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Tribes of Britain #1
Pagan Death
Three lying wives. Two fated slaves. One murdered leader.
It's 700BC and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora, is devastated. Her favourite nephew is dead, poisoned by one of their own.
It’s a shameful way to kill a Chieftain, leaving Aebba the Wild to roam the Between Worlds until he is avenged. She knows the priests at the midsummer gathering will not allow him to pass into the Summerlands until the killer is brought to justice. With three manipulative widows pushing their sons forward to replace him, life in camp is fraught with danger. When a second body is discovered, Meliora knows that she could be next.
A neighbouring tribe have their sights set on plundering the Dumnoni tin mines. Against all vows of peace, they plan an attack for when they are at their most vulnerable. Can Meliora and her kin make it back from Stonehenge in time to defend their land and people?
Can she unmask the killer before they silence her for good?
Grab your copy now and immerse yourself in Late Bronze Age skirmishes and bloody rituals in the first of this tense and brutal historical thriller series.
It's 700BC and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora, is devastated. Her favourite nephew is dead, poisoned by one of their own.
It’s a shameful way to kill a Chieftain, leaving Aebba the Wild to roam the Between Worlds until he is avenged. She knows the priests at the midsummer gathering will not allow him to pass into the Summerlands until the killer is brought to justice. With three manipulative widows pushing their sons forward to replace him, life in camp is fraught with danger. When a second body is discovered, Meliora knows that she could be next.
A neighbouring tribe have their sights set on plundering the Dumnoni tin mines. Against all vows of peace, they plan an attack for when they are at their most vulnerable. Can Meliora and her kin make it back from Stonehenge in time to defend their land and people?
Can she unmask the killer before they silence her for good?
Grab your copy now and immerse yourself in Late Bronze Age skirmishes and bloody rituals in the first of this tense and brutal historical thriller series.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 4, 2021
“𝘼 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝, 𝙞𝙛 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙪𝙢𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙞 - 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙘. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙃𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙃𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨. 𝘼𝙚𝙗𝙗𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚.”
'𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙.'
🧙🏽♀️700BC, Britain. With the mysterious death of Aebba the Wild, the tribal Metern of the Dumnonii, the entire tribe is plunged into chaos. The absence of Metern leaves the Dumnonii vulnerable, causing the neighboring tribes' attention to plunder their land and tin mines. As Aebba's three manipulative widows struggle to control the tribe to enthrone their own sons as the next Metern, Aebba's aunt and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora is devastated discovering that his nephew was poisoned by one of their own. Until Aebba is avenged and his killer is brought to justice, his spirit will roam the Between Worlds and the next Metern can not be decided. But when another dead body is found in mysterious circumstances, Meliora knows that she could be the next target of the killer. Can she unmask the killer before she was silenced for good?
🧙🏽♀️The book - 1st in Tribes of Britain series - follow the story of the political upheaval of the Dumnonii tribe during the Late Bronze Age, through the 1st person POV of the tribe's healer, Meliora. Since information about this time is scarce, Sam had crafted this thrilling story using her own imagination based on the recent discoveries and commonly accepted theories. Her vivid description of the terrain, familiarity with the various healing herbs and knowledge of these people, their style of living, and trade in different minerals shows her research work. I wish she also shared a map and a glossary for Cornish words.
🧙🏽♀️This is my first book by Sam and I'm amazed by her writing skills as I had never thought the story of an octogenarian crone would have been so interesting. I was expecting it to be a plodding and tedious read, with no action sequences or bloody gore, but I was totally wrong. With inter-tribal rivalries, human sacrifice, and an unknown murder within the family creating more chaos, this book is more dark and violent than I had thought earlier. And the way the suspense of the killer's identity is maintained till the last keeps me turning on the pages.
🧙🏽♀️This series had a bunch of strong females characters who overshadow the male characters in it, be it our protagonist Meliora/ her nephew's 3 wives - Cryda, Eseld, and Brea/ their 2 daughters, Wenna and Derwa; each had their own secrets to hide which will be revealed gradually in the book. In spite of being an old meek crone, saddled with the growing infirmities of age Meliora is the last hope for Dumnoni who keeps the tribe alive and united by using her wits, knowledge, experience, and healing skills. But her 1st-person POV eliminates the chance of exploring the other characters’ narratives.
🧙🏽♀️The climax of the book is surprising. After so many twists and turns and contemplating all the possible suspects, the identity of the true killer is revealed on the last page and I must agree that I didn't expect it to be that person. But not all secrets are revealed in the end, some are left to be explored in the next book.
Overall, Pagan Death is a wonderful start to a new historical series and I'm looking forward to read all the books in it. If you like strong female characters, suspense thriller, and that too in a historical setting then this is a perfect read. Highly recommend.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)
'𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙.'
🧙🏽♀️700BC, Britain. With the mysterious death of Aebba the Wild, the tribal Metern of the Dumnonii, the entire tribe is plunged into chaos. The absence of Metern leaves the Dumnonii vulnerable, causing the neighboring tribes' attention to plunder their land and tin mines. As Aebba's three manipulative widows struggle to control the tribe to enthrone their own sons as the next Metern, Aebba's aunt and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora is devastated discovering that his nephew was poisoned by one of their own. Until Aebba is avenged and his killer is brought to justice, his spirit will roam the Between Worlds and the next Metern can not be decided. But when another dead body is found in mysterious circumstances, Meliora knows that she could be the next target of the killer. Can she unmask the killer before she was silenced for good?
🧙🏽♀️The book - 1st in Tribes of Britain series - follow the story of the political upheaval of the Dumnonii tribe during the Late Bronze Age, through the 1st person POV of the tribe's healer, Meliora. Since information about this time is scarce, Sam had crafted this thrilling story using her own imagination based on the recent discoveries and commonly accepted theories. Her vivid description of the terrain, familiarity with the various healing herbs and knowledge of these people, their style of living, and trade in different minerals shows her research work. I wish she also shared a map and a glossary for Cornish words.
🧙🏽♀️This is my first book by Sam and I'm amazed by her writing skills as I had never thought the story of an octogenarian crone would have been so interesting. I was expecting it to be a plodding and tedious read, with no action sequences or bloody gore, but I was totally wrong. With inter-tribal rivalries, human sacrifice, and an unknown murder within the family creating more chaos, this book is more dark and violent than I had thought earlier. And the way the suspense of the killer's identity is maintained till the last keeps me turning on the pages.
🧙🏽♀️This series had a bunch of strong females characters who overshadow the male characters in it, be it our protagonist Meliora/ her nephew's 3 wives - Cryda, Eseld, and Brea/ their 2 daughters, Wenna and Derwa; each had their own secrets to hide which will be revealed gradually in the book. In spite of being an old meek crone, saddled with the growing infirmities of age Meliora is the last hope for Dumnoni who keeps the tribe alive and united by using her wits, knowledge, experience, and healing skills. But her 1st-person POV eliminates the chance of exploring the other characters’ narratives.
🧙🏽♀️The climax of the book is surprising. After so many twists and turns and contemplating all the possible suspects, the identity of the true killer is revealed on the last page and I must agree that I didn't expect it to be that person. But not all secrets are revealed in the end, some are left to be explored in the next book.
Overall, Pagan Death is a wonderful start to a new historical series and I'm looking forward to read all the books in it. If you like strong female characters, suspense thriller, and that too in a historical setting then this is a perfect read. Highly recommend.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)
July 30, 2020
BLURB
Three lying wives. Two fated slaves. One murdered leader.
It's 700BC and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora, is devastated. Her favourite nephew is dead, poisoned by one of their own.
It’s a shameful way to kill a Chieftain, leaving Aebba the Wild to roam the Between Worlds until he is avenged. She knows the priests at the midsummer gathering will not allow him to pass into the Summerlands until the killer is brought to justice. With three manipulative widows pushing their sons forward to replace him, life in camp is fraught with danger. When a second body is discovered, Meliora knows that she could be next.
A neighbouring tribe have their sights set on plundering the Dumnoni tin mines. Against all vows of peace, they plan an attack for when they are at their most vulnerable. Can Meliora and her kin make it back from Stonehenge in time to defend their land and people?
Can she unmask the killer before they silence her for good?
Grab your copy now and immerse yourself in Late Bronze Age skirmishes and bloody rituals in the first of this tense and brutal historical thriller series.
REVIEW
There is something about the early history of Britain that calls to me. Perhaps it's because I probably share a gene or two with the denizens of Bronze Age Britain, or maybe it's just my love of history. Whatever the reason, The Tribes of Britain series promises to keep me enthralled. An amazing cast of characters highlighted by Meliora, an indomitable force in a meek-like shell, riddled with doubts, saddled with the growing infirmities of age, yet imbued with the qualities of a healer, a voice of reason and compassion among a host of foes. The tale is replete with twists and surprises as the battle for control of the tribe depends on discovering who murdered Aebba...will the tribe continue in the old ways, or will it succumb to inter-tribal rivalries and a more visceral form of religion. As I neared the end of the book, I began to look forward to the next tale in the series...then...the ending of book 1 happened...oh my...that's all I'm going to say. Book 2 here I come. 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Three lying wives. Two fated slaves. One murdered leader.
It's 700BC and healer of the Dumnonii, Meliora, is devastated. Her favourite nephew is dead, poisoned by one of their own.
It’s a shameful way to kill a Chieftain, leaving Aebba the Wild to roam the Between Worlds until he is avenged. She knows the priests at the midsummer gathering will not allow him to pass into the Summerlands until the killer is brought to justice. With three manipulative widows pushing their sons forward to replace him, life in camp is fraught with danger. When a second body is discovered, Meliora knows that she could be next.
A neighbouring tribe have their sights set on plundering the Dumnoni tin mines. Against all vows of peace, they plan an attack for when they are at their most vulnerable. Can Meliora and her kin make it back from Stonehenge in time to defend their land and people?
Can she unmask the killer before they silence her for good?
Grab your copy now and immerse yourself in Late Bronze Age skirmishes and bloody rituals in the first of this tense and brutal historical thriller series.
REVIEW
There is something about the early history of Britain that calls to me. Perhaps it's because I probably share a gene or two with the denizens of Bronze Age Britain, or maybe it's just my love of history. Whatever the reason, The Tribes of Britain series promises to keep me enthralled. An amazing cast of characters highlighted by Meliora, an indomitable force in a meek-like shell, riddled with doubts, saddled with the growing infirmities of age, yet imbued with the qualities of a healer, a voice of reason and compassion among a host of foes. The tale is replete with twists and surprises as the battle for control of the tribe depends on discovering who murdered Aebba...will the tribe continue in the old ways, or will it succumb to inter-tribal rivalries and a more visceral form of religion. As I neared the end of the book, I began to look forward to the next tale in the series...then...the ending of book 1 happened...oh my...that's all I'm going to say. Book 2 here I come. 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 12, 2020
History At Its Best
Well written narrative about Bronze Age Britain. History, ethnology, action and more combine to make excellent reading for anyone of any age!
Well written narrative about Bronze Age Britain. History, ethnology, action and more combine to make excellent reading for anyone of any age!
June 15, 2022
I rarely find an interesting fiction book about Ancient Britain. Set in the late Bronze Age, the series focuses on the life of Meliora, a healer and wise woman of the Dumnonii tribe of western England (Cornwall and Devon). The author uses first person POV that helped me emphasize with the protagonist. The main focus of Pagan Death is the author’s imagination of daily life in Ancient Britain. The murder mystery isn’t solved in this book, although Meliora has her suspicions. Family relationships are explored (dramatic), as well as the rights of women (negligible). Sacrifices to the Celtic gods are required, including human sacrifices. Homosexual relationships are explored, but not detailed. Instead of using curse words, the author uses the Cornish translations. Recommended if you enjoy historical fiction.
