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The Eagle Will Rise
From author MJ Porter, a thrilling new series of Saxon England for readers of Matthew Harffy, Peter Gibbons and Bernard Cornwell.
AD880
The king is dead; for Mercia to survive, another must take his place.
Coelwulf, Mercia’s last king, is dead. His legacy and right to rule Western Mercia have been claimed by Alfred of Wessex, but all know Alfred was never to have Mercia. Neither were the Viking raiders, who now command the eastern-most parts of Mercia and the former kingdom of the East Angles.
Icel, the bastion of Mercia’s wars against Wessex and the Viking raiders, lies dying, but he refuses to abandon his beloved kingdom to her long-standing enemies.
Rudolf, the once-young ally of King Coelwulf the second, is summoned by Icel to attend upon him. Grudgingly, he arrives at Budworth, the task laid before him, audacious to say the least; rescue Coelwulf’s acknowledged heir, Æthelred, from Wessex, where he's held prisoner by King Alfred. To do so, Rudolf must prevail upon the dispersed oath-sworn warrior band of King Coelwulf, and all of them, aside from him, have ignored Icel's increasingly furious demands to attend upon him. If they won't obey Icel, then why should they listen to Rudolf?
The fate of Mercia’s survival rests in the hands of a man who should long have been in his grave, and Rudolf, a boy who’s become a man in the most trying of circumstances. They must forge Æthelred into the emblem of Mercian survival. Or die trying. But first they must rescue Æthelred from someone who has always pretended to be Mercia's ally, but is anything but.
AD880
The king is dead; for Mercia to survive, another must take his place.
Coelwulf, Mercia’s last king, is dead. His legacy and right to rule Western Mercia have been claimed by Alfred of Wessex, but all know Alfred was never to have Mercia. Neither were the Viking raiders, who now command the eastern-most parts of Mercia and the former kingdom of the East Angles.
Icel, the bastion of Mercia’s wars against Wessex and the Viking raiders, lies dying, but he refuses to abandon his beloved kingdom to her long-standing enemies.
Rudolf, the once-young ally of King Coelwulf the second, is summoned by Icel to attend upon him. Grudgingly, he arrives at Budworth, the task laid before him, audacious to say the least; rescue Coelwulf’s acknowledged heir, Æthelred, from Wessex, where he's held prisoner by King Alfred. To do so, Rudolf must prevail upon the dispersed oath-sworn warrior band of King Coelwulf, and all of them, aside from him, have ignored Icel's increasingly furious demands to attend upon him. If they won't obey Icel, then why should they listen to Rudolf?
The fate of Mercia’s survival rests in the hands of a man who should long have been in his grave, and Rudolf, a boy who’s become a man in the most trying of circumstances. They must forge Æthelred into the emblem of Mercian survival. Or die trying. But first they must rescue Æthelred from someone who has always pretended to be Mercia's ally, but is anything but.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
About the author
M.J. Porter
114 books263 followersI'm an author of historical fiction (Early English/Saxon, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest, as well as five 20th-century historical mysteries) and historical fantasy.
I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Not sure where to start your journey through Saxon/Early England? The Dark Ages trilogy will take readers back to the very beginnings of Saxon England before the creation of Mercia and the other kingdoms. The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles featuring our reluctant hero, Icel, will introduce you to the best Saxon kingdom of all, Mercia! Storm of Mercia is the latest release.
Looking for my historical fantasy/romantasy? Dragonbound, the first book in the Ice and Fire series, will be avalable from August 2026.
Looking for my 20th-century mysteries? The Erdington Mysteries, and Cragside, a standalone 1930s murder mystery, are the titles for you.
My first non-fiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England, is now published by Pen and Sword in hardback and ebook.
Happy reading:)
Find me at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.mjporterauthor.blog where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing! I also have an online store for signed paperbacks and a few others goodies at mjporterauthor.co.uk.
https://linktr.ee/MJPorterauthor
https://mjporterauthor.sumupstore.com
You can join my monthly subscriber newsletters and gain access to the restricted page on my blog at the same time.
https://BookHip.com/MGWHLDC (Saxon stories)
https://BookHip.com/THPKCKP (mysteries only)
(I have odd reading tastes - there's no need to notice though!!) I'm also exceedingly anti-social - that you may notice but must accept!
I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Not sure where to start your journey through Saxon/Early England? The Dark Ages trilogy will take readers back to the very beginnings of Saxon England before the creation of Mercia and the other kingdoms. The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles featuring our reluctant hero, Icel, will introduce you to the best Saxon kingdom of all, Mercia! Storm of Mercia is the latest release.
Looking for my historical fantasy/romantasy? Dragonbound, the first book in the Ice and Fire series, will be avalable from August 2026.
Looking for my 20th-century mysteries? The Erdington Mysteries, and Cragside, a standalone 1930s murder mystery, are the titles for you.
My first non-fiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England, is now published by Pen and Sword in hardback and ebook.
Happy reading:)
Find me at
www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.mjporterauthor.blog where I blog about books and films and sometimes, writing! I also have an online store for signed paperbacks and a few others goodies at mjporterauthor.co.uk.
https://linktr.ee/MJPorterauthor
https://mjporterauthor.sumupstore.com
You can join my monthly subscriber newsletters and gain access to the restricted page on my blog at the same time.
https://BookHip.com/MGWHLDC (Saxon stories)
https://BookHip.com/THPKCKP (mysteries only)
(I have odd reading tastes - there's no need to notice though!!) I'm also exceedingly anti-social - that you may notice but must accept!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 29, 2026
This is another ball hit out of the park. An excellent story begins with our young lad, Rudolf, who grows up under the mentorship of Coelwulf. So another period of medieval times with little information. But Porter has an amazing way of weaving such believable events around the facts that are out there.
Mercia has been defeated, and Coelwulf’s warriors want to reassemble and rescue Æthelred, the first of his name, from Alfred who has kept him captive. Lady Cynewise and Icel are still forces to contend with. Rudolf tries to find all the former warriors and convince as many as he can to help with this endeavor, so that Mercia has a king to rally around and be great again.
We still have some great banter like Rudolf always calling Alfred “the feckless wanker.” At times the term comes up a little too often, but I understand Rudolf’s rage and desire for revenge. Rudolf is seen as the younger man by the others even though he’s a seasoned warrior and married. It’s wonderful to see how the group reunites for this purpose. Also the horses play important roles again. Haden is a true star. We cannot have a story without his stubborn loyalty and determination.
Although this story does have a conclusion, it allows history to continue, which it does of course. So I hope to read more about Rudolf and company, Alfred, and Jarl Guthrum.
Mercia has been defeated, and Coelwulf’s warriors want to reassemble and rescue Æthelred, the first of his name, from Alfred who has kept him captive. Lady Cynewise and Icel are still forces to contend with. Rudolf tries to find all the former warriors and convince as many as he can to help with this endeavor, so that Mercia has a king to rally around and be great again.
We still have some great banter like Rudolf always calling Alfred “the feckless wanker.” At times the term comes up a little too often, but I understand Rudolf’s rage and desire for revenge. Rudolf is seen as the younger man by the others even though he’s a seasoned warrior and married. It’s wonderful to see how the group reunites for this purpose. Also the horses play important roles again. Haden is a true star. We cannot have a story without his stubborn loyalty and determination.
Although this story does have a conclusion, it allows history to continue, which it does of course. So I hope to read more about Rudolf and company, Alfred, and Jarl Guthrum.
Read
April 28, 2026First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.
I’ve read several books by M. J. Porter and each time I’m impressed all over again.
You can really feel that the author knows her history, but more importantly, she knows how to bring it to life.
One thing I always really appreciate is how well the characters are developed, even the smaller roles leave an impression.
In this book, I especially enjoyed that everything was told from Rudolf’s perspective.
Compared to the author’s previous books this adds a different layer to the narrative, certainly in tone.
Once again, I found myself completely drawn into the story.
The pacing is strong throughout, with a good balance of tension, intrigue, and action.
Every scene is vividly written and genuinely engaging, making it easy to picture everything as it happens.
This is also the kind of book where you end up learning something about a specific part of history without even realizing it, even though it is still fiction.
It’s what makes it so enjoyable for me.
I’m already looking forward to the next installment and (once again) I’m promising myself to read more books by this author, because she never fails to pull me in.
I’ve read several books by M. J. Porter and each time I’m impressed all over again.
You can really feel that the author knows her history, but more importantly, she knows how to bring it to life.
One thing I always really appreciate is how well the characters are developed, even the smaller roles leave an impression.
In this book, I especially enjoyed that everything was told from Rudolf’s perspective.
Compared to the author’s previous books this adds a different layer to the narrative, certainly in tone.
Once again, I found myself completely drawn into the story.
The pacing is strong throughout, with a good balance of tension, intrigue, and action.
Every scene is vividly written and genuinely engaging, making it easy to picture everything as it happens.
This is also the kind of book where you end up learning something about a specific part of history without even realizing it, even though it is still fiction.
It’s what makes it so enjoyable for me.
I’m already looking forward to the next installment and (once again) I’m promising myself to read more books by this author, because she never fails to pull me in.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a new series by the author, but anyone who has read her Mercian series books will recognise many of the characters in it.
I found it to be every bit as engaging as any of her previous books but, perhaps with a different slant.
This is because Rudolf, who is the protagonist, is neither a king nor a lord and so does not have such a heavy weight of Mercia bearing down on him.
Nevertheless, his love of Mercia shows through on almost every page and he gets into enough scrapes and fights to help save Mercia as either Icel or Coelwulf has done before him.
I look forward to many more books in this series.
I found it to be every bit as engaging as any of her previous books but, perhaps with a different slant.
This is because Rudolf, who is the protagonist, is neither a king nor a lord and so does not have such a heavy weight of Mercia bearing down on him.
Nevertheless, his love of Mercia shows through on almost every page and he gets into enough scrapes and fights to help save Mercia as either Icel or Coelwulf has done before him.
I look forward to many more books in this series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews