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The Angel and the Sword
In the dark and bloody days of the Ninth Century, a courageous young woman took the guise of a gallant warrior to preserve the precious legacy of the past, and protect her people from destruction. Here is a bold retelling of one of Europe's greatest sagas, by one of the world's most acclaimed historical novelists.
304 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
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181 people want to read
About the author
Cecelia Holland
82 books211 followersPen name used by Elizabeth Eliot Carter.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 14, 2025
Cecilia Holland has long been one of my favorite historical novelists. One of my favorite books of hers is "The Firedrake" about the Norman Conquest of England. This one, written in 2000, is set in the 9th Century. A young Spanish princess, Ragna, disguised as a man named Roderick, flees her brute of a father and arrives in Francia. The ruler in Paris is a rather weak king known as Charles the Bald. He is the grandson of the Emperor Charlemagne who had ruled a great Christian empire. But the empire has become divided and the area which Charles rules from Paris is facing vicious raids by the Northmen (Vikings). Ragna/ Roderick becomes a fighter for the Frankish king and helps battle the barbaric raiders. There is a supernatural element in the story as Roderick appears at times to be guarded by an angel. Hence the title. I give this story **** because I found the Spanish princess to be an engaging character. I don't think she's based on an historical person--but she should be. As a good historical novelist should, Holland brings the period to life and this is a period of history I'm very interested in. If you think we have so much to fear from terrorists, try living in the Viking Age.
January 16, 2010
Spanish Princess Ragny is on the run for her life when her mother dies, and her appalling father locks her in a tower and intends to marry her himself to gain the kingdom. Dressed as a man, she and her father's former sergeant flee over the mountains to Francia, and join the fight against the Northmen (Vikings) who are intent upon taking Paris. The current king is the grandson of Emperor Charlemagne and lives everyday with that glorious shadow hanging over him. Ragny, now Roderick the beardless, is protected by God, and as such is a ferocious fighter, but longs for the love of Leovild, another knight. More of a historical saga than a romance, however. I thought that Holland's inclusion of the bedroom scenes between Roderick and the king's daughter, whom he is forced to marry to keep his secret, was gratuitous and out of place. My only beef with this overall superb book!
December 16, 2015
When I stumbled across "The Angel and the Sword," I was more than pleased -- a Cecelia Holland book I hadn't read is generally something to celebrate.
Sadly, not this time. "The Angel and the Sword" is one of her weakest efforts, and I'm a huge Cecelia Holland fan. Perhaps not coincidentally, the book also marks what I believe is her first venture into magical realism, which she incorporated in the Corban Loosestrife series to excellent effect. In this case, though, the book sputtered and staggered through some very obvious situations, and then concluded with one straight out of the blue.
The setting is France after Charlemagne with invading Vikings attacking Paris, and Holland, as always, shines a light on an unfamiliar historical era -- but that's about as positive as I can get.
So those not familiar with Cecelia Holland should not start here, and even those who love her work will most likely come away disappointed. Luckily, there are many other of her books to choose from, and almost all are winners. "The Angel and the Sword," sadly, is not.
Sadly, not this time. "The Angel and the Sword" is one of her weakest efforts, and I'm a huge Cecelia Holland fan. Perhaps not coincidentally, the book also marks what I believe is her first venture into magical realism, which she incorporated in the Corban Loosestrife series to excellent effect. In this case, though, the book sputtered and staggered through some very obvious situations, and then concluded with one straight out of the blue.
The setting is France after Charlemagne with invading Vikings attacking Paris, and Holland, as always, shines a light on an unfamiliar historical era -- but that's about as positive as I can get.
So those not familiar with Cecelia Holland should not start here, and even those who love her work will most likely come away disappointed. Luckily, there are many other of her books to choose from, and almost all are winners. "The Angel and the Sword," sadly, is not.
November 22, 2021
barely three...I am disappointed...I expected more...a better story and a better plot...
December 23, 2009
This is my second try with this author. I am glad I gave this author a second chance; I like everything better. The story was more interesting and I "got" the authors style, which has been described as terse and stripped down. I found the action sequences a little boring ( skimmed them) but where the author shines and captures you is in the illustration of Ragny/Roderick, her faith, and her struggles.
October 23, 2009
The best Cecelia Holland book yet! She is an amazing Historian who puts you in the time she is writing about. This is the story of Historical figure Roderick the Beardless, ninth century warrior who took on the Vikings for France's King Charles the Bald. No one does history better than Cecilia Holland. A terrific book.
June 1, 2021
A good story set in the 9th century Viking strikes into the French heartland.
December 5, 2017
Plot: 8 (strong but with a rushed and less satisfying ending)
Characters: 9 (likable and distinctive with some strong arcs)
Accuracy: 9 (reliable if perhaps simplistic and mystical)
This was a really good book set in the Frankish empire of Charles the Bald (early 870s) during a Viking siege of Paris. The time period is interesting and unexplored, and the feel of the time is well captured. The battle scenes are superb and the more atmospheric scenes really sell the isolation and mystical feel of the time. The book also has a strong supernatural element, with numerous people noticing the lead character's divine aid (in the form of an illusory army or blazing presence). The lead is descended from the last Visigothic king Roderick, and it's repeatedly suggested that her descendants will be kings of a unified Spain. In other words, she's aided by God so that her line can fulfill its purpose. Which is… different.
The main character was an interesting one. A Spanish princess by the name of Ragny flees her father who wants to marry her (eww) and, disguising herself as a man, joins in battle as the brave knight Roderick the Beardless. She turns out to be really good at it, unsurprisingly in this context, becoming a hero. This leads to the obvious sort of problems you expect from a gender swapping tale (and a few perhaps non-obvious ones, since it's assumed that a woman disguised as a man must be a shapechanger and therefore a witch) which hardly need to be elaborated on. What I found interesting was the conflict she felt between Ragny and Roderick. Sometimes she feels like Roderick is taking over and Ragny is fading away. And at times she just needs to be free of Roderick and be by herself. It was an interesting dichotomy.
I actually found the big and inevitable discovery the least interesting part of the book. That's not a good thing for a climax. You know what's coming and more or less what to expect, so when it does finally happen you basically just want to skip ahead to the end. And it seems to take forever, although it's only maybe a sixth of the book. It's not badly written, just formulaic. And the situation that led her on this quest is resolved far too readily as well.
Characters: 9 (likable and distinctive with some strong arcs)
Accuracy: 9 (reliable if perhaps simplistic and mystical)
This was a really good book set in the Frankish empire of Charles the Bald (early 870s) during a Viking siege of Paris. The time period is interesting and unexplored, and the feel of the time is well captured. The battle scenes are superb and the more atmospheric scenes really sell the isolation and mystical feel of the time. The book also has a strong supernatural element, with numerous people noticing the lead character's divine aid (in the form of an illusory army or blazing presence). The lead is descended from the last Visigothic king Roderick, and it's repeatedly suggested that her descendants will be kings of a unified Spain. In other words, she's aided by God so that her line can fulfill its purpose. Which is… different.
The main character was an interesting one. A Spanish princess by the name of Ragny flees her father who wants to marry her (eww) and, disguising herself as a man, joins in battle as the brave knight Roderick the Beardless. She turns out to be really good at it, unsurprisingly in this context, becoming a hero. This leads to the obvious sort of problems you expect from a gender swapping tale (and a few perhaps non-obvious ones, since it's assumed that a woman disguised as a man must be a shapechanger and therefore a witch) which hardly need to be elaborated on. What I found interesting was the conflict she felt between Ragny and Roderick. Sometimes she feels like Roderick is taking over and Ragny is fading away. And at times she just needs to be free of Roderick and be by herself. It was an interesting dichotomy.
I actually found the big and inevitable discovery the least interesting part of the book. That's not a good thing for a climax. You know what's coming and more or less what to expect, so when it does finally happen you basically just want to skip ahead to the end. And it seems to take forever, although it's only maybe a sixth of the book. It's not badly written, just formulaic. And the situation that led her on this quest is resolved far too readily as well.
March 22, 2013
Oh, how I loved this book. It was everything I love most in a book. Royal historical fiction taking place in Europe with an insanely strong female character making a place for herself in a world where only men hold the power. I loved Ragny and how entirely good and brave she was. I loved the symbolism and references to the angel so obviously protecting her. This was such a quick read and I absolutely loved it all!
I did not like Seffrid; well, I liked him until he met Erma. I still wish Roderick tore him a new one for doing that to her. I guess it wound up okay for the two of them, but that still doesn't make what he did right!!
The only flaw in the novel was the 20 pages with the Alpiada storyline. The second that hit, Roderick should have confessed to actually being Ragny. It all wound up okay, but Ragny really could have fixed the problem by coming clean before it came to that.
I always kept waiting for telling Roderick he knew he was a woman. Kinda disappointed that never really actually happened....
I did not like Seffrid; well, I liked him until he met Erma. I still wish Roderick tore him a new one for doing that to her. I guess it wound up okay for the two of them, but that still doesn't make what he did right!!
The only flaw in the novel was the 20 pages with the Alpiada storyline. The second that hit, Roderick should have confessed to actually being Ragny. It all wound up okay, but Ragny really could have fixed the problem by coming clean before it came to that.
I always kept waiting for telling Roderick he knew he was a woman. Kinda disappointed that never really actually happened....
November 28, 2015
I loved this book, from the riveting opening sentence to the final paragraph that literally sent shivers of wonder down my spine. Ragny is a splendid hero —intelligent, moral, and brave, yet flawed and human. The secondary characters are all fully drawn and interesting. The story manages to combine the gritty reality of 9th-century life with a brooding aura of mystery and myth. This is a world where spiritual powers are real. Holland’s style is spare and elegant yet shines with hard-edged, jewel-toned colors like a window in a Gothic cathedral. (I make that comparison deliberately, because one of the joys of this book is a character who turns out to have been a real person. No spoilers - you'll have to read it to find out!)
October 23, 2022
It has been a while since I read the book, but all Holland’s books flow easily, grab and hold your interest. Angel and the Sword was the first that I read, then I continued to read with enjoyment all her other books that our library had available.
If you like Bernard Cornwell, such as his Saxon Series/The Last Kingdom — then you’ll enjoy Hollands.
If you like Bernard Cornwell, such as his Saxon Series/The Last Kingdom — then you’ll enjoy Hollands.
January 8, 2011
This was an excellent book. She pulls you right in and does a wonderful job describing the inner termoil going on within Ragny/Roderick. It made me want to go look up the history of these people. If we could give half stars this would get 4 1/2.
August 25, 2015
Not one of the better Holland books IMO. I loved the majority of it until we reached the wedding. That seemed too strange to swallow and I thought the ending abrupt.
Before all that though, I really enjoyed it.
Before all that though, I really enjoyed it.
October 4, 2015
Very slight, lacks sense of reality
February 11, 2016
Interesting, but not great. Some of the secondary characters make up for the flat major personalities.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews