If you're looking for a short Halloween story to give you a little chill, this is not a bad place to start. It's a medieval tale retold by the historian Dan Jones (aka. my historian crush). I enjoyed the introduction about how the story was re-found and I liked the writing, which mixed modern with medieval.

This was very short and sweet. I enjoyed the introductory story behind the story and the tale itself was entertaining, if a little insubstantial.

The following review has been posted to Goodreads under my username ‘retoldbyrebecca’

“I find it rare that the synopsis of a book matches it’s essence, but there is no better description for this work than “a chilling medieval ghost story”. Dan Jones gives us his take on the work of M. R. James, who in turn drew from the unnerving tales written in Latin by a monk from Yorkshire, roughly 1400 AD.

We follow Snowball, a tailor who is minding his own bloody business when a spirit demands that he assist him. Snowball gets the sense that he has no choice but to oblige.

This story is perfectly paced and just creepy enough that I will be hesitant to look a goat in the eyes any time soon. Initially this would have been four stars from me because I felt the style choices were a bit too jarring, but having read the introduction and other included notes I’ve decided that they add more in charm than they take away from the reading experience. Again, as described, a perfect Halloween read.”

This is a chilling medieval ghost story, retold by historian Dan Jones. I enjoyed reading it but I didn't love it. The writing style was my favourite part.

I’ve read/listened to a couple of Dan Jones’s non-fiction books and found them really entertaining as well as interesting which is not a given for history books. I think this is his first foray into fiction and I hope it’s not his last – it’s very readable and short enough to be read in one sitting. Adapted by Jones from an old folk tale discovered by M. R. James in a manuscript he found in the British Museum’s Royal collection, The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is soaked in the atmosphere of a Yorkshire November, mist and shadows at every turn. Like James’s stories, it leaves the reader with both a sense of unease and unanswered questions. If the PDF proof, with its beautiful edge designs and historiated initials, is anything to go by, the hard copy promises to be a treat to hold. I’m off to bed with all the lights on; I shan’t be looking inside a dog’s mouth any time soon.

A retelling of a short medieval ghost story, the story itself makes up only about half of this little book, easily readable in half an hour. It's a creepy and atmospheric tale and the accompanying introduction and historical background to the story are interesting additions, but I suspect that the quarter of the book taken up by the Latin transcription of the original story are of limited interest considering most people don't seem to know much Latin beyond "Caecilius est in horto."

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Here’s a little oddity that may be just right for Halloween.

As this story is written by a historian, it is perhaps fitting that I begin here with some context. The Introduction to this book tells of the legendary ghost-story writer M. R. James in the 1920’s in his day-job role as scholar finding a reference in the British Museum to a book containing a dozen medieval ghost stories. Written down in about 1400 AD by a monk at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire, James got the original manuscript, copied them out and translated them into contemporary English.

By then James’s own work had been published in three collections of his own, although these weird and wonderful medieval stories were, he thought, worthy of publication as much as his own work – he wrote in the English Historical Review “…I did not find them disappointing. I hope others will agree that they deserve to be published.”

And for fans of M. R. James’s work, like myself, that might be enough to pique your interest.

In this short book we have one of those stories, the longest, presented to us in a form palatable to modern readers*. They are, as Jones suggests in his Introduction, “closer to reportage than polished homilies: they are folk tales, circulated by the ordinary people who lived around Byland Abbey in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.”

The author has not tampered “with the structure or the outline, but just flesh(ed) it out here and there, developing characters a little, inventing some, even: colouring in where the Byland monk had left only sketches, and making the piece, for want of a better term, ‘my own.’ “

The story involves a tailor named Snowball and his horse Borin. The name Snowball (albeit as “Snawball”) is in the original tale, Borin not – to my mind, the names sound like they should be the other way around! Whilst travelling along the road from Gilling to Ampleforth, they meet a raven and then a huge dog who demands that in return for his life Snowball must go to York and ask a priest to absolve the dog-spirit, for he is a really a sinner from Snowball’s past who was buried in un-consecrated ground. The rest of the story is about what Snowball does.

