Review ~ Leopards of Normandy : Duke by David Churchill

Headline
APRIL 2016

The Leopards of Normandy #2

Duke

He came, he fought and he conquered and that's really all I knew about William the first of England, the King who built the Tower of London with stone from his native Normandy. I didn't know anything about his life before the conquest of England and what's been so fascinating about reading David Churchill's excellent trilogy, so far, is that it has started to flesh out William, to give him personality and purpose, and in this second book in the trilogy, which spans the years between 1039 to 1051, William starts to emerge as a strong and decisive character.

Of course, there are going to be gaps in history, and this is most definitely a fictional account of William’s early life but wherever possible the author has used available historical evidence to add motivation and gives a plausible suggestion of what might have happened. The one thing that is certain, however, is that the eleventh century was a time of great political and democratic uncertainty. Conflict between the ruling families of northern Europe was rife and political assassination was both endemic and accepted as commonplace.

There is no doubt that the author writes well around a subject about which he is passionate. Factual and fictional history blends really well and as time and place starts to come alive, before you know it, the creeping menace of the eleventh century starts to surface, and in your imagination you are moving surreptitiously in the cold, dark shadows watching as William's story continues to unfold.

This second book in the trilogy shows just how unpredictable life was in the eleventh century, and as families fought against families, the only certainty was that the victor would be the one with enough ambition and motivation to succeed. I look forward to seeing how the story finally plays out in the final part of the trilogy and although the outcome is known, it's going to be really interesting to see how William finally gets to becomes the conqueror we know from our history books.

Best read with … A haunch of venison and a flagon of ripe and fruity Normandy cider..

About the Author

David Churchill is the pseudonym of an award-winning journalist. He has investigated financial scandals on Wall Street, studio intrigues in Hollywood and corrupt sports stars in Britain, and lived in Moscow, Washington DC and Havana. He has edited four magazines, published seventeen books and been translated into some twenty languages. The Leopards of Normandy trilogy reflects his lifelong passion for history and his fascination for the extraordinary men and women of the past who shaped the world we live in today.

Amazon UK

My thanks to Caitlin Raynor at Headline for my copy of this book

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Review ~ The Leopards of Normandy : Devil by David Churchill

Headline
February 2015

The fate of England hangs in the balance of a fight between brothers

The families of Europe strive for power and supremacy in this epic tale which takes the fight between brothers to a whole new level. Richard II, Duke of Normandy, has long ruled Normandy with a fist of iron; his untimely death in 1026, results in a deadly power struggle between his two sons. The brothers, Richard and Robert, both with an eye for the main chance conduct a campaign of hatred against each other as they each seek to take control of the powerful House of Normandy. What then follows is an intricate and devilishly good account of the fight between two deadly rivals and of their lives both inside and outside of Norman politics. By combining factual evidence with fiction, the shared lust for power between brothers is intertwined with the romantic story of Robert of Normandy’s affair with Herleva, the lowly tanner’s daughter who gave him his illegitimate son, who would , one day,  become William the Conqueror.

After an initial slow start, in which much historical background information is shared; the story starts to come alive. The epic nature of the narrative takes in, not just the Norman side of ducal politics, but also goes some way in explaining the complicated relationship between the Normans and the Royal court of England. The book is gritty without being gratuitously violent, and as the power struggles of unscrupulous men starts to come alive, there is always a shadowy edge, which never lets you forget, that this was indeed a dark and dirty age, and the premise of brother fighting against brother, was never going to end well. There are some lighter moments; I particularly enjoyed Robert’s burgeoning relationship with Herleva, whilst never overly sentimental, shows a softer side to Robert’s personality but which also emphasised women’s place in 11^th century politics.

There is no doubt that the author is an accomplished writer who clearly knows and understands this era in history and uses his knowledge to great effect. The Leopards of Normandy gets off to promising start and I am excited to see how the trilogy progresses and look forward to making the journey with William the Conqueror as he grows from boy to man.

The Leopards of Normandy will be available from all good book stores and online 

in Hardback and eBook from the  26^th February 2015

About the Author

David Churchill is the pseudonym of an award-winning journalist. He has investigated financial scandals on Wall Street, studio intrigues in Hollywood and corrupt sports stars in Britain, and lived in Moscow, Washington DC and Havana. He has edited four magazines, published seventeen books and been translated into some twenty languages. The Leopards of Normandy trilogy reflects his lifelong passion for history and his fascination for the extraordinary men and women of the past who shaped the world we live in today.

With thanks to Caitlin Raynor at Headline for the chance to read 

 The Leopards of Normandy in advance of its publication

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