Historical Fiction

Shadow of the King

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Shadow of the King

Shadow of the King

By Helen Hollick

Sourcebooks, Inc.

ISBN:1402218907

5 stars

Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered. Helen Hollick’s Pendragon’s Banner series is one of, if not the best, Arthurian re-tellings that I have read so far. She takes a well-known story and makes it fresh and exciting.

Shadow of the King is the third book in the Pendragon’s Banner series following The Kingmaking and Pendragon’s Banner. You can read my review of The Kingmaking here and Pendragon’s Banner here.

Picking up where Pendragon’s Banner left off, Arthur has brought peace to Britain but has been talked into going to Gaul to protect interests that are not his own. While there, word reaches him that Gwenhwyfar has become sick and he believes her to be dead. He falls into a deep depression and wonders why he ever let himself be talked into leaving his home. He throws himself into the battle wishing to die and all but succeeds. Morgaine, a healer once known as the Lady of the Lake and, unbeknownst to Arthur, the mother of one of his sons, offers to stay behind and bury him while the others try to outrun the approaching enemy. What Morgaine knows that the others don’t is that Arthur is still alive. She nurses him back to health and, knowing he has nothing left to return to, he stays in Gaul living unhappily without his wife or kingdom.

Gwenhwyfar, who survived her illness, now lives a life almost a mirror image to Arthur’s sad existence. When others convince her that she must re-marry to protect what is left of Arthur’s kingdom and herself, she stalls and has trouble getting over the feeling that Arthur isn’t dead. When a man tracks her down to tell her that Arthur lives, she leaves everything to find him. Unfortunately, when Gwenhwyfar finds him, he’s not the Arthur she knew and he tells her that he won’t be returning. Heartbroken, she decides she needs to live even if he will not and leaves. When circumstances convince Arthur he needs his life back, he finds Gwenhwyfar and they both begin to recover from the emotional wounds of their separation. They return home to find one more fight that needs to be fought. When his son by his ex-wife Winifred makes a move to take over his kingdom, Arthur overcomes his fear and leads his men to defeat, but not destroy, his son leaving the door open for a final battle that everyone knows will bring about an end to a world they all know.

I was truly sad to see this series end. While Arthur is tempered in book three, he’s still that brooding man I fell for in the previous two books. Gwenhwyfar becomes the strong one and a great ruler in her own right. Hollick takes the tale of Arthur and moves it to epic proportions of a different nature. Yes, some of the same faces appear in this story as in others but it has a new feel to it and one I couldn’t get enough of.

If you like historical fiction and especially Arthurian legend, Hollick’s trilogy is not to be missed.

Pendragon’s Banner

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Pendragon's Banner

Pendragon’s Banner

By Helen Hollick

Sourcebooks, Inc.

ISBN: 1402218893

5 stars

Pendragon’s Banner is the second book in the Pendragon’s Banner series following The Kingmaking. You can read my review of The Kingmaking here.

Arthur, Arthur how I do adore thee. Yes, you’re an arrogant, self-centered, whoring barbarian at times but somehow none of that matters. I’ve come to expect you to be this way.

In book two of this series, Arthur has taken up the mantel of King, Gwenhwyfar has given him sons to carry on the Pendragon title, but he still refuses to settle down preferring to fight knowing the minute he stops it might be the end of him and his reign. When the tragic death of their youngest son pushes Arthur and Gwenhwyfar apart, he finally comes to the realization that being Supreme King may not mean anything without his wife and family. Tragedy and heartache follow both Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, political problems arise and fester, and Arthur is constantly watching his back afraid one his own may try to take his kingdom from him. Even after settling down in the beloved Summer Land, Arthur still fights — with his wife, for his kingdom, and his own worries and fears about what he is doing to lead his people.

While the relationship between Arthur and Gwenhwyfar is tempestuous, I like it. She’s a match for him in strength, anger, love, and stubbornness. While there is much to love about Gwenhywfar, there is much to hate in two other women Arthur can’t seem to extricate himself from — his ex-wife Winifred who still calls herself the Pendragon’s wife, and Morgause, his father’s ex-lover and his aunt. Both women cause so much pain and destruction wherever they go. They are so annoying yet so riveting.

I liked the liberties Hollick took with this story, and while it’s more realistic, I also enjoyed the small throw backs to some of the original more fantasy oriented tales. For instance, at one meeting of the Council, Arthur mentally notes how he dislikes the Roman bleacher type seating arrangement for the meeting and makes an internal comment about building a round table so he doesn’t have to turn around to see who is speaking. His sword, while not named Excalibur, has a long Saxon name and a lovely legend to go with it as well.

As I said, Arthur can be a dolt of a man, especially with his own wife. He can’t ever seem to find the words I love you or I’m sorry. He’d rather show anger than fear and while I don’t like admitting it, I couldn’t get enough is his debauched ways. He’s not overly kind or gentle but after meeting this Arthur, I don’t know if I want the old version back.

This series is fast becoming my favorite Arthurian re-telling.

My Favorite Reads – Gone With the Wind

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Alyce from At Home With Books features one of her favorite reads each Thursday and this week my pick is…

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Gone With the Wind

The summary from Wikipedia: Gone With the Wind, first published in May 1936, is a romantic novel and the only novel written by Margaret Mitchell. The story is set in Clayton County, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War and Reconstruction and depicts the experiences of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner. The novel is the source of the extremely popular 1939 film of the same name.

I read Gone With the Wind for the first time last year. The book came to live with me via my sister. Back in college, my sister had an elderly neighbor she used to help out with groceries and other things. One day, the woman was cleaning out some bookshelves and asked my sister if she would like any of the books. My sister spied the copy of Gone With the Wind and asked if she could have that one knowing how I loved old books. It turned out to be a first edition book club release from 1936 with the original book cover. It’s in pristine condition. I think I put off reading it for so long for that reason — I was afraid of ruining the book.

While perusing the shelves one day for my next read I came across it again and decided that if I was very careful, reading it would not ruin it and, really, it was just begging to be read. It was easily one of the best books, and probably close to one of the longest, I think I’ve read. (My version is over 800 pages long and each page is a double column layout.) I stayed up late every night to read and even though my eyelids were falling, I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, stop reading. Scarlett O’Hara is one of the most wonderful, annoying, and clever characters ever to grace a page. It can also be infuriating to read as attitudes of characters can sound very barbaric.  That aside, it’s certainly a great book and one that should be read by everyone, at the very least as a character study, as Mitchell truly has a way of creating unforgettable sketches and a plot worthy of her heroine.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

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The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

By Kelly O’Connor McNees

Amy Einhorn Books

ISBN: 0399156526

4.5 stars

There is nothing that Louisa May Alcott wants more than independence and the opportunity to prove herself as a writer. She yearns for a small room all her own and stacks of paper waiting to be covered with ink. What she gets is a rundown house, housework, a father who is blind to the basic needs of his family, a depressed mother, and resentment. She chafes against societal conventions — marriage, love, and the idea of a woman’s place. When she finds herself feeling emotions for a man, she struggles to balance those feelings with her dreams and wonders if it would actually be possible to have both.

The character of Louisa May Alcott was all I expected her to be in this book. She’s strong-willed, fitful, passionate, witty, and observant. She sees the sham of a marriage her parents are engaged in and refuses to let herself fall into that same trap. She wants, and craves, freedom above all and stays true to her dreams. Which can be infuriating to read sometimes since she does preach and selfishly believe that what she wants is right and that no one can, or will, stop her from having what she wants in the end. She gets what she wants, but she does pay a price for it.

Her father is uncaring and generally stupid to his own family’s needs. When I say needs, I don’t mean in terms of frivolous things such as ribbons for adornment — it’s food, clothing, and shelter that he seems to think will just fall out of the sky. He has put their lives in danger and at one time even suggested an open marriage and divorce using some flimsy transcendentalist thought that made no sense to anyone but him. He’s infuriating and in many ways I wanted his family to leave him yet they persist in caring for him throughout their lives.

Little Women is one of my favorite books. I’ve been wanting to re-read it for some time now and thanks to this book I think I will be doing that very soon. McNees is a good writer and I hope to read more of her books in the future. She did a great job here and while I know that the imagined life of an author can be a difficult thing to write, I think she did a stand up job. She brought to life a person, and a family, with grace, good humor, and some great writing.

I received this book through the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing.

The Greatest Knight: The Unsung Story of the Queen’s Champion

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The Greatest Knight

The Greatest Knight

The Greatest Knight: The Unsung Story of the Queen’s Champion

By Elizabeth Chadwick

Sourcebooks, Inc.

ISBN: 1402225180

4.25 stars

Elizabeth Chadwick, how I do enjoy your writing. This is only the second of Chadwick’s books that I’ve read but she is fast becoming a favorite author of mine.

In The Greatest Knight, we meet William Marshal. A young knight without much experience and a sometimes lazy attitude. Due to infighting among the royal family, he gets his chance to prove himself in battle rather soon though. Over the coming years, he learns not only the value of hard work, but he gets the chance to excel not only at his knightly skills but also sharpen his diplomacy skills while wading through the shark infested waters of the court.

A deeply honorable man, his loyalty is sought by many, as well as, his skills in battle. Fortunately, and unfortunately, he serves under both a King and a Price and witnesses both of their deaths. Thrown back into the fray when more fighting breaks out among the royal family, he wants only to retire to his lands with his new wife and lead a quite life with his growing family. What he gets is more pain and suffering and a test of his loyalty once more.

Chadwick has a way of bringing Medieval England alive. Somewhere along the way I fell for William and really did sympathize with him. I wanted to see him live a quiet life without the court intrigue but then again, the court intrigue is what really brings the book alive. Henry II and his Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, rule over a divisive time in English history — sons and fathers are literally looking to murder each other and love is not something you attribute to this family but it proves a wonderful backdrop for this story.

I don’t know much about this particular time period, but Chadwick has made me want to read more. I believe The Scarlet Lion is a continuation of the story of William Marshal and I have to admit that I am be interested to see how this one turns out.

If you like historical fiction, I recommend this one.

Teaser Tuesdays

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

I’m starting the third and final book in the Pendragon’s Banner trilogy today, Shadow of the King by Helen Hollick. Today, the opening paragraph.

“Above the great height of Caer Cadan, the sky swept blue and almost cloudless. The bright, sparkling blue of an exuberant spring that was rushing headlong into the promised warmth of summer.”

Shadow of the King by Helen Hollick, page 3.

Shadow of the King

So, what you are teasing us with this week?

Daughters of the Witching Hill

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Daughters of the Witchiing Hill

Daughters of the Witching Hill

By Mary Sharratt

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN: 978-0547069678

3.5 stars

Bess Southers lives in Pendle Forest with her small family. A cunning woman she’s called by some, by others a witch. A fine line in 16th Century England. She wanders the forest helping to heal animals and people alike, careful not to run afoul of the authorities or tout her powers.

Bess’s best friend from childhood, Anne, comes seeking her help to protect her daughter from their cruel landlord. Bess, who has only ever used her powers for good, balks at the idea of stirring up evil even if it may lead to good. She knows the path she walks can easily blur but in spite of herself, she agrees to help Anne and instructs her in her spiritual ways. Anne eventually turns to evil, embracing her dark powers and the two once close friends find their friendship broken.

As Bess grows older and begins to feel her powers ebb, she longs to teach her granddaughter Alizon and pass down her knowledge. Alizon does not want to learn, knowing full well what people think of her family. It causes her and her grandmother great pain and suffering yet she holds firm to her decision. Unfortunately, Jamie, Bess’s grandson, also seems to have inherited some of her abilities. A slow child who has grown into a wayward soul, he doesn’t seem to understand the distinction of good and evil and what his abilities are. While Alizon struggles to help control him, she finds out more haunting information about what he may have done, scaring not only herself but also her family. When the witch hunt begins, Bess and her family are arrested knowing full well what can and, probably will happen, to them all.

Daughters of the Witching Hill is based on a true account of a witch hunt and trial in Lancaster, England in the early 1600s. Seven women and two men were accused and hanged as witches. The fictionalized version here plays the frenzy and paranoia cards well especially when the hunt gets underway. Accusations fly and neighbors turns against life long friends and family causing everyone to wonder if their closest friends are courting evil. You begin to wonder about the people involved and how they are able to believe something so preposterous.

This is first and foremost a story about strong women. Bess stands up to almost everyone and whether it’s because of her powers or confidence, you don’t know. However, throughout the story, she felt like a stranger to me, but an admirable one. She has an incredible love for her family and she’ll do whatever she can to protect them. Alizon on the other hand, was very open and likable, struggling to be strong for her family and hold her own when others want her to be something she cannot fathom.

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. The above is a summary of my review, which can be read in full here. The book was provided to me by the publisher for The Book Reporter review.

A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel

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A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel

A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel

By Mel Starr

Monarch Books

ISBN: 978-1-85424-954-8

3.75 stars

Master Hugh de Singleton is a surgeon and the bailiff at Bampton manor. He’s the Lord’s representative and not always a popular person around the manor. One night, the village beadle, the man in charge of curfew, goes out on his rounds but doesn’t return the next morning. Hugh and a few men from the village go out to search for him and find him dead under a bush looking as if he’d been attacked by a wild animal. Soon after, a second person turns up dead and Hugh finds himself on a search for two killers.

In addition to his duties at the castle, Hugh is trying to solve two murders, find a poacher, and reassure people that a wild and crazed wolf is not on the prowl. He spends his days creeping about like one of the killers hoping to find out who’s been poaching deer from the Lord’s forest and wondering if the two murdered men might have seen something they shouldn’t have.

A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel is a medieval murder mystery. It’s the second book in the chronicles of Hugh de Singleton. It was a quick, fun read and while it was still a bit of historical fiction for me (which I’ve sort of been avoiding to staunch any burnout I think I might be suffering from) it wasn’t overflowing with history, it was just the setting and I enjoyed that about the book. There were a few odd parts which I could have done without (Hugh gets a bit too interested in a scullery maid for my taste — leering is never becoming) but overall it a was nice distraction from my regular reading pattern. It’s the second book in the series featuring Hugh de Singleton but it worked as a standalone book for me. You don’t need to know anything about the people and places and Starr provides enough background for you to understand without feeling left out. My guess is that might change as the series progresses. A third book in the series is planned — A Trail of Ink.

I received this book through the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing.