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Hereward trilogy #1
Hereward: Sons of the White Dragon
Volume I of a trilogy telling the story of Hereward the Wake and his resistance to William the Conqueror.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 20, 2016
I don't think this author is a natural writer: his prose is rather uneven and he employs the device of jumping back and forth in time which doesn't help and it is not always clear that it has happened again. That aside, he's fanatical about his history, his detail is excellent and the story is unusual enough as a subject to keep me well interested - I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. So my 3 stars are for the historian that he is and I hope that the writing style improves a little with experience; I look forward to giving 4 stars next time. *fingers crossed*
February 19, 2015
"Hereward - Sons Of The White Dragon" This was a very enjoyable novel with a lot to recommend it. Its particular strengths lay in a well-realized depiction of the historical setting and period of the Norman Conquest of England. It was nice to see Hereward the Wake presented in fairly realistic human terms (though I think his progression from his early days to his more mature years could have been developed to show a little more character growth).
I particularly enjoyed the manner in which the author integrated related subjects into the story, like the figure of Edric the Outlaw and the Wild Hunt. There are sufficient reminders in the story that the Normans conquered an England that was not as fully Christianized as one might expect, but it does not go over the top into mysticism or paganism; the mixing of the heathen and the Christian strikes a balance and makes for a believable 11th century Britain.
The episodic nature of the story might normally be subject to criticism, and indeed, these episodes could have been interwoven a bit more to make a more cohesive whole, but the episodes are nevertheless quite satisfying.
Complaints: the romance angle is a little underdeveloped and rushed, and most of the Normans are a little two-dimensional, though one can see that the author has laid the foundation for some interesting developments for some of the villains to follow in the succeeding volumes.
I would heartily recommend this novel to anyone interested in a historically plausible representation of the early Anglo-Norman period, and a well-researched biographical novel of the semi-legendary Hereward. I also think that it would be greatly enjoyed by anyone who enjoyed the TV series Robin Of Sherwood. I for one will look forward to reading the subsequent volumes.
Since reading this novel a few years back I have also read Stewart Binns' Conquest and James Wilde's Hereward, both of which I would rate far lower in terms of historical accuracy and quality of writing than this version.
I particularly enjoyed the manner in which the author integrated related subjects into the story, like the figure of Edric the Outlaw and the Wild Hunt. There are sufficient reminders in the story that the Normans conquered an England that was not as fully Christianized as one might expect, but it does not go over the top into mysticism or paganism; the mixing of the heathen and the Christian strikes a balance and makes for a believable 11th century Britain.
The episodic nature of the story might normally be subject to criticism, and indeed, these episodes could have been interwoven a bit more to make a more cohesive whole, but the episodes are nevertheless quite satisfying.
Complaints: the romance angle is a little underdeveloped and rushed, and most of the Normans are a little two-dimensional, though one can see that the author has laid the foundation for some interesting developments for some of the villains to follow in the succeeding volumes.
I would heartily recommend this novel to anyone interested in a historically plausible representation of the early Anglo-Norman period, and a well-researched biographical novel of the semi-legendary Hereward. I also think that it would be greatly enjoyed by anyone who enjoyed the TV series Robin Of Sherwood. I for one will look forward to reading the subsequent volumes.
Since reading this novel a few years back I have also read Stewart Binns' Conquest and James Wilde's Hereward, both of which I would rate far lower in terms of historical accuracy and quality of writing than this version.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews