that he’s ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreau’s human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldn’t become the next one of Boreau’s crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.
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Loved the Mickey 7 books. But this was bad.
- By s bell on 03-11-25
By: Edward Ashton
What listeners say about Once Was Willem
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Brent
- 03-25-25
Outstanding story and performance!
Loved it all! Highly recommend this story, you won’t be disappointed. Looking forward to the sequel!
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- lisa
- 04-04-25
Great read
I never checked what this was about before starting it. What a fun read. Just as good as The girl with all the gifts!
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- Christopher Koehler
- 03-14-25
A stunning surprise!
This showed up on my list - one of my favorite authors, an unusual story, and my son shares the name of the title character. Well, just Willem. I found the narration brilliant, the story unexpected, and the characters well developed. Absolutely a well written book performed/read well. Thank you Mr’s Carey and Jameson.
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- Benjamin
- 03-25-25
Dark, Magical, and Full of Heart
Carey is at his best with this book! He's always been amazing at creative, dark, and simultaneously human stories (dont miss Girl with All the Gifts, Boy on the Bridge, and The Rampart Trilogy) but he's never gone this hard with the fantastical. I was dubious at first but this kept me glued to the very end. Love love love!
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- Pamela
- 04-24-25
Once Was Willem
I didn't expect to like this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I will listen to it again someday. Another great book from M.R. Carey. Recommended.
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- Joseph F. Answine
- 04-16-25
The story. The writing and the narration. Created a dream that I will likely dream again.
I loved the narration. I love the character characters. The story was old and beautiful.
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- Jeffrey Getzin
- 03-20-25
So good!!!
This is a superb book, full of heart and action and epic doings. Carey is a wonderful wordsmith.
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- PrissyMissy
- 03-27-25
great story
I loved the story; but the voices were a little weird especially the sorcerer. great storyline
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