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The Byrhtnoth Chronicles #4
Bright Helm
Separated by anger and unanswered questions, Byrhtnoth and Saewynn are brought together by a tragic death.
Re-united, they set out on an epic voyage to discover the final truth about his father.
The journey takes them far to the north, to Orkney, swathed in the mists of treachery, and to Dublin’s slave markets where Byrhtnoth faces a fateful decision.
How far will he go, to save those he cares for?
Re-united, they set out on an epic voyage to discover the final truth about his father.
The journey takes them far to the north, to Orkney, swathed in the mists of treachery, and to Dublin’s slave markets where Byrhtnoth faces a fateful decision.
How far will he go, to save those he cares for?
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2020
First things first, Bright Helm is book four in a tightly woven series about young Byrhtnoth, more famous for dying at the Battle of Maldon in AD991, than for anything else. But, he must have had a life before that fateful battle and the author has devised an intriguing and engaging story about his youth, weaving the tale through known historical 'fact' of the 940's and 950's in Early England.
This is a time period that I've also written about and studied, and I have been lucky enough to have early access to Bright Helm, as well as other books in the series. I've enjoyed arguing about plot developments and also taken fresh insight from decisions made for the characters. It's strange to have 'your' characters in the hands of someone else, but hey, this is historical fiction, these characters belong only to themselves and the author who writes about them.
What I really enjoyed about Bright Helm was the journey Byrhtnoth has to make. Along the way, he encounters any number of 'historical' characters, and winds up visiting both the Orkney Islands and Ireland. I love the Orkney Islands, and I could 'see' everything that the author described in such detail.
The book really gather pace as it roars towards its end and I found myself, and this doesn't often happen in books where I know so much of the back story, just relaxing and allowing the story to unfold without worrying that I might not like it. The pacing was sound, the story thoroughly intriguing, and well, I'm just looking forward to the next book (which might be the last in the series) to find out how it all ends.
I highly recommend this book, and if you've not read the earlier books in the series, I believe you could jump in with Book 4, although then you'd be missing the joy of the earlier ones.
This is a time period that I've also written about and studied, and I have been lucky enough to have early access to Bright Helm, as well as other books in the series. I've enjoyed arguing about plot developments and also taken fresh insight from decisions made for the characters. It's strange to have 'your' characters in the hands of someone else, but hey, this is historical fiction, these characters belong only to themselves and the author who writes about them.
What I really enjoyed about Bright Helm was the journey Byrhtnoth has to make. Along the way, he encounters any number of 'historical' characters, and winds up visiting both the Orkney Islands and Ireland. I love the Orkney Islands, and I could 'see' everything that the author described in such detail.
The book really gather pace as it roars towards its end and I found myself, and this doesn't often happen in books where I know so much of the back story, just relaxing and allowing the story to unfold without worrying that I might not like it. The pacing was sound, the story thoroughly intriguing, and well, I'm just looking forward to the next book (which might be the last in the series) to find out how it all ends.
I highly recommend this book, and if you've not read the earlier books in the series, I believe you could jump in with Book 4, although then you'd be missing the joy of the earlier ones.
June 11, 2021
Anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon history will be familiar with Byrhtnoth, his name being famous for his death at the Battle of Maldon in AD 991. (Another of our English heroes who are highly regarded for losing a battle, rather than winning it – the Battle of Hastings and the death of King Harold Godwinson, being another.)
This is the fourth in Ms Hancock’s saga about the life of Byrhtnoth, an intriguing fictional account of a man whom, were it not for his death, we would probably know nothing at all about beyond, perhaps, his name. She has woven the few facts into a lengthy story, using as much research as is available to create something which at least feels ‘real’.
This is a novel – a series – about a journey through life, with all its excitements and thrills, dangers and disappointments. The characters and events are credible, although not knowing over-much of Anglo-Saxon history I cannot say how well the research or accuracy has been done.
Maybe a little slow to start? But then I have not read the previous three books, so I did feel slightly disorientated and found myself looking up a few things on Google and Wikipedia. I suggest, therefore, if you enjoy novels of this period, perhaps it would be best to start at Book One?
Recommended for readers interested in this particular period of English history.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
This is the fourth in Ms Hancock’s saga about the life of Byrhtnoth, an intriguing fictional account of a man whom, were it not for his death, we would probably know nothing at all about beyond, perhaps, his name. She has woven the few facts into a lengthy story, using as much research as is available to create something which at least feels ‘real’.
This is a novel – a series – about a journey through life, with all its excitements and thrills, dangers and disappointments. The characters and events are credible, although not knowing over-much of Anglo-Saxon history I cannot say how well the research or accuracy has been done.
Maybe a little slow to start? But then I have not read the previous three books, so I did feel slightly disorientated and found myself looking up a few things on Google and Wikipedia. I suggest, therefore, if you enjoy novels of this period, perhaps it would be best to start at Book One?
Recommended for readers interested in this particular period of English history.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews