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The Windflower Saga #1
Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart.
"Ansgar" is the main content in "The Ansgar Treasury," which was reviewed in 2017 by BlueInk in Booklist Magazine as a self-published book recommended to librarians for their collections.
Part I of the romantic fantasy epic Windflower Saga trilogy, "Ansgar" is set in a time not now and in a world not of our own. A hundred years after the colonial wars, Kimbria is finally a unified kingdom. A young man, dressed only in the robe of a monk, wanders alone in the southern Wastelands, searching for the remnants of an indigenous people on the brink of extinction. He’s come to help them, but instead finds himself near death and losing consciousness… until he opens his eyes and sees her… a woman unlike any he’s ever seen before... a chief and leader of her people. She’ll save him from death, and quietly captivate his heart. He’ll defy the conventions of the time and marry her, revealing his true identity, and founding a family that will change the future of Kimbria forever.
Part I of the romantic fantasy epic Windflower Saga trilogy, "Ansgar" is set in a time not now and in a world not of our own. A hundred years after the colonial wars, Kimbria is finally a unified kingdom. A young man, dressed only in the robe of a monk, wanders alone in the southern Wastelands, searching for the remnants of an indigenous people on the brink of extinction. He’s come to help them, but instead finds himself near death and losing consciousness… until he opens his eyes and sees her… a woman unlike any he’s ever seen before... a chief and leader of her people. She’ll save him from death, and quietly captivate his heart. He’ll defy the conventions of the time and marry her, revealing his true identity, and founding a family that will change the future of Kimbria forever.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2015
6 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Aleksandra Layland
35 books8 followersAleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation civil engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.
The award-winning epic fantasy Windflower Saga is comprised of a trilogy of novels and eight related novellas as well as several books for younger readers. They trace the lives of members of the fictional Ansgar family of Kimbria against a background of struggles between forces such as good and evil, love and hate, war and peace, integrity and corruption. It was the author’s first attempt at writing novels.
The award-winning epic fantasy Windflower Saga is comprised of a trilogy of novels and eight related novellas as well as several books for younger readers. They trace the lives of members of the fictional Ansgar family of Kimbria against a background of struggles between forces such as good and evil, love and hate, war and peace, integrity and corruption. It was the author’s first attempt at writing novels.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 9, 2017
Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite
Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart, is complete in itself, and a worthy Part I of The Windflower Saga trilogy by Aleksandra Layland. The greater part of the story centres on the life of Ansgar, a duke of the royal house of Kimbria, shipwrecked and given up for dead. He survives, cared for at a monastery, where he regains his memory, but takes the vows of a humble lay brother. Kimbria was torn apart by his warmongering forebears and those of its indigenous people, the Kimbrii, who escaped slaughter or slavery are few. Can Ansgar find these people? If he does, will he be made welcome and live to intercede on their behalf with the king? Is it possible that Kimbria can once more become a united country, and is there happiness in Ansgar’s own future?
Aleksandra Layland has written a fantasy that is more than a fantasy; it is a dream for a future that would be possible if people worldwide believed in the One God and lived according to His teaching. Keholani is a clan chief, heiress to the high chiefdom of the Kimbrii, who live by a gentle code of caring for all as they would wish to be cared for, and it is she Ansgar marries: a marriage of equals unheard of by his people. I loved Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart, for its drama, realistic politics of greed and war, sense of family, and the tender romance. Aleksandra Layland challenges Nicholas Sparks and Michael Ondaatje for a place in literary history.
Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart, is complete in itself, and a worthy Part I of The Windflower Saga trilogy by Aleksandra Layland. The greater part of the story centres on the life of Ansgar, a duke of the royal house of Kimbria, shipwrecked and given up for dead. He survives, cared for at a monastery, where he regains his memory, but takes the vows of a humble lay brother. Kimbria was torn apart by his warmongering forebears and those of its indigenous people, the Kimbrii, who escaped slaughter or slavery are few. Can Ansgar find these people? If he does, will he be made welcome and live to intercede on their behalf with the king? Is it possible that Kimbria can once more become a united country, and is there happiness in Ansgar’s own future?
Aleksandra Layland has written a fantasy that is more than a fantasy; it is a dream for a future that would be possible if people worldwide believed in the One God and lived according to His teaching. Keholani is a clan chief, heiress to the high chiefdom of the Kimbrii, who live by a gentle code of caring for all as they would wish to be cared for, and it is she Ansgar marries: a marriage of equals unheard of by his people. I loved Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart, for its drama, realistic politics of greed and war, sense of family, and the tender romance. Aleksandra Layland challenges Nicholas Sparks and Michael Ondaatje for a place in literary history.
October 20, 2016
A beautiful tale of a family set in historical fantasy is the best way to describe ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE. THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART. Layland smuggles in a bit of real history along with her tapestry of romance, fantasy, and adventure as she sets up the foundation for the Windflower Saga in ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE. THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART(Book 1 of the Windflower Saga). I loved it!
When Ansgar meets the Kimbrii people and you hear their tale pay close attention. What historic part in our history do they remind you of?
At the heart of ANSGAR though is the Ansgar ducal family as we follow them through generations of their happiness, hardships, marriages, births, and deaths. I think this is the capturing appeal of ANSGAR.
Overall I enjoyed ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE.THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART. Layland is a warm inviting storyteller charming you chapter after chapter.
When Ansgar meets the Kimbrii people and you hear their tale pay close attention. What historic part in our history do they remind you of?
At the heart of ANSGAR though is the Ansgar ducal family as we follow them through generations of their happiness, hardships, marriages, births, and deaths. I think this is the capturing appeal of ANSGAR.
Overall I enjoyed ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE.THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART. Layland is a warm inviting storyteller charming you chapter after chapter.
June 20, 2018
Part one of the Windflower Saga, a series currently totalling fifteen books by Aleksandra Layland is titled Ansgar: The Struggle of a People, The Triumph of the Heart. Set in ‘In a time not now and a world not of our own…’ to quote the author, the world nevertheless strongly resembles medieval Europe with the denizens human in appearance, manner and outlook. The narrative opens with Duke Ansgar of the Southlands enduring a violent storm at sea which eventually leads to the wrecking of his ship and his subsequent rescue by fishermen. Taken to a monastery for treatment, he is so badly injured that it takes months for him to recover. But the time is not wasted, his long recuperation gives him the leisure to reflect and ponder on the important things in life - reflections which eventually lead him to become a lay brother. From this point, he will eschew the flamboyant clothing of a duke and wear only the robes of a monk. Further, he will strive to maintain and practice the principles of his religion for the benefit of his people.
When he is at last fit enough to travel, he resumes the journey he had previously begun to the southern wastelands of his dukedom is search of a small colony of folk called the Kimbrii. Ansgar is the fourth and youngest son of the King and has no expectations with respect to the throne. His dukedom has come to him as his his birth right and he is determined to seek out all the people in it. After a perilous journey through the wastelands of the region, he is again injured but rescued by a dazzlingly beautiful woman who seems to him like an angel. The narrative follows Ansgar as he discovers the rapidly diminishing population he seeks, learning their ways and discovering many injustices brought about by ancient laws. We follow his life as he falls in love, marries and sets about putting his dukedom and later the whole nation in order, how he is blessed with a large family and how his children join in the struggle to bring peace, justice and equality to the land.
The subtitle of this book The Struggle of a People, The Triumph of The Heart probably gives a very good idea of what it is about. There are many parallels to be drawn about the treatment of indigenous people on our own planet and they will not be lost on readers. The narrative also provides sufficient romantic interludes and ‘triumphs of the heart’ to balance the storyline. Aleksandra Layland has crafted an intricate, finely detailed narrative, creating a medieval world peopled with solid, believable characters. I am pleased to have discovered her work and will certainly read the stories that follow. A welcome addition to the genre - fans of Fantasy with a historical slant will not be disappointed.
When he is at last fit enough to travel, he resumes the journey he had previously begun to the southern wastelands of his dukedom is search of a small colony of folk called the Kimbrii. Ansgar is the fourth and youngest son of the King and has no expectations with respect to the throne. His dukedom has come to him as his his birth right and he is determined to seek out all the people in it. After a perilous journey through the wastelands of the region, he is again injured but rescued by a dazzlingly beautiful woman who seems to him like an angel. The narrative follows Ansgar as he discovers the rapidly diminishing population he seeks, learning their ways and discovering many injustices brought about by ancient laws. We follow his life as he falls in love, marries and sets about putting his dukedom and later the whole nation in order, how he is blessed with a large family and how his children join in the struggle to bring peace, justice and equality to the land.
The subtitle of this book The Struggle of a People, The Triumph of The Heart probably gives a very good idea of what it is about. There are many parallels to be drawn about the treatment of indigenous people on our own planet and they will not be lost on readers. The narrative also provides sufficient romantic interludes and ‘triumphs of the heart’ to balance the storyline. Aleksandra Layland has crafted an intricate, finely detailed narrative, creating a medieval world peopled with solid, believable characters. I am pleased to have discovered her work and will certainly read the stories that follow. A welcome addition to the genre - fans of Fantasy with a historical slant will not be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews