This is more of a historical documents that a ghost story.
The forward gives an interesting account of the background, explaining who wrote it, when and where the story was found and then translated.
At the end there is a copy of the original Latin.

Most of the historical novels we read are from the late 18th and 19th centuries. The rules of etiquette and society can be bemusing while characters express themselves different but they are still set in the age of science, post-industrial revolution.
This story is from the 15th century, even before Shakespeare and about the same time as Chaucer.

Although the story line sounds like something from a paranormal fantasy, there is nothing fantastical in the tone of the narrative.
Despite the Three Kings in the titles this is the story of a simple tailor who has no doubt his visions are truly visitations from evil forces. He also has no doubt that his problem will be solved if he pays a small fortune to a couple of corrupt clergy in order for them to provide a small amount of magical, mystical writing.
Most of the stories in history are written about kings and rich noblemen, this short tale gives a little insight into the life of an ordinary person in the 15th century. And yes, a monk scribbling down stories in the back of a manuscript made the priests in his story corrupt and greedy.

Not really a ghost story but well worth a read.

Firstly I would like to say thank you to netgalley The publisher and the author for allowing me access to this eARC.

Apologies For the late review

This is a modernised Story from historical ghost stories and I think this guy did really well and modernising it and creating a more in-depth story but I don’t think historical books are for me although this was interesting

Our tale begins with the tailor named Snowball and his horse Borin traveling home from Gilling to Ampleforth one November night. All of a sudden, Snowball is attacked by a raven that transforms into a grotesque dog. The dog gives Snowball a mission that only he can complete, to find a specific priest to ask for absolution for a criminal with no name and whose crime we do not know. There will be consequences if he does not return to the same spot where he has met the dog.
Chilling! Loved it

Ghost Stories from the 12th Century, as transcribed by medieval monks who has a little extra space at the end of a transcript.
I got this from NetGalley, and while not especially scary to modern tastes, I can imagine in a more superstitious time this was the Stephen King equivalent.

I enjoyed reading about the provenance of these stories, how the current author rejigs and retells the original modern publication of the 1920's. It is thought-provoking to think my ancestors may have been enthralled by these stories.

Overall, a nice insight into the entertainment of the time, and adds some colour and flavour to what we routinely think of as the Dark Ages.

A dark medieval ghost story with a great introduction about the history that is probably more interesting than the actual story. Written by an unknown monk at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire around 1400AD, then found in the British museum and transcribed from Latin by MR James. A nicely presented book.

A strange tale from a Monk in the 1400's who was residing at Byland Abbey in North Yorkshire.
A Ghost story of that I'm not sure hence only 4 Stars ,as I did not find it at all scary or spine chilling !just a folk tale like many that was told apparently about anything they couldn't fully explain. Byland Abbey is a beautiful if some what hauntingly charged place in Ryedale on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, which in themselves lead to many Ghostly Tales. Dan Jones has given us a taste of this tale from the Middle Ages transcribed from it's original Latin text into English . #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram ,#Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

I love ghost stories so was very happy when I received this ARC. I particularly enjoyed the author’s notes on the background of the story and how he came across it. However, it is such a short story that most of it has been told in the introduction and by the time you get to the actual text you feel somewhat short handed.

My thanks to Head of Zeus Apollo for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings’ by Dan Jones in exchange for an honest review.

During the reign of Richard II Snowball, a tailor, was riding home on a wet, gloomy night. Then he is knocked off his horse by a raven, who then transforms into a hideous dog. The dog orders Snowball to seek out a priest and ask for absolution … or else.

This medieval ghost story was first recorded in the early 15th century by an unknown monk. In 1922 M.R. James, medievalist and ghost story writer, discovered a number of fragmented supernatural tales at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire and transcribed them from the Latin.

Historian Dan Jones has provided an introduction followed by his own retelling of this creepy medieval ghost story. This is followed by a short history of Byland Abbey and finally the Latin text, edited and annotated by M.R. James.

This is a very short book. I would have thought that retelling a number of the stories discovered by James at Byland Abbey would have given it more substance, though from Jones’ Introduction it appears that Snowball’s story was the longest and most complete.

Overall, I enjoyed this retelling and appreciated the background provided by Dan Jones.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

It may be a slim volume but Dan Jones has made a great job of retelling this story. He has taken a six hundred year old, strange ‘ghost’ story (originally discovered and translated from the Latin by M.R. James) and retold it in what is a very modern way, with crisp, clear prose (a little reminiscent of Neil Gaiman) but giving the impression of age and antiquity whilst ramping up the strange, otherworldliness of the story.

I have read the original ‘verbatim’ translation (not the original Latin!) and by comparison, to modern ears, it reads like a sketch of a story, an outline. But the finished story as contained in this publication, whilst only lightly fleshed-out and sticking closely to the original text, reads in a wonderfully weird and very atmospheric way.

But being an historian, the author has not just left it there but has given a detailed background to the writing and discovery of the original manuscript along with a facsimile of the document and the Latin text, edited and annotated by M.R. James, which in itself is fascinating and is a great addition to the ghost story.

This is a great little book, but I would love to see all fourteen of these discovered tales translated and indeed, reimagined by Dan Jones in a single volume. That would really be worth reading.

Perhaps it's the historian in me, but ghost stories from the past are much spookier than modern ones. The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is a Medieval story written by a Medieval monk - in Latin, no less - that has been updated by the modern historian Dan Jones. The best of both worlds.

​In a time when ghosts, superstition and all things supernatural ruled over just about everything else, it's easy to imagine this story being told over the fire and frightening everyone to death. Jones does a perfect job of making this modern enough to be enthralled in the tale while still keeping the Medieval elements. It helps to read it by candle light.

As with all great ghost stories, a tailor is travelling along a dark road at night in winter, alone on horseback. After hearing eerie sounds a grotesque raven hits him. It quickly transforms into a gory dog that gives him a challenge with an ultimatum. At the heart of this is the ghost of a criminal, who shall not be named. Brilliant imagery and Medieval horrors and chills.

The story is a very short one, but the book is supported by the history of the abbey and the background to the tale, including the Latin version for those who wish to translate it for themselves. A small format book making this a collectable for the connoisseur of history or ghost stories. Recommended for those who love real folklore and history.

In the 12th century, monks transcribing texts by Cicero and various Christian theologists left some blank pages at the end of their transcript. These blank pages were filled with 12 medieval ghost stories by an unnamed monk in the 15th century. Most were a few lines long and the longest was the story of Snowball the tailor.

In the early 1920s, an academic and noted ghost story writer in his own right, MR James, found this centuries-old manuscript and copied down the ghost stories appended at the end of it, publishing them to a wider readership for the first time. Cut to 2020 and Dan Jones finds these stories and decides to retell the story of Snowball the tailor for a modern 21st century audience. And so we have this modest volume: The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings.

So, how was this medieval ghost story? Look, I get it. They didn’t have Squid Game or TikTok in the Middle Ages so the bar for entertainment was hella low. I’ve read The Canterbury Tales so I wasn’t expecting to be that blown away. Still, this is one unremarkable story - the backstory of it is more entertaining than the actual content!

All that happens is Snowball and his horse Borin meet a spooky raven, a green talking dog and a ghost of a king and that’s it. Zzz… The only moment that stirred me from the stupor the story had me in was when I realised I’d finished it and there was nothing more to it!

I’m sure the original text is even duller (and the original Latin transcript is included for any psychos out there who want to read it) and that Jones did what he could to jazz up the story while still remaining true to the subject matter, but it’s still the most forgettable of stories that barely figures as a ghost story. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone except as a sleep aid.

I have read a few of Dan Jones’ books to get a grip of his style. He’s known for his historical nonfiction and he writes with an informative and immersive flow that really puts him above most other historians I’ve read. He can really craft a scene that brings the past to life, so when I discovered he was releasing a fiction story I had to see how well his talents translates.

This tale is a retelling of M.R James’ short story, who transcribed the original text from an unknown monk at Byland Abbey. James is well known as a ghost-story writer, so Jones had a lot to live up to. It’s a perfect Halloween read you can finish in one sitting, and Jones doesn’t disappoint in his writing capabilities.

However, I think the history of the book is more interesting than the take itself. It’s just too short to bring out the creepiness that it needed to thrive on. It’s definitely entertaining, but it needed to be longer to set out the scene and atmosphere.

I still recommend this if you’re a fan of Dan Jones. I do hope he writes more fiction in the future, because I would definitely read it.

Curiosity brought me to this book. In particular, I was curious about whether a story written in the early fifteenth century would stand up to modern day expectations of a ghost story. I also wondered about the 'translation' of the book - not only from the original Latin in the 1920s but what Dan Jones would bring to the retelling. Finally, I wanted to know whether it would be entertaining, or more a curio of literature from the past.

To answer my questions - it meets some of the expectations for a modern audience and Dan Jones has done a good job of making it entertaining and coherent.

The story is about a tailor, Snowball, who is travelling home between Gilling and Ampleforth on a dark and cold night. His journey is interrupted when he is knocked off his horse by a raven which then becomes a dog and sets him a challenge. He is tasked with seeking absolution from a priest and returning to the road - and failure will have desperate consequences.

For modern audiences, the principle of a raven and a spirit dog being scary might seem unlikely and far-fetched. However, Jones has presented these elements of the tale well - the raven is grotesque with broken wings, yet able to launch a violent attack on Snowball. The dog is horrific, described in terms of blood puddings, rotten meat and maggots churning in a brantub. It's gruesome and deeply unsettling - even, I think, to a reader used to 21st century horror films. I'm not sure which bits of description are by Dan Jones and which can be attributed to the monk who wrote the story down in the first place - not that it matters as the effect is absolutely bang on target,

Where Jones seems to have his work cut out for him is in the structuring of the story. The other elements - characters, description, setting, spirits - are fine, but the story itself is very short and ends rather abruptly. As this isn't something Jones can fix while remaining true to the original, it is a bit of an anti-climax.

This is a very short book with an introduction by Dan Jones (interesting), the story itself, a history of Byland Abbey (where the story was written - again, interesting) and the text in the original Latin (less interesting as I don't have a clue where to start with it, although there are a few English notes that are illuminating).

Overall, I think this is a lively retelling of an old story - a story that perhaps doesn't meet our expectations in terms of narrative structure, but is vivid and absorbing nevertheless. It's a worthy addition to a canon of ghost stories from throughout the ages and I'm glad Dan Jones has brought this to the attention of a modern reader.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a copy of The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings by Dan Jones. This is a very slight book with a good deal of it taken up with the introduction and the notes at the back of the book, which also include a copy of the Latin text that it originated from. I enjoyed the author’s interpretation of the story but I personally feel that it would have presented rather better in a book of short stories than being a stand-alone as it seemed rather too slight for the amount of explanations surrounding it.

This is a perfectly spooky tale for Halloween. In the late 1300s a tailor named Snowball is on his way home to Ampleforth from Gilling. On his ride home though, he suddenly hears some strange noises coming from a stream. The noise soon starts to enter his head before showing itself to be a terrifying raven that looks half dead. With his horse spooked and darkness surrounding him, Snowball encounters more than just the raven, he encounters a spirit, one who gives him a task he cannot refuse.

I was really excited when I first heard about this book. Based on real accounts that were written by an unknown monk in at Byland Abbey in late the 14thor early 15th century, which contained spooky supernatural encounters that the local people believed to have had at the time, this book contains one of these tales, an encounter that a tailor with the surname Snowball had on his way home one night from Gilling to Ampleforth. The book contains both the original story, which has been retold and embellished a little, and is accompanied by an interesting introduction to how the author found out about these stories, as well as more at the end of the book.

The story itself is quite short, but is truly spooky. I’ve always been fascinated with medieval times and the things people feared, but the encounters that Snowball has with a spirit is quite terrifying. The beginning instantly sets the mood and the creepy atmosphere of this tale and it isn’t long before we read about the scary spirit that Snowball encounters and what it wants him to do. I won’t spoil the story as it is quite short but the tale was good and I found myself so engrossed in it until the ending which, unfortunately, was not as good as I had hoped. Though the story itself is based on what was really put into the Byland Abbey records, it does end abruptly and in a way that didn’t make as much sense to me as the rest of the tale, almost as if a page was missing and I was left feeling disappointed that it hadn’t ended in a more exciting way. While the real Byland Abbey account may have ended in this way, I couldn’t help but wish that the author had done more for his retelling. He does mention in his introduction that he did add a little to the story, but I do think that given how flat and abrupt the ending is, that maybe he could have embellished the ending more for modern readers.

After the introduction and the story itself there are notes about the real Byland Abbey in Yorkshire and also the original Latin version of the tale, as it was recorded by a monk. Although probably most people reading this may not be able to read the Latin, like me, it is worth scrolling through these pages as there are notes made in English which help to make more sense of the story including information on why certain names are left blank in the text. The book also features some medieval style illustrations at the start of each chapter which were nice to see as well as a picture of the original Latin version as it was scrawled onto by the monk, which I liked. While the descriptions in the story are a little spooky, it’s not too terrifying for most readers. There’s nothing really offensive just a few slightly more creepy descriptions of the spirits Snowball encounters.

This is a short book which I managed to finish in just over an hour so the story itself isn’t too long. The tale itself is really good and I just love the fact that this is based on an account that someone in the past believed had happened. While the story and the information about the Abbey was interesting, I couldn’t help but be disappointed with the ending, and given how short this book is (at less 100 pages) I just felt like I wanted more which is why I’ve marked it down in my rating. Maybe if the other eleven Byland Abbey supernatural tales had been included which the monk had origianally written, even though they are apparently shorter than this one, it would have felt like a more satisfying read, but this book on its own just feel too short and I just wanted there to be more.

Didn’t realise this was just a short story, that was probably my fault. Had read good things about the author and thought I would give it a try. Not for me I’m afraid.

This is a retelling of a story first recorded in the 15th century. I own several of Jones’ books but hadn’t read any of those. Not gonna lie; one of the biggest reasons for reading was to actually read one of his books… This is also his first fiction book. At 96 pages, including the introduction, it’s a very short book. It also includes the original Latin text.

I guess the book is great for Halloween, spooky but not really scary.

A chilling medieval ghost story that likely sent shivers down the spines of the original audience may feel lacklustre in our modern existence with 5K HDR special effects and graphic violence. What should we expect from 1400AD?

I love Dan Jones's introduction giving the background behind this story, which is one of a few, ancient stories unearthed by M.R. James in the 1920s. The history is the fascinating bit for me as is the story, which enjoyed a light fleshing out by our esteemed author. Maybe not so scary for us but imagine living in medieval times and hearing this as you sit by a dying fire with the chill nipping at the back of your neck.

This is a kind of translation of a medieval ghost story and as such it has an alien quality to it that is very compelling as you are literally looking through time and getting inside the minds of the people who would have listened and responded to this story centuries ago. It is of course full of religious themes as you would expect and some of the very disturbing imagery of strange beasts that you see in medieval manuscripts. It ends on an oddly unfinished note that leaves you with a sense that there was more to tell and more to know. It is here that I think the author could have taken some liberties and woven a more complete story for the modern reader.

The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is a medieval ghost story that was immortalised in the early fifteenth century. Dan Jones has based his retelling upon the original Latin scripture of the story. You can feel the authentic, old-time feel to the storytelling. The dialogue, the mannerisms, and the interpretations were at one with the story being told. The introduction sets up the story nicely and pushes you to think more deeply about the time in which the tale Is told. The story flowed beautifully even if it was super short.

A tailor called Snowball. A curious type of chap. He did bite off more than he could chew in this story. Although it is extremely tame compared to the horror that I find myself reading, this would have been very much out there in terms of storytelling in its day. Snowball is knocked off his horse by a savage raven. The raven then transforms itself into a monstrous dog and sets him off on a horrifying journey. I enjoyed the imagery, and the language and was excited to go along for the ride with poor Snowball.

It’s a great wee story for Halloween and takes no time at all to read, I had consumed this story within an hour. It was truly enjoyable with enough moments of horror and disbelief to keep me engaged until the very last page. The cover is stunning and any horror and history buffs will relish this quick tale.