It may be tempting when taking an older book to reinvent it with some stylistic touches of the modern prose or perhaps invoke some sort of cod-Medieval “Ye Olde Englysshe” to generate the mood of an old folk-tale. Here Dan has attempted to convey “the marvellous spirit of the original”, managing to make the story be relatable to modern readers whilst still retaining the feel of Medieval England. Whatever it’s origin, it works pretty well.
What this version of the story does is give modern readers a glimpse into the medieval world – a place where people were generally God-fearing, who would live in fear of things in the dark, at night.
It’s also a story that I think would work read aloud. Dan says in his illuminating Introduction that he discovered the Byland stories when he was looking for something from the Middle Ages to read to his children for Halloween 2020 and was then inspired to write this as well. I could imagine people having this read to them at Halloween, or as was typical of M. R. James, at Christmas, sat around a candle, as much as I can see it being enjoyed by modern readers.

It is rather short, and I would be interested in Dan or some other author expand on the other eleven stories in the same way, although some of them are very short, amounting to little more than a paragraph. To fill this book out, there’s the Introduction I’ve already mentioned, a photo of part of the original manuscript and some background to Byland Abbey, where they were originally discovered. For those who wish to practice their Latin, there’s a Latin-translated version at the end with notations in English. They’re not essential but they give the reader an idea of context and the background.

In summary then, The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is an interesting glimpse into a world that almost reads as Fantasy today. I found that the origins and background to the story were as intriguing as the story itself, which creates a nice little shiver and then allows the reader to move on. One for readers looking for a brief, classic read at Halloween.

*The original version of all 12 stories, both in Latin and in English translation, are also here: http://www.bylandghosts.com

This is an incredibly creepy, dark, gothic and chilling retelling that I loved. I had never heard of it before but after reading about the backstory it made me adore it even more and just added to the creepiness of the book. It was so chilling that i had goosebumps whilst reading it, a great read.

Discovered in a set of Latin manuscripts dating from the year 1400 by celebrated ghost story writer M. R James in the early 1920s, “The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings” has been reimagined in a vivid and evocative little book by historian Dan Jones.
It tells the story of Snowball the tailor who has a supernatural experience with various spectral animals on his ride home to Ampleforth in the winter of 1400. He is tasked with absolving the soul of a condemned criminal, who is never named. The language of the story is rooted in the god-fearing ethos of its age. Reminiscent of “A Christmas Carol” in parts, it is both horrific and funny - “earthy” is probably the best way to describe it. It could have been a particularly spooky instalment from the Canterbury Tales. The language used means this isn’t a story for children. The original story in Latin is included in the book along with a note on Byland Abbey where the original stories were written.
This is a chilling, haunting story that lingers long in the memory thanks to the simplicity of the original tale and the vivid reworking by Dan Jones.

What an excellent stocking filler or 'Mystery Santa' present the hard back of this would be.

The version I had was electronic but the illustrations (rather stylish woodcuts), length and authority of Dan Jones make it a winner.

Basically, its a rewrite of a medieval ghost/horror story.

I will buy a couple of copies for male friends for Christmas. I don't know why but feel it a masculine book.

Curious little story from the Middle Ages; which would definitely appeal to lovers of off-beat ghost stories. It is not horrific, but unnerving, and another reason not to enter a wood after dark!!

Read at home, during daylight.

With thanks to NetGallery and Head of Zeus for an ARC.

The medieval ghost story on which The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is based was first recorded in the early fifteenth century by an unknown monk and transcribed from the Latin by the great medievalist and author, M.R. James in 1922. The book is Dan Jones’ own retelling of the story.

I confess I found this a curious little book not least because the actual story takes up only a small part of it. The rest of the book is made up of an introduction, in which Dan Jones relates how he first became aware of the story and M.R. James’ transcription of it, and a historical note about Byland Abbey where the story was first recorded. Most strangely, the book also contains the text of the original story – in Latin. I suspect only Latin scholars will find this of much interest, although the inclusion of M.R. James’s annotations on the text (in English) is an interesting feature.

It was the mention of M.R. James that first drew me to the book as, like Dan Jones, watching one of the BBC adaptations of his ghost stories was a Christmas tradition in our house. Without having access to M.R. James’s original transcription of the story it’s quite hard to judge what Dan Jones has changed or added to his version. It certainly has some vivid images, such as Snowball the tailor’s encounter with a great dog, described as smelling of ‘pure and ceaseless death and of the scuttling things that live in the permanent dark’. This demonic figure brought to mind Night of the Demon, the film version of the M.R. James story ‘Casting The Runes’; the steps Snowball takes in order to protect himself whilst doing the spirit’s bidding made me think of certain scenes in Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out.

Although The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings has some ghoulish moments, I wouldn’t say it was especially scary, certainly not as spine-tingling as some of M.R. James’s ghost stories such as ‘The Mezzotint’, ‘Oh, Whistle, And I’ll Come To You, My Lad’ or ‘The Ash-Tree’. Judging by the pictures I’ve seen, the hardcover edition of the book would make an attractive and unusual gift.

A wonderful little medieval horror story, effectively translated and adapted by Dan Jones for a modern audience. Excellently designed, too, with beautiful illustrations and medieval-style illustrated letters. Perfect for what it is.

An interesting curiosity. It had lots of atmosphere but seemed oddly incomplete. This surprised me since the author’s note at the start (which explained the story’s history) had made a point of stressing that it was a re-telling so I was expecting more elaboration and greater closure.

I enjoyed this book but more for its historical interest than anything else. I imagine it will work well as a beautifully illustrated Christmas gift, but as a Kindle book it is too short to be anything more than an hour's entertainment.

Interesting historical setting of a very short ghost story. Unless you can read Latin the 'book' takes little more than 15 minutes to read. As a complementary ARC, I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I would actually buy it.

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

I really enjoyed the narrative of Dan Jones explaining the history of this short tale. The story itself was short , but somewhat entertaining and of its time.

I really enjoyed this and devoured it in one sitting ( which is a cause of some criticism for other reviewers., I know) It was entirely weird and wonderful, spooky and chilling. I loved the introduction and the Latin at the end and felt that I had been transported to a different time and place. I think it would be even more impressive as a hard or paperback. A unique approach. Thank you to the author and the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

A truly fascinating backstory makes the rendition of Jones in this slim book feel kind of underwhelming.

The story of the original latin 14th century manuscript containing a dozen medieval ghost tales, and how this was later found in the British Library by an actual ghost story author, is just brilliant. Pages of the original can be viewed on the website of the British Library: https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illumina...

The actual story itself gives vibes of A Christmas Carol, with three ghosts mentioned, Beedle Bard by Rowling, while I also thought of the fairytale of the three dogs encountered by the soldier from Andersen (The Tinderbox).

Snowball the Tailor and Borin his horse travel and then a broken raven falls from the sky, lights up green and transforms in a kind of zombie dog, and later on into the titular king. Underlying it all is a quest for redemption in the afterlife, only to be obtained by an absolution of a priest.
Despite being written in an abbey the church people don’t have a glamorous role in this book, more corrupt and haggling than pious.

For a ghost story the book nowhere feels scary, and its stretching the factual content thinly when trying to make it into a standalone slight book. Still kudos are due for Jones in uncovering this medieval story and making it known to a broader audience, 2.5 stars rounded up.

While I liked the idea, and I liked the story, I'm not sure that Dan Jones is the right person to write it. Nor am I sure that 9.99 is a price that people will pay for a hardback of a story that can be read in one sitting. This feels like a story that should belong in a collection, and having read the introduction (which was a solid 10% of the book) I can see why. It looks like the Latin at the end was added just to pad out the page count too. All in all, a nice little volume, but something I think we'll struggle to sell a lot of.