Once Was Willem
Mar 2025 · Sold by Orbit
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11 reviews
Ebook
320
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About this ebook
From the international bestselling author of The Girl with All the Gifts comes a wildly original and enthrallingly dark medieval fantasy unlike anything you've read before – a fable of twisted folklore, macabre magic, and the strangest of found families.
"A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction." – Christopher Buehlman, author of Between Two Fires
"A wild fever dream – monstrous and beautiful." – Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway
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.
"It's been a long time since a book has reached out and just entirely enveloped me in its world the way Once Was Willem did. Astounding, and I loved every moment of it." – RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships
"A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction." – Christopher Buehlman, author of Between Two Fires
"A wild fever dream – monstrous and beautiful." – Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway
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.
"It's been a long time since a book has reached out and just entirely enveloped me in its world the way Once Was Willem did. Astounding, and I loved every moment of it." – RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships
From the international bestselling author of The Girl with All the Gifts comes a wildly original and enthrallingly dark medieval fantasy unlike anything you've read before – a fable of twisted folklore, macabre magic, and the strangest of found families.
"A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction."...
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Ratings and reviews
11 reviews
Sarah Cameron
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November 6, 2025
The premise of this book seemed cool, and all the characters you meet at the beginning seem interesting as well, but I dunno, the ending was fine, but was a little unsatisfying. All the world and character building at the beginning was great, but the plot sort of felt a bit meh? I really wanted to like it more!
Aaron Gibson
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December 22, 2025
I don't know what to say about this book, other than that I really liked it. usually when I write a review I try to compare it to something that is already familiar, but this book defies comparison. Well, either that or I just haven't read any other books like it. I like how this book draws on certain mythology and especially how it uses old English words that are not in use any more but you can relate them to language we use today. the antagonist is a truly rotten bastard that must have taken great imagination to conjure, but he is also all too familiar.
About the author
M. R. Carey has been making up stories for most of his life. His novel The Girl With All the Gifts was a USA Today bestseller and is a major motion picture based on his BAFTA-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs on X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel's flagship superhero titles. His creator-owned books regularly appear in the New York Times bestseller list. He also has several previous novels, two radio plays, and a number of TV and movie screenplays to his credit.
M. R. Carey has been making up stories for most of his life. His novel The Girl With All the Gifts was a USA Today bestseller and is a major motion picture based on his BAFTA-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs...
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