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 As a little boy, Derfel is accepted into Merlin’s keeping after surviving a Druid’s attempt to kill him. On the Tor, he has a first-hand view of the events that occur as Uther, the old High King, slides into death, and a Council must be chosen to guide the kingdom through his grandson Mordred’s childhood. At the head of the Council is, of course, Arthur, and so another imagining of the Arthurian legend begins. The story is framed by an elderly Derfel, who has converted to Christianity and become a monk. The elderly Derfel is recording the story of his life, and consequently Arthur’s, for posterity and for the entertainment of Igraine, a queen of the Britons.
Cornwell, of course, puts his own spin on things. He uses many of the characters from the oldest Arthurian legends, of which one is Derfel, but freely interposes later creations like Lancelot at will. He’s not trying to imagine the origins of the legend, but put another spin on them, so most of the basic plot is there. Despite that, he changes things, like Lancelot’s character, and then shows how the origins of the later tales may have been totally off-base. In that sense, the book plays on the origin of myths, which I find particularly interesting. He also makes Arthur a warlord, not a king, which I like a lot. Even if Cornwell isn’t trying to create a possible reality, it’s my opinion that the real life Arthur, if he existed, was in fact a warlord, so I’m enjoying this version of the legend with that in mind.
Another aspect of Cornwell’s writing that I always enjoy is that he is very skilled at placing his reader right into the correct time period. This book calls up the fifth century better than any other I’ve read. The Romans have fled, and the Britons and Saxons are at war with each other. The Saxons will inevitably win, as history tells us, but Arthur’s push against them is the Britons’ last stand. In The Winter King, it’s easy to feel the difference between crumbling but beautiful Roman buildings and the cruder British or Saxon wood forts and halls. It’s easy to feel like civilization has fled from these people even as they live among the reminders of it, though Cornwell allows us to also appreciate the fact that the British way of life has been driven out by the Romans. It’s all a fascinating mesh and he places the reader right into the middle of it, like you’re walking alongside the characters. This is one of his greatest strengths. The only problem is that he sometimes introduces anachronisms into the characters’ speech that sometimes jolt me out of the setting. This only happens a few times, but it’s enough that I only gave it four and a half stars on LibraryThing instead of five.
I will admit that I found the first hundred or so pages of this book very boring. Arthur doesn’t appear in them and Derfel, our narrator, is a little boy. I’ve discovered lately that I struggle with many books or movies that have children as their focus (I don’t know why), and so I struggled with the beginning of this one, and dreaded the fact that the entire trilogy was on my TBR pile already. In fact, I could hardly see how this book was going to tie into what I know of the legend at all. When Arthur arrived and Derfel began to grow up, the book snapped into place for me. Pieces of the legend emerged into the picture and I decided I liked Derfel. All of Cornwell’s heroes are similar, but I like them all, so I’m not going to complain. I find I like Derfel more than Uhtred or Thomas of Hookton because he seems more human and because his older incarnation is extremely entertaining.
Most of this book does seem concerned with building up to the main part of the legend. There are aspects of it, but we’re not into the ever-familiar Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere triangle yet. Characters are being built and the groundwork is being laid, but by the end I loved it and headed for book two only a day later despite my ARC TBR pile and the fact that the book ends with a sort of conclusion.
I’ll definitely be recommending this book and I expect I’ll be finishing the trilogy very soon. I love it! Buy this book on Amazon.
 At the end of The Crystal Cave, Merlin has succeeded in getting Uther and Ygraine to conceive a child at the correct time. In The Hollow Hills, Arthur is born and immediately hidden away to protect him in case he is required to become the king. Merlin already knows that he will, and so Arthur’s childhood is spent in training to become a knight and thus a king, even though he is ignorant of his origins.
This book went a bit too slowly for my tastes. Merlin spends a lot of time elsewhere, gazing in on Arthur from afar. As a consequence, a lot of it wasn’t particularly exciting and didn’t become so until Arthur was about 11, when he and Merlin get acquainted for the first time. It’s much more interesting to watch Arthur grow through Merlin’s eyes rather than reading pages and pages about Merlin’s travels. Stewart’s writing isn’t quite good enough to make it entertaining.
I did enjoy the relationship between Arthur and Merlin and Arthur’s believable growth into adulthood. It was nice to see the legend come together through different means, and put into a historical context that I hadn’t encountered in Arthurian fiction previously. I think Stewart did a decent job of making it conceivable – at least in this book she doesn’t call on armies of thirty thousand. Perhaps she did some research in between.
I’m not sure I’d recommend this series to anyone who isn’t interested in the Arthurian legend. I don’t think it stands on its own very well, but I like to read different variations of the legend, so it was a pleasurable read for me. Buy this book on Amazon.
In this installment, Uhtred finally manages to journey north in an attempt to take his home, Bebbanburg, back from his uncle, and to kill the murderers of his adopted Danish family. He also goes through some more adventures, most of which he hasn’t expected, but in the end returns to Alfred as it seems he will always do.
This one dragged a little at the beginning, and especially during Uhtred’s time as a slave. It was interesting to see how slaves were used at the time, but mostly it was just depressing and uncomfortable to read. I’ve never liked to read about slavery, although I know how important it is to be aware of its atrocities, it’s just one of my things. On the other hand, this lasted about 100 pages, then Uhtred is reunited with his friends and the story really takes off again.
It was nice to see Uhtred in the north again. I have a particular fondness for the north of England, York in particular, which may be why I’m going to grad school there in the fall, so I’m always happy when it turns up in fiction. Cornwell remains a great writer, his battle scenes especially leaping off the page and feeling real. I enjoyed this book, and when it was over I immediately wanted the next in the series. Unfortunately it’s only available in hardcover, so I’ll be waiting for the paperback. I definitely recommend this entire series!
Interested in this series? Start with The Last Kingdom. If you’re interested in this book, why not check it out on Amazon?
 I love Bernard Cornwell. There is no better way to put it! I have really, really enjoyed every book of his that I’ve read so far. He just captures what I imagine to be the medieval atmosphere so well, and beyond that his books are engaging and engrossing. It’s not a surprise that I’ve basically fallen in love with what I’ve read of the Saxon Chronicles then because I am already fascinated by Anglo-Saxon culture, especially the clashes with Vikings, and that is what this series is all about, featuring some of my favorite historical figures.
This book, the second in the Saxon Chronicles, documents Alfred’s flight into the marshes and his difficult struggle out of it. Uhtred, the Northumbrian lord, finds himself bound to assist Alfred even though he’d rather be a Dane, and thus plays a pivotal (though fictional) role in taking England back for the “English”. In the meantime, he falls out of love with his wife and in love with someone else, explores more of the British Isles, and begins to grow up a little.
Amusingly enough, after that, I don’t know what to say! I always find it harder to review books that I really like. When reading this, I just get swept up in the battle passion of it, perhaps my only glimpse of what it’s like to be a “warrior”, and it’s not all glorious, and maybe that’s what I like best about these books. Cornwell doesn’t bother with romanticizing much of anything, certainly not compared to other historical fiction authors out there. His plot moves along swiftly and the climax of it in this book is terrific and left me so engrossed that I immediately rushed out and bought the next at my first opportunity. I love how his characters are growing and changing, particularly Uhtred, the main character – he grows up right before the reader’s eyes and his experiences change him. Even Alfred changes and learns.
One pitfall remains – the Christians among us may find Cornwell’s derogatory attitude towards early Christians offensive, but I find it useful to remember that Christianity has changed vastly since the 9th century and nothing he says can really apply to today’s Christians.
I definitely recommend this book! There is nothing better, aside from reading period literature, to put you right in the shoes of an Anglo-Saxon. Buy this book from Amazon.
 Edith Pargeter takes us back to the very early 15th century, to a conflict between Sir Henry Percy, “Hotspur”, and Henry IV, the king of England, who has only recently usurped the throne from Richard II with the support of the Percy family. The story follows each man and his relationship with various people as well as their deteriorating relationship with each other as it continually worsens with time.
This book was, honestly, a bit challenging to read. Its prose was, in fact, dated, and although I think that added to the overall feel of the book in a positive way, it made it go very slowly. As a result, a book less than 400 pages took me 4 days to read, which is unusual. In addition, the story doesn’t really sweep the reader away. It is interesting and feels medieval, but it’s not fascinating and is pretty easy to put down. The characters remain detached from the reader as well as detached from each other. I felt the most sympathy for Prince Henry, the future Henry V, as we see the formation of his identity since he is fairly young as well as his conflict between his father and close friend. Otherwise, the two main characters somehow remain distant even though we are given the opportunity to get into their heads. This is somewhat rare for me with a work of medieval historical fiction since I’m getting fairly practiced as placing myself into the medieval mindset (or as close as a modern person can get).
I did enjoy it while I was reading it and I found her perspective interesting, but it certainly isn’t one of my favorites, and I’ll probably wait a while before picking up another of her works.
In this novel, Cornwell spins an exemplary tale following the Northumbrian boy, Uhtred, set in Anglo-Saxon England before it was actually England, but instead a land of many minor kingdoms. Uhtred is the heir to an estate in Northumbria, Bebbanburg, but when his father and brother are killed by Vikings and he is taken prisoner, his uncle seizes the castle and it seems that his future as a nobleman is over. On the other hand, he is only a boy, so he doesn’t mind, and he grows to love his Danish captor, Ragnar, like a father. The book follows their adventures and traces Uhtred’s development from a boy to an accomplished adult warrior.
This is a great book. Uhtred is a likable character, despite his arrogance. He admits when he wasn’t prepared in his youth, but his older persona, who is ostensibly telling the story, shines through fairly obviously and so there’s never any doubt that he is very capable and survives. The book is extremely engaging and absorbing. Cornwell makes Anglo-Saxon culture very understandable and it’s clear that this is an area of history which fascinates him. It fascinates me, too, so I loved all the little tidbits he tossed in, even the ones I already knew. The historical characters are all real and seem fairly accurate to their real selves, particularly the very pious and forward-thinking Alfred. I can’t wait until Aethelflaed, his daughter, grows up in the next few books, as she is without question my favorite historical figure. The Vikings are depicted as real people, though they are certainly much more eager for battle. The only problem with the book really is that the church is so negatively stereotyped and piety is seen as very negative, so those among us who are Christians may be offended, but since that’s in Uhtred’s character and he is telling the story, I think the viewpoint is understandable, even though not actually true.
I particularly liked Cornwell’s use of the historical note to tell us what he made up and what he did not, as well as his use of Anglo-Saxon place names rather than modern ones. It gives the book a much more authentic atmosphere, and gave me some linguistic fun (as well as historical contentment) as I tried to decipher the names on my own rather than look in the handy glossary.
Overall, this book is great. The next book I buy will certainly be THE PALE HORSEMAN, number two in this series. Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates historical fiction.
In the final volume of the Grail Quest trilogy, Thomas of Hookton’s journey to find the holy grail takes him deeper into France, where he once again displays the great advantage of being an archer, faces down his cousin for the final time, and discovers that he must follow his heart despite the Church.
This book is really terrific. I liked it more than the first two – I felt that it absorbed me much more and carried me along the story better. This may be because it’s the least “tied” to actual history, but it also felt very plausible, except when Thomas risks excommunication for a woman. The only way I can accept that is if he didn’t really think he’d be excommunicated, which is probably the case. No medieval person would have risked his soul for someone he barely knew, sweet as the concept is. Otherwise, it fit right in with my own perceptions of the medieval mindset, right down to the shock of the Black Death, which we still can’t explain. I can’t say much about the Grail, considering it doesn’t actually exist, but the mechanisms of the quest, the corruption of the Church, and the warfare all really created an excellent view of the medieval world. Cornwell knows what he’s talking about.
I also really liked the characters at this point. They’re a bit difficult to like, considering he doesn’t spend much time delving into anyone’s soul except Thomas’s, but I didn’t want them to die and I was sad when the book ended because I enjoyed their company.
I think it’s also pretty important to say that this book isn’t typical medieval historical fiction. It doesn’t feel like all those trade paperbacks floating around with half-images of girls in fancy dress on the cover. I like those too, but this is grittier and much more realistic. Doesn’t focus on royalty, just on how life for regular people, for soldiers, might have been in the Hundred Years’ War. Lots of warfare – but no honor, no sex, just gritty battlefield realities as we know them. As such, it’s quite different from the sumptuous lives of royalty, which is what medieval historical fiction authors usually focus on, and I love it even more for that.
Would I recommend this book? Most certainly! I’ve got another friend hooked on Bernard Cornwell already. It could, however, be boring for those out there who don’t love medieval life or who find warfare boring, so I would judge a person’s individual reading taste before I recommended it.
Margaret of York always plays a small role in historical fiction dealing with the Yorkist side of the Wars of the Roses. Sister to Edward IV and Richard III, she is often a figure in her childhood and young adulthood but vanishes from the picture once she marries Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. I was very happy to find a book which focused on her and covered her life in Burgundy.
