Once Was Willem is a medieval horror/fantasy tale set in 12th-century England. It follows a diverse cast of characters who unite to confront an evil sorcerer threatening their village. Carey weaves elements of English folklore, Christian myth, and Norse mythology to create an imaginative narrative, populated by a wild array of characters. Among them, the devilish wizard Cain Caradoc who stands out as a compelling villain.

While many characters are well-developed, the story’s first-person narration may not resonate with everyone. A great deal hinges on whether you connect with the narrator’s voice (Once Was-Willem), and for me, that connection was lacking. Unfortunately, this made it difficult to fully engage with several characters or feel invested in their struggles.

However, Carey’s writing is engaging, drawing you in with its intricate and immersive style. He weaves a narrative reminiscent of a dark fairy tale, blending prose with elements of mystery and folklore. The story delves deeply into complex and thought-provoking themes, including the creation of monsters—both literal and metaphorical—and the transformative power of magic. Through its exploration of folklore, the narrative breathes life into timeless myths while grounding them in a tale of redemption and renewal. Additionally, the story tackles issues of division and intolerance, shedding light on the barriers that separate individuals and communities, while offering an exploration of acceptance and understanding. Carey skilfully intertwines these themes to craft a rich, multifaceted tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Once was Willem is my first time reading a novel by MR Carey and it won't be the last! This was an epic tale of revenge and greed and I loved every page. Now I have to go and immediately buy the authors back catalogue. 4 stars

Once Was Willem is a standalone dark fantasy/horror set in the medieval English village of Cosham. Once-was-Willem was a dead peasant child brought back to life a changed monster through an ill-advised bargain. Rejected by his parents and the villagers, he flees into the surrounding wilderness. But when an evil comes for the other children of Cosham, it is up to Once-was-Willem and a ragtag team of rejected monsters to pick up the fight.

I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. Even though I personally do not like horror, I did not find this all that horrific so that was a huge plus for me. There were certainly horror elements and pretty dark events, but this book felt really wholesome (in as much as it could be) and uplifting somehow. There’s a ton of bloody action, body horror, and sadness without weighing down the ultimately hopeful ton of the story.

Narrated to us in first person by Once-was-Willem, the writing style told in his voice felt very true to the setting and added to its character and charm. Honestly, I was immediately won over from the first chapter. Once-was-Willem recalls the events of his monstrous second life and life in Cosham prior to all that. Between bouts of terribleness, he was just so lovable and charming, leading an honorable life that yearns for tolerance if not acceptance. And in his fight for the innocent, he gathers a few fellow monsters and makes a found family of his own.

Once Was Willem is an excellent dark fantasy standalone that tells a horror story with uplifting charm.

*Thank you Little Brown Book Group UK for the eARC via NetGalley

'Once was Willem' is an interesting and curious novel. Or at least it is to me. I am more used to stories who focuses a lot on one character's adventure, sometimes with multiple sotryline or plotline, but all converging around one character (the main character). Here, I have a different impression. While Once-was-Willem (the narrator) is definitely an important piece of the narrative, I would say Caradoc is more at the epicenter of it, bringing various other personnage together. We learn about different lives and events, slowly building to a alliance of forces against Caradoc.

It might have been something I wouldn't enjoy normally, but the book found me at the right moment. Especially since the medieval aspect of the story was well present, even in the narration, a fact I greatly appreciated. Once-was-Willem is the narrator, telling us the story in first person, which is something I tend to struggle with, but worked quite well here, even if I sometimes wondered how our narrator knew about the events he narrated.

I found the story rather slow going, not for a lack of actions, but because it wanders in different places and lives, creating something like a shattered effect, then building the story together. It's easy to see where it is going, but in an knowingly done way. Interesting. The various elements of christian and norse mythology as well as english folkore were the most delightful for me, adding a layer of magic and otherwordliness I crave for in fiction.

I can't say I was super invested in any charaters, because the narration has something of a distance (a tale told later, dimming the strength of the tension at times, while still keeping a good level of it throughout the story). It didn't hinder my enjoyment though, and despite the medieval-ish style of writing, it was an easy and quick read, with satisfying level of horror.

Overall, a great read, curious in some aspect but defintely working for what it is aiming to tell !

Once Was Willem 😢 I just wanted to protect him! This wasn’t what I was expecting at all in the sense that it was a bit more whimsical than I was picturing, but I really enjoyed it! The cast of characters were so likeable and I quite enjoyed that the bad guy was just bad - non of this morally grey stuff here. I would definitely read a sequel if one ever happened.

Once Was Willem by M.R. Carey is so so good. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't give it more. For me it's 6 stars! Loved this plot and characters sooo much! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

“Then think of how the world changes, when it passes out of summer into winter. Or think of worms and caterpils, how they knit themselves a velvet coat and come out of it with wings on their backs. You cannot say change is unnatural when all of nature bends to it."

The perfect dark medieval fantasy. I loved this book from the first page—the language, the dry humour and the intricate detail all created an immersive, compelling read.

Our narrator (the titular ‘once was Willem’) claims to be a monster, and perhaps he is. But I could not help but find him sort of adorable. I love a non-human character who is trying to work out how to fit into the world (veryyy different books but Murderbot does come to mind!). He wasn’t present for all the action of the story, but his chapters were always my favourites.

The setting of the village of Cosham was vivid and wonderfully detailed—inserting small asides about different residents of the village gave an expansive feel to the world.

For me, the heart of the book was the relationships between people—the way they change each other, for better or for worse; the ties they owe each other, even when they have done wrong or been wronged in the past. It’s about complicated communities and children doing their best to improve worlds damaged by adults. I was not necessarily expecting this book to move me so much, but in its own monstrous way, it did. Five stars and I can definitely see myself returning to this one for a reread!

3,5 stars

"Once was Willem" had an interesting premise, but I didn't really enjoy the writing style and the story didn't really manage to suck me in.

Once Was Willem manages to be fun, heartbreaking, magical, and dark all the same time. I don’t really want to give anything away about the plot so I’ll just say that I loved the various monsters we meet. I also really enjoyed the self-aware ‘I’m telling you a story’ style of narration and I thought that the use of archaic language was brilliant—it’s enough that it firmly sets the story within the medieval period, but not so much that it overwhelms the reader.

Aside from the vividly sketched loveable and loathsome characters and wonderful use of language and narration, the story also gets major points for being unlike anything else I’ve read in recent memory!

What's this? M R Carey's latest is a rewrite of Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven, but with a village threatened by an evil necromancer and the samurai/cowboys replaced by a bunch of fantastical characters. In other hands it could have fallen flat, but in Carey's it just about works. Mainly due to the main character, and narrator, the undead revenant Once Was Willem and the other characters who join him. I could go into details about each of them, but part of the fun of the book is in our first encounter with each of them. Hopefully this won't be the first, and only, encounter we have with 'The Seven'.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orbit and the author for an advance copy.

I thought this was a really solid book and I really liked the dark elements. I'm keen to read Carey's other books now.

I enjoyed this book. It didn't hook me in so thoroughly that I was desperate to return to it, but it was beautifully written and I loved the characters

Part folklore part history part fantasy, a good story with intriguing characters and decent world building, the ending left it open for ore methinks