Henry of the High Rock

Conqueror Trilogy #2

by Juliet Dymoke

For twenty-one years, William the Conqueror had ruled England with an iron fist but his sudden death leaves the country in turmoil. For his youngest son, Henry, life is set to become very precarious. As his elder brothers begin to divide up their father’s lands in England and France, it becomes clear that conflict is inevitable and Henry, far from being insignificant, is a crucial pawn in the family power struggle. But with great power comes great danger, and Henry soon finds that he will need a woman’s love and all his father’s physical courage and political cunning if he is to survive and claim his place in the line of succession. Henry of the High Rock, the second in Juliet Dymoke’s epic Conqueror Trilogy, is a powerful tale of political intrigue and courtly love at a time when the fate of England hung in the balance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Medieval

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2016

About the author

Juliet Dymoke was born at Enfield in Middlesex and educated at a boarding school in the country. During the war she worked for The Canadian Army Medical Records and at that time married Hugo de Schanschieff who was then serving as an air gunner in he Royal Air Force.

It was while her husband was away in the R.A.F. that Juliet Dymoke turned her attention to writing and also to work on scripts for various films companies. She has published several books for children but counts historical novels with "more fact than fiction" as her particular field. She has travelled all over the British Isles in the course of her research, as she makes a special point of authenticity. Among her main interests are music, television drama and "anything to do with the countryside".

Reviews

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there war because of kings? Or kings because of war? Yes, it seems. Henry Beauclerc, the youngest of William's sons, is a fine example of a good king - in this version of him at least, and the only good one I've yet to read about in this most ambitions, aggressive, entitled, and violent of leader. But still the business of kings at the time was war and there's plenty of it in this tale of Henry's long journey to the throne of England, which he then held for 35 years. It must have been a welcome respite between the violence of the conqueror's take over of England in 1066 and the sheer terror of the Anarchy that followed Henry's death in 1135 and continued until 1154.

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry I was the king most of us remember because of his death: a “surfeit of lampreys” just rolls off the tongue and evokes the most disgusting of meals. But Henry deserves much more than a colorful anecdote, as is memorably depicted in this novel. In all the excitement of William the Conqueror’s death, it is easy to overlook the slight given to his youngest son. You could almost call him the original Lackland; although Henry is given 5000 pounds as his inheritance and a few words encouraging him to wait for his time to come, he doesn’t have many prospects. And indeed, his greedy and rapacious brothers do their best to keep him in his place. You can almost taste Henry’s frustration as first Robert then William conspire against him. We know he will become king in the end, but how does he get there? And how much humiliation is he destined to suffer?

This is an engaging book depicting a lesser-known but most important member of the Conqueror’s family. Juliet Dymoke gives us a convincing evaluation of Henry’s personality, not attempting to whitewash his faults; I had read elsewhere that Henry was known for his cruelty, and we see the seeds of it here. Whether this unfortunate trait becomes more prominent later in life remains to be seen; in this book, Henry is generous, fair, and generally well-liked though on occasion he is overcome by ungovernable rage. What I found interesting is that Juliet’s depiction of William Rufus and Robert Curthose—indeed, all her characters—are multi-dimensional. They all display both good and bad qualities, which make them very believable. This book was an enjoyable read and moved along at a good pace. I would recommend it to anyone whether or not they know the historical background.

[Misfit]

Guess what I just found for a whopping $1.79. Woohoo!

[Karen Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Enjoyed!!

[Hazel Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Yet another fantastically written history from the mighty Dymoke. Sadly the last in the Conqueror trilogy but thoroughly enjoyed. Hope there is more.

[Allison O'Malli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I don't know very much about Henry Ist. I have looked for historical fiction about his reign and not been very successful.
( I am on a Historical Fiction binge regarding early English kings!!)
This is the 2nd book out of the trilogy and I thought both first and this book were really good. The author is great at capturing the feelings and thoughts of the characters. I also found it a very easy read when there was a transition into another character.

[Allie_oco]

I read on Wikipedia that this is actually part of a trilogy. Starting with Of the Ring of Earls and then this book and ending with The Lion's Legacy. I only own this one and the first is reasonably priced but the third one is in the $30 range. Plan on reading this one first and soon, although out of order, to see if the others are worth it.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciate the standard of Dymoke's scholarship. This was a very interesting book about a liitle known character