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Wyrd of the Wolf #2
In The Name Of The Mother
It is 689 AD, and Cynethryth is returning from Rome, carrying her dead husband's child.
She soon gives birth to a son, Aethelheard, whose parentage alone places him in danger. His mother has a tough choice to make and travels to Dorset, where the king is a cousin of her late husband.
After the king adopts the boy, he grows up in the dangerous company of rebellious princes, all who wish to overthrow the mighty Ine, king of Wessex.
How will mother and son face the physical and spiritual battles that await them?
She soon gives birth to a son, Aethelheard, whose parentage alone places him in danger. His mother has a tough choice to make and travels to Dorset, where the king is a cousin of her late husband.
After the king adopts the boy, he grows up in the dangerous company of rebellious princes, all who wish to overthrow the mighty Ine, king of Wessex.
How will mother and son face the physical and spiritual battles that await them?
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2019
7 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
John Broughton
110 books20 followersJohn Broughton was born in Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, studied at the local grammar school and went on to take an honours degree in Medieval and Modern History at the University of Nottingham, where he also studied Archaeology.
John retired in January 2014 and chose the period that fascinates him most – the Anglo-Saxon period – as the setting for his first historical novel. Since then, he has had 28 novels published by Next Chapter Publishing. Most are historical novels, but he also writes murder mysteries, fantasy and sci-fi.
John retired in January 2014 and chose the period that fascinates him most – the Anglo-Saxon period – as the setting for his first historical novel. Since then, he has had 28 novels published by Next Chapter Publishing. Most are historical novels, but he also writes murder mysteries, fantasy and sci-fi.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 18, 2023
The Anglo-Saxon period in Britain spans approximately six centuries from 410-1066AD. It was a time of war and the breaking up of Roman Britannia into several kingdoms of religious conversion.
It is during this period that John Broughton thrusts readers into his strikingly original second and last installment of the Wyrd of the Wolf series, “In The Name Of The Mother: A Chronicle of 8th Century Wessex (Wyrd Of The Wolf Book 2)”. The year is 689AD and a young widow, Cynethryth, is returning home to Rome after her husband, Caedwalha, leader of the West Saexe, dies. Pregnant with the heir to the throne, Cynethryth meets her father, Aelfhere, King of the South Saexe, who welcomes her home even after having gone against her father’s wishes, allying against him and her people.
However, there are other pressing matters at hand. In a time of unrest and political turbulence, many lay claims to the throne. Cynethryth’s son, Aethelheard has a better claim to kingship than King Ine, the king of Wessex and a ruler who is becoming ever more the tyrant and thirsts for greater power. Her mother knows she has to protect her son, who is at risk of being killed, as his parentage alone places him in danger. Cynethryth is confronted with a difficult choice to make and visits King Cuthred in Dorset, who agrees to raise him as his son without anyone’s knowledge. This alone sets Aethelheard on an insidious path as he grows up around defiant princes, all with an insatiable desire to overthrow the King of Wessex. Thus follows a tale of intrigue, ambition, a mother’s love, and power.
In a period that may seem strange and incomprehensible, John Broughton weaves a magisterial treatise that illuminates a masterful introduction to the origins of kingship, power structures, and government in Anglo-Saxon society. He renders the inner life of the medieval era with an accuracy and contiguity rare in historical fiction. With stellar, pitch-perfect prose and well-fleshed-out characters, the novel ping-pongs rapidly to deliver the right amounts of action and dialogue in equal measure.
“In The Name Of The Mother: A Chronicle of 8th Century Wessex” is an evocative, sharply drawn five-star story of centuries of profound political change, told with adroitness, command, and shrewd historical judgment. The author employs aptly crafted language to paint enthralling imagistic scenes, resulting in an ode rich with history, suspense, beauty, and lyricism. As the text pulls back the veil on legendary characters bringing them to life through a work of fiction, Broughton, a literary minstrel in his own right, awakens a Middle Age period that is rigorously researched culminating into a rich embroidery that connects the dots between the familiar and unfamiliar.
It is during this period that John Broughton thrusts readers into his strikingly original second and last installment of the Wyrd of the Wolf series, “In The Name Of The Mother: A Chronicle of 8th Century Wessex (Wyrd Of The Wolf Book 2)”. The year is 689AD and a young widow, Cynethryth, is returning home to Rome after her husband, Caedwalha, leader of the West Saexe, dies. Pregnant with the heir to the throne, Cynethryth meets her father, Aelfhere, King of the South Saexe, who welcomes her home even after having gone against her father’s wishes, allying against him and her people.
However, there are other pressing matters at hand. In a time of unrest and political turbulence, many lay claims to the throne. Cynethryth’s son, Aethelheard has a better claim to kingship than King Ine, the king of Wessex and a ruler who is becoming ever more the tyrant and thirsts for greater power. Her mother knows she has to protect her son, who is at risk of being killed, as his parentage alone places him in danger. Cynethryth is confronted with a difficult choice to make and visits King Cuthred in Dorset, who agrees to raise him as his son without anyone’s knowledge. This alone sets Aethelheard on an insidious path as he grows up around defiant princes, all with an insatiable desire to overthrow the King of Wessex. Thus follows a tale of intrigue, ambition, a mother’s love, and power.
In a period that may seem strange and incomprehensible, John Broughton weaves a magisterial treatise that illuminates a masterful introduction to the origins of kingship, power structures, and government in Anglo-Saxon society. He renders the inner life of the medieval era with an accuracy and contiguity rare in historical fiction. With stellar, pitch-perfect prose and well-fleshed-out characters, the novel ping-pongs rapidly to deliver the right amounts of action and dialogue in equal measure.
“In The Name Of The Mother: A Chronicle of 8th Century Wessex” is an evocative, sharply drawn five-star story of centuries of profound political change, told with adroitness, command, and shrewd historical judgment. The author employs aptly crafted language to paint enthralling imagistic scenes, resulting in an ode rich with history, suspense, beauty, and lyricism. As the text pulls back the veil on legendary characters bringing them to life through a work of fiction, Broughton, a literary minstrel in his own right, awakens a Middle Age period that is rigorously researched culminating into a rich embroidery that connects the dots between the familiar and unfamiliar.
February 19, 2021
Broughton is Masterful
This is the fifth book I have read by this author and he has never disappointed and I freely admit I buy the books without too much research and just start reading. I loved this book and it was not until the end I found out that it was book 2 of a series, Wyrd of The Wolf. I had to immediately remedy the mistake and bought book 1.This fact did not detract from my pleasure in reading this novel.
This story hinges on the return from pilgrimage of a King’s widow, pregnant with the heir to the throne, now usurped. It is about biding time and hiding the babe away and where better than with another King. What follows is a story of intrigue, growing affection and, as the mother becomes an infirmarian, so we also see how ancient healing knowledge is championed by the cloistered healers. It becomes a cleverly crafted tale of ambition, tempered by education and a mother’s love.
Broughton is masterful in the way he is able to engage complex histories of warring Kings, scheming Aethlings and Religieux, with clever use of invented characters exploiting flawed ambition, so the machinations and the aspirations of the time are laid out in a fascinating story.
It is the ease of a consummate writer that enables the storyline to drive the history and reveal the times; the worries, the fears and, the loves. Peace is sought but ambition weakens a powerbase, in Kingdoms and in Religious Houses. And the People? They just want to see strength of Leadership as this enables them to live a life, however meagre, secure and as safe as can be.
I recommend these books as an equal to great writers such as Cornwell with an additional qualification, Broughton brings, in my opinion, a measure of empathy, hard to do, but it works for me as the books and the turbulent times come alive. 5 Stars.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author and he has never disappointed and I freely admit I buy the books without too much research and just start reading. I loved this book and it was not until the end I found out that it was book 2 of a series, Wyrd of The Wolf. I had to immediately remedy the mistake and bought book 1.This fact did not detract from my pleasure in reading this novel.
This story hinges on the return from pilgrimage of a King’s widow, pregnant with the heir to the throne, now usurped. It is about biding time and hiding the babe away and where better than with another King. What follows is a story of intrigue, growing affection and, as the mother becomes an infirmarian, so we also see how ancient healing knowledge is championed by the cloistered healers. It becomes a cleverly crafted tale of ambition, tempered by education and a mother’s love.
Broughton is masterful in the way he is able to engage complex histories of warring Kings, scheming Aethlings and Religieux, with clever use of invented characters exploiting flawed ambition, so the machinations and the aspirations of the time are laid out in a fascinating story.
It is the ease of a consummate writer that enables the storyline to drive the history and reveal the times; the worries, the fears and, the loves. Peace is sought but ambition weakens a powerbase, in Kingdoms and in Religious Houses. And the People? They just want to see strength of Leadership as this enables them to live a life, however meagre, secure and as safe as can be.
I recommend these books as an equal to great writers such as Cornwell with an additional qualification, Broughton brings, in my opinion, a measure of empathy, hard to do, but it works for me as the books and the turbulent times come alive. 5 Stars.
January 21, 2020
Fascinating Read
If you enjoy books that take place in the middle ages, this is the book for you. It was hard to put down. However, I wish the author had given us more information. about the background he chose for the book . Was the book fiction or historical? I ask this because, the names of some of the characters were easy to confuse.
If you enjoy books that take place in the middle ages, this is the book for you. It was hard to put down. However, I wish the author had given us more information. about the background he chose for the book . Was the book fiction or historical? I ask this because, the names of some of the characters were easy to confuse.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews