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Mischief Acts

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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert, read by Jilly Bond, Sean Barrett, James Goode, Kit Griffiths and Sharon Eckman.

A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
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'A work of extraordinary ambition, brilliantly realised’ OBSERVER
'A mesmerising journey down the byways of English folklore' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Verbally dextrous, inventive, and hugely entertaining’ THE TIMES
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Herne the hunter, mischief-maker, spirit of the forest, leader of the wild hunt, hurtles through the centuries pursued by his creator.

A shapeshifter, 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 Sixties 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.
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With its intoxicating, chameleonic voice and boundless imagination, Mischief Acts is British folklore as you’ve never read it before: dangerous, sexy, troubling, daring, savage, an exhilarating race through time and space, weaving together the ancient and the contemporary.

‘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

'Mischief Acts is brimming with magic ... The story of Herne, like the forest itself, transforms, entangles and enchants' LUCY WOOD

'A dazzling new take on an ancient myth, reminding us of the wildness within. I adored it' KERRY ANDREW

'Superb. A work of shimmering allure' IRENOSEN OKOJIE©2022 Zoe Gilbert (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Magical Realism Magic
All stars
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Having enjoyed 'Folk' by the same author, but found it a bit draggy toward the end, I was very happy to find that 'Mischief Acts' did not fall into that category. The range of different voices and narrators kept the narrative fresh, and not too long. The characters were not always likeable, but believable and (largely) human. Even the river godess was allowed to be a flawed individual.
The range of voice actors used was good, and helped the stories to flow well along side one another and the vocal characterisation was excellent.

Absolutely loved it.

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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.

British folklore at its finest

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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

Outstanding narration

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I wasn't sure if this would be me but I like things related to myth and legend so decided to give it a go and I am so glad that I did. The book takes us on a journey through time with Herne the Hunter, from his origins, through various incarnations as the forest is slowly encroached on by man and onwards. I live in South London, and know many of the areas talked of in the book so for me there was an added layer of familiarity and perhaps at times sadness for what has gone. I loved the weaving of real events, places and people with the myth of Herne, and I loved how Herne was characterised: sometimes angry, sometimes malevolent, often an outsider.
The story is told as a series of short tales, that link together to give an overarching theme and was superbly realised by the multiple narrators and the enjoyable and relevant chants and songs between each chapter. Not all the stories are 5 star in themselves, some are definitely better than others but overall they make a very good thought-provoking whole.
This is a book I will listen to again and I may even buy the written version.
Overall 4.5 stars
Narration 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars.

This book is great story telling.

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Zoe Gilbert succeeds brilliantly in reinvigorating the myths of Herne the Hunter and the Wild Hunt. Making these old stories relevant for the reality of our world now when we are facing a climate and biodiversity crisis. Mischief Acts offers an exciting, enchanting vision of a way of being in connection with the more than human world and the wildness in our nature. It was a joy to listen to, helped by the variety of voices and interspersed by fascinating and thought provoking chants. I would thoroughly recommend!

Rewilding an old story

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