The author acknowledges that much here is speculation. Little is known of Margaret outside of her itinerary. Kings are hard enough to trace in the middle ages, so it is not surprising that a princess and duchess would be similar. Regardless, Smith and I share the same view, that historical fiction is meant to fill in the bones of history, not change their shape. In that sense, she does an admirable job from what I know of, and nothing she introduces is implausible, except a scene at the end which probably would not have been acceptable. Margaret’s love for Anthony Woodville is certainly possible. Her duty as a royal princess was to ally with foreign powers, not to follow her heart, regardless of what her brothers did. They were men, after all — and Edward IV’s disadvantageous marriage continues to bring scorn upon his head more than five hundred years later.
Smith’s writing is not as polished as it could be, but neither does it detract from the story she tells. At times, that story does drag, especially in the beginning as Margaret is basically waiting to be married. Nothing much the author could have done to change that, and she does insert some extraneous events in an attempt to speed up the pace. It is by far most interesting when Margaret travels to Burgundy for her wedding.
I also approve of the author’s decision regarding the ending. It was the best choice.
All in all, certainly recommended for historical fiction readers, but may be a bit too lengthy for those of us who aren’t fascinated by the Middle Ages.
In A HOLLOW CROWN, Helen Hollick novelizes the young life of Emma of Normandy, wife to Aethelred Unraed and Cnut, two kings of England. This book is a prequel to HAROLD THE KING, which I read late last year, but was written afterwards. Not surprisingly, Emma’s life is fascinating, and Hollick does a good job with her growth from young teenage girl given in marriage against her will to powerful Queen. Her transformation is believable and I liked her, acknowledging what effect the impact of her sometimes difficult life must have had on her.
This book is an improvement over HAROLD; Hollick’s writing has either improved or she has gotten a better editor this time around. The stories are both fascinating. I like how Hollick takes history as we know it and keeps it valid, not changing anything but filling in the holes, which is in my opinion exactly what historical fiction should do. With the Anglo-Saxons, this is fairly easy as there aren’t many facts to handle, but Hollick does a good job and makes us feel like we can step into their world, something that I rarely experience as few are interested in this fascinating period. I like how she ties in the next book, leaving dangling threads that I know are picked up.
Emma was an admirable woman; she survived a great deal to emerge powerful and with authority. Hollick has done a good job making her into an admirable character as well. The book is long and sometimes drags, understandable considering how long Emma’s life is, but could probably have been spiced up by skipping some of the slow parts. With a better editor and some better pacing, Hollick could become one of the genre’s finest.
I really liked this book! I enjoyed Galland’s last effort, The Fool’s Tale, but this one definitely improves on it. The story begins with Willem and Lienor of Dole, brother and sister whose friend, the minstrel Jouglet, has great plans for them, involving a trip for Willem to the emperor to become a knight. The tale is very loosely based on the medieval poem “The Romance of the Rose”, and I mean loosely – the author admits herself that she changed and embellished freely. She also lays no claim to historical accuracy, so I will not be commenting on that here. Any author who excuses him or herself in order to prevent readers from claiming the book’s fiction as truth has gained my appreciation.
The book was amazingly well plotted. I couldn’t imagine all the twists and turns the author had going. I struggled with guessing what was going to happen and worried over the characters’ fates, particularly towards the end. I could hardly believe how clever it was. In addition, the wit is perfectly suited to the tradition of medieval courtly love, while subtly showing us what may have gone on behind the scenes. I laughed often. I think Galland did a wonderful job of getting across the teasing nature of such interchanges; we now can hardly imagine that this devotion would be false, but she shows that it wasn’t necessarily the case.
Jouglet was a great character and worked very well as a center for the novel. The rest of the characters almost felt like supporting cast to Jouglet, but I liked almost all of them, and Galland includes one character with an extreme moral dilemma. Watching him shows off her talent for getting so close to reality and human emotion.
Also, the ending was amazing. It made me very happy.
Something else I enjoyed about this book was how different it was from The Fool’s Tale; even its tone was different and I’d hardly have been able to tell that it was written by the same woman. I think Galland is a talent to watch for. I’ll certainly be buying her next book. Honesty, compelling characters, and brilliant writing – I couldn’t ask for that much more. It’s probably not accurate middle ages, but as I’m not expecting that, I’m very happy to recommend this as great historical fiction.
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