***SPOILERS*****
Dumnonii Chief Aebba dies and Meliora, the wise woman (and his aunt) determines he was poisoned. Chances are he was going to die of a heart attack soon anyway, but someone decided to speed it up. He’s got 3 sons who all think they each deserve to be the next chief. Time for a Survivor-style contest! Paega, Esled’s son cheats and gets caught. Cryda’s sons, twins Tallack and Blydh, decided to become joint chiefs. First official act? Execute Esled for the murder of Aebba after she was accused by her own daughter, Derwa, who was forced to marry Glaw from a mountain tribe in Wales. Meliora eventually discovers they killed the wrong person. Now Aebba’s soul won’t be able to travel to the Summerlands until his murder is avenged. Plenty of blood and gore to go around, but we don’t dare curse in English. We must curse in Cornish only. Kyjyan means fuck/fucker and Kawgh means shit, just so you know. I had to Google this to figure it out. Wasn’t easy.
***SPOILERS*****
Dumnonii Chief Aebba dies and Meliora, the wise woman (and his aunt) determines he was poisoned. Chances are he was going to die of a heart attack soon anyway, but someone decided to speed it up. He’s got 3 sons who all think they each deserve to be the next chief. Time for a Survivor-style contest! Paega, Esled’s son cheats and gets caught. Cryda’s sons, twins Tallack and Blydh, decided to become joint chiefs. First official act? Execute Esled for the murder of Aebba after she was accused by her own daughter, Derwa, who was forced to marry Glaw from a mountain tribe in Wales. Meliora eventually discovers they killed the wrong person. Now Aebba’s soul won’t be able to travel to the Summerlands until his murder is avenged. Plenty of blood and gore to go around, but we don’t dare curse in English. We must curse in Cornish only. Kyjyan means fuck/fucker and Kawgh means shit, just so you know. I had to Google this to figure it out. Wasn’t easy.
August 4, 2022
I chose this book as I knew very little about Bronze Age Britain and I enjoy a good adventure. I did wonder at the beginning if I was going to get on with all the Bronze age terminology for their leaders etc as there was no glossary or anything but I'm glad I stuck with it as I started to really like the various characters. It had a little bit of a 'Cadfael' vibe with the medicine woman trying to uncover a murder plot but as the story progressed other elements involving the various tribes, their beliefs and their day to day lives came into the story which were interesting. I felt the ending was a little abrupt, and almost in an actual cliff hanger as well as a literary one. I've bought the next book as I wanted to know how the story pans out and I like the characters.
September 4, 2020
Loved This the current ruler of the Tribes dies under mysterious circumstances, The wives & Sons all.seek to be the next Mertan " Clan Leader" Trouble erupts & different powers within the clan slowly cause problems and leave the once strong clan vulnerable, The elder WiseWomen & Aunt to the former Ruler seeks to find the truth to the death, fantastic read I loved the twists & turns & possibility of who could have killed the ruler. Well done great strong characters & excellent storyline. Well done
December 17, 2021
Dark prehistoric politics
A very well written political historical book full of dark deeds and a desperate struggle for leadership and survival amongst betrayal
A very well written political historical book full of dark deeds and a desperate struggle for leadership and survival amongst betrayal
September 4, 2024
Great read
This book was a do not put down read. The end of the story is unexpected has a WOW factor. I'm ready to read the next book from this author.
This book was a do not put down read. The end of the story is unexpected has a WOW factor. I'm ready to read the next book from this author.
January 10, 2021
Great series, told from the POV of the tribe's Old Wise Woman/Healer.
July 1, 2019
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the level of violence that's in this book, given the title. But I have to say that, nonetheless, I was surprised. The book starts off with a violent scene of human sacrifice. Fiction books about this time period are rare, so it intrigued me when I saw it on my favorite book review site. Unfortunately, at that site we only have the blurb to go on, so I wasn't prepared for what this book actually was. I just found it to be too violent without much letup. In a story, there needs to be balance, and this story felt too dark. As one who has done some pagan studies, I also thought that the author showed a bias towards only showing the worst imaginings of what pre-Christian societies could be. Yes, it does make for more drama, but I don't like the demonization of these ancient cultures.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews