On Hist Fic Saturday
Lets go back to ...1066
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| Silverwood Books 17 June 2020 Book #2 The 1066 Saga My thanks to the author for my copy of this book |
It's the 1060s, and William of Normandy is establishing a new and brutal regime in England, but there are those who would defy him. As Norman soldiers spread like a plague across the land, resistance builds, but will it be enough to topple William and restore the rightful king to his throne? The English have the courage to fight, but the Normans, already victorious at Hastings, now build castles seeking to secure their tenuous foothold in these lands.
And what of the people caught up in these catastrophic events? Dispossessed but not defeated, their lives ripped apart, the English struggle for freedom from tyranny; amongst them, caught up in the turmoil, are a soldier, a thane and two sisters. As events unfold, their destinies become intertwined, bringing drastic changes that alter their lives forever.
Firmly embedded in the history of the Conquest, 'In the Shadows of Castles' is ultimately a story of love, hope and survival in a time of war.
📖 My Review..
The aftershock of the Norman conquest in 1066 reverberated around the land and as King William sets out to make his mark on this new England so there was discord and mistrust from those who had much to lose and little to gain. The victorious Normans with complete disregard for local customs and their distinct penchant for castle building didn't endear themselves to those people who fought so bravely for the right to keep their own land. The English are determined that the Normans won't prevail but vengeance is rife and trouble is never far away in this exciting historical adventure.
Steeped in a genuine sense of history In the Shadows of Castles follows on from the previous book in this 1066 collection and we pick up the story as William is about to be crowned on Christmas Day, taking a prize he considered worth fighting for and nothing, and no-one, was ever going to thwart what he saw as his destiny. For Bondi Wynstanton, former royal housecarl to King Harold, and a survivor of the Battle of Hastings, life is about to get more complicated than he could ever have imagined and as we follow his story and that of other fictional characters so we get a sense of what life may have been like for a country defeated but never truly conquered.
By blending adventurous fiction with known historical facts the author's genuine passion and enthusiasm for his subject comes across and this story paints a vivid picture of life in the early days of Norman rule. There is no doubt that this was a time of deep mistrust, inherent danger and indiscriminate brutality and this comes across in a comprehensive and imaginatively described story.
However, whichever side of the divide you associate with, be it English, or Norman, there is no doubt that this unruly time in our history is testament to the strength and resilience of the English, Scots, Danes, and yes, French, who all had their own important role to play in the combined history of our country.
🍷Best read with.. a riotous banquet and lots of good English ale..
Twitter @GlynnHolloway
@SilverWoodBooks
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