The West Rises

by S.M. Davies

The 5th Century A.D. The Dark Age.Abandoned by the Romans, facing slaughter by raiding Picts and Saxons, Britain stands on the brink of catastrophe. Only one man can save the VORTIGERN. His adopted name means High King, but he is an outsider from the far west, despised by the establishment and opposed by jealous rivals who will block his path to power.

Vortigern’s greatest ally is young warrior Kerin Brightspear. Bound by oath and love to Vortigern, who saved him from death as an abandoned child and raised him with his own sons, Kerin yearns to prove his worth to the man he idolises. But time is running out. Beyond the borders, enemies are growing stronger by the day. Can Kerin seize the chance to repay his debt as Vortigern bids to become all that his name lord of the Britons, the High King? The HIGH KING seriesAt one of the most dangerous moments in British history, a warlord known as Vortigern became King of all the Britons. His people called him the High King, but the legends call him a villain. This is another view of his story, seen through the eyes of the young warrior who becomes his devoted companion.

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

I was born and grew up in Swansea, South Wales. I read English at Cambridge, where I discovered my love for medieval literature and the spellbinding legends which inspired it. But I also became interested in exploring the history of the so-called ‘Dark Age’, in finding a reality beneath the tales of wizards, dragons and magic swords. What really happened in Britain after the Romans left? I knew that I wanted to write historical fiction, and that this was where I would start.

All this was put on hold when I graduated. Literary ambition is all very well, but you can’t eat it. I worked as a professional indexer for leading publishers, mostly on historical texts – everything from Ancient Babylon to the Celts to World War Two. Since then I have spent my working life on the Gower Peninsula, first as a farmer, then a hotelier, and finally as a pub and nightclub owner. During these years I continued my research into Dark Age history, and got hooked on the story of Vortigern. I wrote the first draft of the ‘High King’ series in the back office of the nightclub, in between pulling pints, working on the door and driving customers home in our minibus at closing time. I don’t really know how I got out with a manuscript, but somehow I did. The first two books in this series of four, The West Rises and Under the Dragon, are now out in the wild! I still live on the edge of Gower, close to my children and their families, and share my home with my sheepdog.

Reviews

[Ann Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little is written about this period in history, but this book is so well researched and so well written that you feel as if you're there. The characters come alive and the settings are vivid. I want to know what happens next. Highly recommended