The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings - Dan Jones

The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings 

Review by Andrea

Rating 9/10

Like with all of Dan's book I pre-order them as soon as I know that I am able to. This one was no different, but this one has a fun story behind it. I originally pre-ordered on Amazon as at the time it was easier. A few weeks before it was due to be released Dan announced that he was doing some signed copies for Waterstones and if ordered from them would get a signed copy. I straight away cancelled the order with Amazon and ordered from Waterstones instead and all because I preferred to get a signed copy. 

I was so exited for this book that I managed to read it all within a few days. It also helped that the book is only 96 pages long, but the story is only 51 pages long. The rest of the pages tell the story of how Dan found this long lost story and what he decided to do with it. The last few pages tell the history of Byland Abbey. For those that know Dan and his normal books will know that this isn't the sort of thing that he writes, so in a way this is in part his first novel, but at the same time it's not.

One Halloween Dan was looking for a ghost story to tell his kids and he could remember some stories being in the British Library. The ghost stories from Byland Abbey he found by accident and once started reading them he decided that they needed to be told and put out into the world. He was drawn to one story in particular which would later become this book. Dan wanted to keep it as a medieval ghost story, but at the same time wanted to add his own spin on it, so he added a few characters and padded out the story a bit more. The rest was kept the same and where the monks who wrote the story censored some names, Dan has kept that the same. He made this story more of a retelling than anything else. 

The story takes place during the reign of King Richard II during the 1400's. On a gloomy dark night a local tailor, called Snowball, is riding home from Ampleforth after completing a days work. Snowball seems to hate the spooky winter months and can't wait to get home in front of a fire. Along his way home he encounters a raven that throws him from his horse, Borin, and then transforms into a sinister dog. It turns out that the dog is a member of the community who has recently died, but is restless due to committing sins in his life. The dog issues Snowball with a warning, he needs to go to a priest and ask for absolution and then return to the road and to the dog with the absolution so he can have eternal rest. Along the road there are two other spirits and if Snowball fails to return to the same point without completing the take he will suffer the consequences for the other spirits. 

Because I read this so quickly I need to sit and read this again, but this time slower and taking the story in a bit more. For those that know me will know that I love everything Dan does and this was no exception. I had never heard of these stories before and thanks to this book I now wish to find out more about them and the history that surrounds them. I gave a copy of this book to my chiropractor to give to his young daughter to help her follow a path in history. I hope that maybe the rest of the stories that were written alongside this one will be given a new lease of life.