Jem Dearden inherits Dearden Hall and a remnant of the ancient forest of Arden called Leofwin's Hundred. He discovers his late father's research into a building called the House of the West Wind, which is hidden deep in the forest, but he is unprepared for what the structure leads to . . .
Different times, different worlds . . .
An unavoidable evil that must be fought . . .
and love, can it endure over a millennium of time?
This is a long book—really long. And although I think the author and his editor could have pared it down a little, my advice is for you is to read it anyway. I love stuff that feels English, and to use the old bridge idiom, Leofwin’s Hundred delivers in spades. Misty forests, ancient oaks, snarling wolves, and sword wielding Saxons; it doesn’t sound like sci-fi does it? But it is. The story is paced well for how long it is. J.J. Overton doesn’t bog it down by taking up three sentences to describe a leaf. The characters are drawn well, and the science seems plausible to me. And there’s a wolf. I love stories with wolves. I enjoyed Leofwin's Hundred, and I think there’s a little something in it for everyone.
One quickly knows what sort of book this is when, in 800 ad, a character looks at his digital watch. Fans of the ultra-popular BBC series, Doctor Who will also recognise the genre; more science fantasy than science fiction. Where Doctor Who flits about time and space in a police call-box the transporter in this book is a mysterious building in an English forest that Jem Dearden inherits with the manor Leofwin's Hundred, ( the hundred is an ancient name for a division of land), and soon discovers a diary of his father's chronicling his investigation into the mysterious building called, The House of the West Wind. Jem continues his father's investigation and he and his friends dig their way into the building, which is of indeterminate age and material and defies archaeological and mineralogical analysis, with dramatic results. During electrical storms the building is energised, emitting waves of blue light that have frightened the locals for generations and kept them away from the building, but Jem and his friends are part of a secret military unit and have no fear. They find that when energised the building displays Leofwin's Hundred as it was a thousand years before and they are able to walk from it into Anglo-Saxon England and meet Jem's ancestors. They help them to overcome the efforts of two villains to steal their hordes of gold and Kalishnikovs vie with cross-bows for supremacy. But Jem and his unit soon have to go forward again in time to deal with a nuclear threat to New York. It is a lot of fun told with imaginative detail in a flowing style. And I want to know who are the big green men who hide in the shadows of the House of the West Wind. But I will have to read the next book in the Grid Sago to know that. If you like science fantasy you'll love Leofwin's Hundred
This book was recommended to me and is not the sort of Fantasy Sci-Fi I usually read but it sounded interesting so I thought I’d give it a go. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It reads well and has a good, interesting story line without the need for any dragons or wizards. The fascinating characters and plot are extremely well formed and the overall effect is a very engaging read. It doesn’t have magic but it does have mystery, aliens and time travel. Mr Overton is a bit like a modern day H.G.Wells and now that I have finished the first book in his ‘Grid Saga’ I am looking forward to reading the next, “Second Pass”.
A really solid Sci-Fi adventure full of dark mystery, action, love and all sorts of mind bending stuff yet, because it is so beautifully writen, suspension of disbelief? Not a problem! It is Sci-Fi but main stream readers should not be put off. Anybody who read this would recognise its quality. A modern classic so 5 stars! I have already bought the next one in the series 'Second Pass'. Highly recommended! ( Would make one hell of a movie! )