Book Review: Medieval thriller pits women, masters

"The Owl Killers” (Delacorte Press, $26) by Karen Maitland is the story of a group of women who established a beguine community in the Ulewic village in England in 1321.

Thousands of women throughout Europe who did not want to marry or become Roman Catholic nuns had begun to set themselves up in these female collectives. The women supported themselves by crafts, primarily weaving. They set up hospitals, educated girls, wrote books and preached on the streets.

Europe was experiencing a period of change and unrest. There were significant and rapid climatic changes resulting in flooding, drought and crop failure. The fertility of both animals and humans had fallen remarkably, and livestock were becoming prey to new diseases sweeping the country.

This created a climate of fear and suspicion, and some people began to ignore church authorities, threw priests out of their own churches and engaged in bizarre cults. General lawlessness was widespread.

In Ulewic, the Owl Masters appeared — men cloaked in masks and secrecy who ruled with violence and intimidation. The women of the beguinage had been excommunicated by the Catholic Church and were administering the sacred rites of the church to one another and those barred by the church. The Owl Masters used this supposed sacrilege as a reason to rid the village of the beguinage.

This book brings to life some of the hardships and horror of medieval England. The story is filled with terror, violence, suspense and supernatural beings as it portrays good versus evil. It is one of those stories that you hate to put down, yet you dread the ending, expecting that it can’t possibly end well. It is creepy, suspenseful and fun.

— Betty Lytle