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Son of Dust
Fulcun Geroy, a brooding young lord in eleventh-century Normandy, is torn between his love for God and his obsession with the wife of a rival at the court of William the Conqueror. He becomes entangled in an adulterous liaison that triggers a frightful storm of warfare and revenge.
CS-09 Convert tables to image?H. F. M. Prescott’s riveting historical novel explores the stark choices that arise when religious passion clashes with erotic desire. It is an artful and morally serious tale of wounded lovers climbing a difficult path of renunciation, purification, and healing.
CS-09 Convert tables to image?H. F. M. Prescott’s riveting historical novel explores the stark choices that arise when religious passion clashes with erotic desire. It is an artful and morally serious tale of wounded lovers climbing a difficult path of renunciation, purification, and healing.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
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77 people want to read
About the author
H.F.M. Prescott
22 books21 followersHilda Francis Margaret Prescott, MA, MA, D.Litt, FRSL was born in Cheshire, the daughter of Rev. James Mulleneux Prescott and his wife Margaret (née Warburton).
She was educated at Wallasey High School and subsequently read Modern History at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford where she received her first MA. Later, she studied Medieval and Modern History at Manchester University, from which she earned a second MA. She was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the University of Durham. In 1958, she was elected Jubilee Research Fellow at Royal Holloway College in the University of London where she researched the life of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
She is perhaps best known for her historical novel 'The Man on a Donkey;' written in the form of a chronicle, it tells the story of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular rising in protest at the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.
Her biography of Queen Mary I of England, 'Mary Tudor' (originally titled 'Spanish Tudor'), won the James Tait Black Prize in 1941 and remains a well-respected biography.
Prescott wrote one thriller, 'Dead and Not Buried,' and this was adapted in 1954 for CBS's Climax! television series under the title 'Bury Me Later.'
Her interests included travel and a love of the English countryside and she lived for many years in Charlbury, Oxfordshire.
She was educated at Wallasey High School and subsequently read Modern History at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford where she received her first MA. Later, she studied Medieval and Modern History at Manchester University, from which she earned a second MA. She was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the University of Durham. In 1958, she was elected Jubilee Research Fellow at Royal Holloway College in the University of London where she researched the life of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
She is perhaps best known for her historical novel 'The Man on a Donkey;' written in the form of a chronicle, it tells the story of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular rising in protest at the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.
Her biography of Queen Mary I of England, 'Mary Tudor' (originally titled 'Spanish Tudor'), won the James Tait Black Prize in 1941 and remains a well-respected biography.
Prescott wrote one thriller, 'Dead and Not Buried,' and this was adapted in 1954 for CBS's Climax! television series under the title 'Bury Me Later.'
Her interests included travel and a love of the English countryside and she lived for many years in Charlbury, Oxfordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 27, 2014
Although technically classified as a ‘romance’, Son of Dust isn't your usual run-of-the-mill swashbuckling medieval romance. Yes, there is a love story and yes it does follow many of the same patterns of that genre, but that’s basically where the similarity ends. H.F.M. Prescott, an Anglo-Catholic, has written a story within the context of the Catholic religious mores of eleventh century northern France and her characters have to be viewed as such, i.e., her believers go to Mass, pray for the dead, venerate the saints and respect the authority of the Church. Catholic (Anglo and Roman) readers will find themselves right at home, despite the intervening millennium. Twenty-first century readers who try to impose modern values and a hindsight perspective on history, however, will not understand the tension which holds this tightly wrought tale together.
At its heart, Son of Dust is about the battle between spirit and flesh, a forbidden desire of a man and woman for each other. Which will win out and at what cost? How many will suffer and forfeit their lives as a result of this overwhelming passion? These questions don’t make sense unless it is understood that a married man’s sacred right to his wife was a matter of honor worth fighting and dying for—whether or not she ‘loved’ him. The story of Fulcan Geroy and his quest to make Alde his own is a story which will grab you and hold you enthralled until the very last page—and that is no exaggeration. I literally did not know until then how it was going to end. I was captivated. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a reader of romances.
Initially the number of characters and the unusual similarity of their names create some difficulty in keeping everyone straight. After the first chapter or so, this is no longer an obstacle. Far superior to Ivanhoe or others by Sir Walter Scott—however enjoyable they may be to read—simply from the perspective of accuracy in portraying the Catholic religion.
At its heart, Son of Dust is about the battle between spirit and flesh, a forbidden desire of a man and woman for each other. Which will win out and at what cost? How many will suffer and forfeit their lives as a result of this overwhelming passion? These questions don’t make sense unless it is understood that a married man’s sacred right to his wife was a matter of honor worth fighting and dying for—whether or not she ‘loved’ him. The story of Fulcan Geroy and his quest to make Alde his own is a story which will grab you and hold you enthralled until the very last page—and that is no exaggeration. I literally did not know until then how it was going to end. I was captivated. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a reader of romances.
Initially the number of characters and the unusual similarity of their names create some difficulty in keeping everyone straight. After the first chapter or so, this is no longer an obstacle. Far superior to Ivanhoe or others by Sir Walter Scott—however enjoyable they may be to read—simply from the perspective of accuracy in portraying the Catholic religion.
June 22, 2018
22 JUN 2018 - a very good read. The characters are portrayed true to life and true to the time. The situations in which the characters find themselves are ones in which individuals would find themselves in today's life, also.
January 8, 2010
My favorite book of 2007. Prescott gives us as our protagonist a dark, complicated and enraging man and, as we accompany him on his tortured journey, doesn’t offer him (or us) any simple solution to his struggle between his fallen nature and a gentle, beckoning God. The book did not end as I had expected, but, upon reflection I realized that it was a conclusion infused with redemptive grace. (“He had learned to forgo.”)
September 7, 2024
Knocking off two stars for the completely unnecessary blasphemies and taking the Lord's name in vain. Surprised a "Catholic" publisher would print it.
January 22, 2008
Gift from my husband. . . good choice---reminds me of Sigrid Undset---historical fiction dealing with themes of sin and redemption.
July 4, 2017
Prescott weaves a beautiful masterpiece of sin and redemption, and shows how God works in the most unlikely ways, in the lives of those who will let Him surprise them.
December 12, 2024
Beautifully written, and with a clear potential for something even more profound—I was yearning for more!
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April 8, 2019This is not your average romance novel, nor historical fiction for that matter. It’s more religious psychological thriller plus medieval blood feud (lots of battle scenes!) centered around one adulterous romance and the chaos and warfare that follows.
It was a page-turner, though decidedly not an easy read, with lots of names and places to keep straight (Russian novel style, but with too many Guillelms rather than Ivans). Nature descriptions were a bit too plentiful. But it’s worth persevering!
The main character’s struggle with his sin and how it plays out is refreshing in a way a novel set today couldn’t pull off - even all the sword fights, horseback getaways, and ransacking aside. Fulcun knows there is a God and that sin is real. Maybe even as is, many modern readers will resent Alde returning to a loveless, but lawful, marriage. I appreciated the look back to a traditional (medieval, if you prefer) perspective, as well as the different marriages we get to observe (all the casual domestic violence was a bit jarring, though!).
The varying portrayal of religious figures, too, was insightful. There are no perfect characters. Although I was fully engrossed in Fulcun’s wrestling match with God throughout the book, his resulting disregard of people and events around him make him not a super likeable protagonist. You’re rooting for him, but also wanting to give him a good shake to wake him up.
I recommend it. It left me with much to ponder.
It was a page-turner, though decidedly not an easy read, with lots of names and places to keep straight (Russian novel style, but with too many Guillelms rather than Ivans). Nature descriptions were a bit too plentiful. But it’s worth persevering!
The main character’s struggle with his sin and how it plays out is refreshing in a way a novel set today couldn’t pull off - even all the sword fights, horseback getaways, and ransacking aside. Fulcun knows there is a God and that sin is real. Maybe even as is, many modern readers will resent Alde returning to a loveless, but lawful, marriage. I appreciated the look back to a traditional (medieval, if you prefer) perspective, as well as the different marriages we get to observe (all the casual domestic violence was a bit jarring, though!).
The varying portrayal of religious figures, too, was insightful. There are no perfect characters. Although I was fully engrossed in Fulcun’s wrestling match with God throughout the book, his resulting disregard of people and events around him make him not a super likeable protagonist. You’re rooting for him, but also wanting to give him a good shake to wake him up.
I recommend it. It left me with much to ponder.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews