What do you think?
Rate this book
The Northern Crown #3
Princes in Exile
No land, no crown, no plan...
Deira has fallen. Aethelfrith, aided by Cerdic’s half brother, Hussa is triumphant and Cerdic must lead princes Edwin and Hereric over the border into foreign lands. They number a mere fifty men, women and children. They have no land, no crown, little money and no plan. There are determined enemies in pursuit behind and precious few friends in front. Cerdic must dig deep to find a way to help the Princes in Exile.
Deira has fallen. Aethelfrith, aided by Cerdic’s half brother, Hussa is triumphant and Cerdic must lead princes Edwin and Hereric over the border into foreign lands. They number a mere fifty men, women and children. They have no land, no crown, little money and no plan. There are determined enemies in pursuit behind and precious few friends in front. Cerdic must dig deep to find a way to help the Princes in Exile.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2013
7 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Richard Denning
23 books50 followersI was born in Ilkeston in Derbyshire and live in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.
I worked as a General Practitioner with a North Birmingham practice until April 2017 when I retired from NHS practice to focus on my other work. I am married with two children.
I am a historical fiction, historical fantasy and Young adult sci-fi, writer. I also write online articles on historical, publishing and gaming related topics. I have my own Blog 'Richard's Ramblings' where discuss these and other subjects.
I visit Historical Associations, Schools, Libraries, Clubs and Societies. Topics covered include the Anglo-Saxon Era, The Great Fire of London, Time Travel and Creative Writing.
A keen player of board games and other games I am one of the directors of UK Games Expo
(the UK's largest hobby games convention and one of the largest in the world).
I am a board game designer and my first Board Game 'The Great Fire on London 1666' was published by Medusa Games and Prime Games in October 2010. Since then I have published several other games.
I worked as a General Practitioner with a North Birmingham practice until April 2017 when I retired from NHS practice to focus on my other work. I am married with two children.
I am a historical fiction, historical fantasy and Young adult sci-fi, writer. I also write online articles on historical, publishing and gaming related topics. I have my own Blog 'Richard's Ramblings' where discuss these and other subjects.
I visit Historical Associations, Schools, Libraries, Clubs and Societies. Topics covered include the Anglo-Saxon Era, The Great Fire of London, Time Travel and Creative Writing.
A keen player of board games and other games I am one of the directors of UK Games Expo
(the UK's largest hobby games convention and one of the largest in the world).
I am a board game designer and my first Board Game 'The Great Fire on London 1666' was published by Medusa Games and Prime Games in October 2010. Since then I have published several other games.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 18, 2020
Good read
Another enjoyable instalment in this saga, looking forward to reading the next book in the series of wonderful tales, so easy to read.
Another enjoyable instalment in this saga, looking forward to reading the next book in the series of wonderful tales, so easy to read.
November 15, 2016
After a long period of thought, I decided to base my rating for this book only on the story, not penalizing the author for his numerous grammatical and punctuation errors. It was a tough decision because those errors really detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
I wish the author took more care in his proofreading and editing. Better yet, he should have had someone else doing it because it's easy for an author to overlook things in their own work. A fresh pair of eyes would have found all those errors, thereby giving the author the opportunity to correct things before his paying readers discovered them!
At one point, the author calls one of the characters 'Cerdic' when he was actually speaking about 'Cuthbert'. He started off referring to the Irish as Llynii then suddenly switched to Lleynii, then spent several chapters waffling back and forth. It would have made more sense to stick with one version of the name.
There were numerous places where simple words - at, to, of - were missing from sentences, while in other places the words were repeated when they shouldn't have been. Example: "What would lead to him to change his mind....”
Why does the author add random question marks to this sentence? "These days I could not imagine ever wanting to do that, yet seeing Cuthwine’s little face ? recognisable even from this distance peering around Aidith’s skirt ? and recalling my own curiosity about battle as ...."
As in the last book, the author has some difficulty with the use of the words 'then' and 'than'. He could also benefit from time spent studying how quotation marks should be used in dialogue. Often they are missing at the start or the end of speeches, while at other times he has opening quotations appear when closing quotations should be used.
In Chapter Five, one of the sentences just abruptly ends mid-thought:
"As am I, Cerdic,” he said and fell into silence as he stared around him again, his eyes once more
Where is the rest of that sentence?
The story is entertaining enough, though I enjoyed the first two books more. it's a shame that the author did not put the same effort into his editing that he did into his character and plot development. At this point, I don't see any reason to spend more money on this series.
I wish the author took more care in his proofreading and editing. Better yet, he should have had someone else doing it because it's easy for an author to overlook things in their own work. A fresh pair of eyes would have found all those errors, thereby giving the author the opportunity to correct things before his paying readers discovered them!
At one point, the author calls one of the characters 'Cerdic' when he was actually speaking about 'Cuthbert'. He started off referring to the Irish as Llynii then suddenly switched to Lleynii, then spent several chapters waffling back and forth. It would have made more sense to stick with one version of the name.
There were numerous places where simple words - at, to, of - were missing from sentences, while in other places the words were repeated when they shouldn't have been. Example: "What would lead to him to change his mind....”
Why does the author add random question marks to this sentence? "These days I could not imagine ever wanting to do that, yet seeing Cuthwine’s little face ? recognisable even from this distance peering around Aidith’s skirt ? and recalling my own curiosity about battle as ...."
As in the last book, the author has some difficulty with the use of the words 'then' and 'than'. He could also benefit from time spent studying how quotation marks should be used in dialogue. Often they are missing at the start or the end of speeches, while at other times he has opening quotations appear when closing quotations should be used.
In Chapter Five, one of the sentences just abruptly ends mid-thought:
"As am I, Cerdic,” he said and fell into silence as he stared around him again, his eyes once more
Where is the rest of that sentence?
The story is entertaining enough, though I enjoyed the first two books more. it's a shame that the author did not put the same effort into his editing that he did into his character and plot development. At this point, I don't see any reason to spend more money on this series.
November 3, 2013
Princes in Exile is the third book in the Northern Crown series, and is set in 6th-century Britain during the dark age of our history. Cerdic and his raggle-taggle band of followers live in unpredictable times, and when a dangerous ambush threatens their very existence, the necessity of protecting the princes Edwin and Hereric forces Cerdic into enemy territory, where in the wild and foreign lands of Gwynedd they must seek refuge. However, sanctuary comes with a high price to pay, and Cerdic and his people will have to face grave danger and untold difficulties before resolution can be found.
Aimed primarily at young adults, this cleverly constructed historical novel has the ability to leap successfully across the great divide into the adult market. Beautifully presented and professionally finished, it is obvious that the author knows his target audience well, and never seeks to compromise or swerve away from telling the story in vivid and realistic detail. He creates such a sense of time and place that all too easily you are transported back to a dark and reckless time, when good men fought against evil, and where enemies lingered in the shadows.
There is sometimes a tendency in an established series to assume prior knowledge which can be discouraging to new readers. However, whilst Princes in Exile confidently continues the story, it also provides enough past detail for a comfortable read. A comprehensive glossary at the start of the book lists all the major locations and characters, both real and fictional, and the historical notes section at the end of the book explains the intricacies of the `darkest years of the dark ages' in a realistic and easy to understand manner.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a fascinating look at England's dark and complex history.
I reviewed this novel for the Historical Novel Society as a UK Indie Reviewer
Aimed primarily at young adults, this cleverly constructed historical novel has the ability to leap successfully across the great divide into the adult market. Beautifully presented and professionally finished, it is obvious that the author knows his target audience well, and never seeks to compromise or swerve away from telling the story in vivid and realistic detail. He creates such a sense of time and place that all too easily you are transported back to a dark and reckless time, when good men fought against evil, and where enemies lingered in the shadows.
There is sometimes a tendency in an established series to assume prior knowledge which can be discouraging to new readers. However, whilst Princes in Exile confidently continues the story, it also provides enough past detail for a comfortable read. A comprehensive glossary at the start of the book lists all the major locations and characters, both real and fictional, and the historical notes section at the end of the book explains the intricacies of the `darkest years of the dark ages' in a realistic and easy to understand manner.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a fascinating look at England's dark and complex history.
I reviewed this novel for the Historical Novel Society as a UK Indie Reviewer
June 2, 2014
My goodness what a ride. I really hope there are more books, because Cerdic's story isn't finished and I really need to know what happens next.
This book was action packed with battles. I can sympathize with Cerdic's wife, but admit to chuckling every time he said (or thought) "what would you have me do woman".
I was extremely afraid for our little group every time we turned a corner but was happy to see they all made it out alive so far.
It was nice to spend some time with the Welsh and it's interesting to see how the politics are being played out.
The author's note was interesting!
This book was action packed with battles. I can sympathize with Cerdic's wife, but admit to chuckling every time he said (or thought) "what would you have me do woman".
I was extremely afraid for our little group every time we turned a corner but was happy to see they all made it out alive so far.
It was nice to spend some time with the Welsh and it's interesting to see how the politics are being played out.
The author's note was interesting!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews