#BlogTour ‘All The Murmuring Bones’ by A.G Slatter

About the book….

Long ago Miren O’Malley’s family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren’s freedom.

A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them

Hugest of thanks to the awesome Sarah at Titan Books for the e-arc of ‘All The Murmuring Bones’ by A.G Slatter which is published in paperback and e-book formats on April 8th.

I cannot wait for my paperback copy to arrive and to read it all over again-my ancient Kindle is gamely soldiering on but there is nothing like having the actual books on your shelves.

This book is an absolute delight to read-dark, labyrinthine, totally immersive and haunting. The O’Malley family line has become diluted and fragmented over the generations, they inhabit the dilapidated homestead at Hob’s Hallow , at the edge of a turbulent sea which , they believe, they have mastery over and have built their fortunes upon.

But only one remains, there are many intermingled cousins and relatives, but only one who has been born and raised in the traditions of Hob’s Hallow, one on whom the entire foundation of the O’Malley’s name rests. Miren, the orphan child of Isolde and Liam who ran away and left her behind, is raised by Aoife on fairy tales of the creatures who live in the sea, a silver bell around her neck her only protection for creatures she is not sure are real or imagined.

Her adventures begin with the death of her grandfather which leaves her at the mercy of Aoife, and, she has to make some harsh and necessary decisions in order to keep herself alive, ones which push her to fully investigate her family history, not just leave her comfort zone but firebomb it, and leave all she knows behind her.

”How many times can a line fold back on itself without bringing forth a monster?”

Miren is a truly remarkable heroine who fights back against the role expected of her, facing magic, monsters and the worst of human traits-treachery, deceit and greed-in order to become a woman to be reckoned with. She finds both internal guidance and strength from the stories she was raised on, and assistance in her escape from unexpected sources. Her agency is threatened by scheming relatives, prophecies and magic but it only serves to strengthen her resolve as she goes in search of the truth of her origin, and, in so doing, finds herself.

This book has the ghost of Angela Carter haunting the plot, the fingerprints of Katherine Dunn and traces of Marina Warner lurking at the foot of its pages-it is a truly remarkable tale which pays homage to these fine storytellers of dark tales and elevates it to a new form which is uniquely her own. The myths and legends which stalk the chapters throw nods to the selkie and mer myths which are to be found in various forms around the world, and yet, create wholly new monsters in the telling . The myths which Miren was raised on somehow seem simultaneously old and new, recognisable and yet highly original as if there is some kind of alchemical blend that A.G Slatter has imbued her words with, leading you deeper beneath the waves of the sea.

The way that women are treated as property to be used and done with as creatures without any power of their own is challenged head on, Miren is a woman who wants what she wants and refuses to be quiet about it. She is not about to marry anyone just to keep a tradition alive that she doesn’t actually believe in and her investigations and journey is one studded with stories that she recalls, word perfect, from the volumes which lined her grandfather’s library. The one story that she doesn’t know was ripped from the first volume of the family history, how the O’Malleys were created, which creates the sense that missing that origin leaves space to create your own.

”Stories are history,whether they’re true or not.”

She is a visionary writer who brings to life the environs of Hob’s Hallow, and the characters who inhabit it seem to be ones that spring whole, and complete from the page and take root inside your mind. It’s a book that you will shout at loved ones for interrupting, a book that you will thrust onto fantasy loving friends-if you can bear to lend it out!

About the author…

Angela Slatter has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, an Australian Shadows Award and six Aurealis Awards for her short stories.

She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South 2009 and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop 2006. Angela’s short stories have appeared in many Best Of anthologies, and her work has been translated into many languages.

Links-http://www.angelaslatter.com/

Twitter @TitanBooks @AngelaSlatter