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William the Conqueror #2
King's Blood
Because of the decision of Red William, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, to abandon the ways of magic, the land has been left to wither and die, and it is up to Edith, princess of Scotland, and Henry, the youngest son of William the Conqueror, to cleanse the land of the evil that infects it, in the sequel to Rite of Conquest. Original.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Judith Tarr
121 books419 followersAKA Caitlin Brennan, Kathleen Bryan.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.
She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 15, 2011
Pretty good book. The mixture of fantasy and history was interesting.
March 21, 2017
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one despite/because of the magical woo-woo. The author is so talented that it is actually enjoyable even though that usually throws me out of the story. I have to compare it to Marian Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series in that regard. It is a fascinating look into that period of history, from court to battlefield to convent to farm. And frankly nobody likes a little tasteful male/male bromance more than I do. I wasn't a fan of the end because ... well, I guess I am conventional enough to believe that some things are just wrong no matter the justification but I won't say what (NOT the male/male sex, ha ha) because it would be a total spoiler. If you read this and you reach the end just know I didn't like the resolution.
April 19, 2025
The pace is glacially slow and it was a slog to get through. The first third of the book was utterly inconsequential.
March 24, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14457862
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14457862
July 25, 2010
Norman ansestors were the Vikings.
Hubris-a favorite word of the Greeks: arrogance that provokes the God's to anger.
The Púca (also Pooka, Phouka, Púka, Glashtyn, Gruagach) is a creature of Irish and Welsh myth. It is one of the myriad of fairy (faery) folk, and, like many faery folk, is both respected and feared . The Púca is an adroit shape changer,
Etaine, Celtic goddess, on the Isle of Avalon, where Aurthur was brought to have his wounds healed. Glastonbary now built on it
William the Conquorer (conquored Herald, the Saxon, who ruled for a short time after Edward the Confesser) died of a stomach injury from his saddle horn. He was so infected that he didn' fit in his tomb and when a knight pushed on him to get him in he exploded."
Henry I was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders and was born between May, 1068 and May, 1069 probably at Selby in Yorkshire. He was named Henry after his mother's maternal uncle, King Henry I of France. On the death of his father, Normandy was bequeathed to his eldest son, Robert Curthose, England was left to the third son, William Rufus (a second son, Richard, had been killed whilst hunting in the New Forest) and to the youngest, Henry, he left a large sum of money.
Henry seized England's crown on the death of his brother, William Rufus, (Red William, a homosexual) He had been present on the hunting expedition in the New Forest which resulted in Rufus' death, either by accident or design and left abruptly and in indecent haste to seize the treasury at Winchester. The finger of suspicion has been pointed at Henry of complicity in his brother's death, Rufus was at the time refusing to sanction Henry's plans to marry the (half Saxon) Scottish Princess Edith.
Henry I was crowned at Westminster on 1st August, 1100.
Although he had many illegitimate children, Henry had only three children by his wife, Edith or Mathilda. Two sons, William, known as the Atheling, for his descent from the ancient Saxon Royal House and Richard. His daughter Matilda, or Maud, had been married in political alliance to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, in childhood.
Tragedy struck when Henry's only remaining legitimate son, William, on returning from campaign in Normandy, was drowned in the English Channel in the wreck of the White Ship. William had got away in a lifeboat but went back for his illegitimate sister.
After the death of her husband the Emperor, he recalled his daughter, by now known as the Empress, to England. He named her as his heiress and made the barons swear fealty to her.
Matilda was ordered reluctantly into a marriage with the fifteen year old Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of the Count of Anjou, a son, the future Henry II was born.
After Henry's death, despite his oath of alliegiance, the throne was seized by his nephew Stephen. Nineteen years of Civil War were to follow as Stephen and Matilda became locked in a bitter struggle for possession of the crown. In in 1153, a compromise was reached in the Treaty of Wallingford. By its terms, Stephen was to retain the crown for the remainder of his lifetime, whereupon it would revert to Matilda's son, Henry and his heirs.
King Stephen died of an apoplexy, the following year and was succeeded by Henry's grandson, Henry II, who became the the first of the great Plantagenet dynasty.
Although he had only three children by his wife, Edith of Scotland, (daughter of King Malcolm) Henry I had more illegitimate children than any other British monarch, numbering twenty-four in all:-
Hubris-a favorite word of the Greeks: arrogance that provokes the God's to anger.
The Púca (also Pooka, Phouka, Púka, Glashtyn, Gruagach) is a creature of Irish and Welsh myth. It is one of the myriad of fairy (faery) folk, and, like many faery folk, is both respected and feared . The Púca is an adroit shape changer,
Etaine, Celtic goddess, on the Isle of Avalon, where Aurthur was brought to have his wounds healed. Glastonbary now built on it
William the Conquorer (conquored Herald, the Saxon, who ruled for a short time after Edward the Confesser) died of a stomach injury from his saddle horn. He was so infected that he didn' fit in his tomb and when a knight pushed on him to get him in he exploded."
Henry I was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders and was born between May, 1068 and May, 1069 probably at Selby in Yorkshire. He was named Henry after his mother's maternal uncle, King Henry I of France. On the death of his father, Normandy was bequeathed to his eldest son, Robert Curthose, England was left to the third son, William Rufus (a second son, Richard, had been killed whilst hunting in the New Forest) and to the youngest, Henry, he left a large sum of money.
Henry seized England's crown on the death of his brother, William Rufus, (Red William, a homosexual) He had been present on the hunting expedition in the New Forest which resulted in Rufus' death, either by accident or design and left abruptly and in indecent haste to seize the treasury at Winchester. The finger of suspicion has been pointed at Henry of complicity in his brother's death, Rufus was at the time refusing to sanction Henry's plans to marry the (half Saxon) Scottish Princess Edith.
Henry I was crowned at Westminster on 1st August, 1100.
Although he had many illegitimate children, Henry had only three children by his wife, Edith or Mathilda. Two sons, William, known as the Atheling, for his descent from the ancient Saxon Royal House and Richard. His daughter Matilda, or Maud, had been married in political alliance to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, in childhood.
Tragedy struck when Henry's only remaining legitimate son, William, on returning from campaign in Normandy, was drowned in the English Channel in the wreck of the White Ship. William had got away in a lifeboat but went back for his illegitimate sister.
After the death of her husband the Emperor, he recalled his daughter, by now known as the Empress, to England. He named her as his heiress and made the barons swear fealty to her.
Matilda was ordered reluctantly into a marriage with the fifteen year old Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of the Count of Anjou, a son, the future Henry II was born.
After Henry's death, despite his oath of alliegiance, the throne was seized by his nephew Stephen. Nineteen years of Civil War were to follow as Stephen and Matilda became locked in a bitter struggle for possession of the crown. In in 1153, a compromise was reached in the Treaty of Wallingford. By its terms, Stephen was to retain the crown for the remainder of his lifetime, whereupon it would revert to Matilda's son, Henry and his heirs.
King Stephen died of an apoplexy, the following year and was succeeded by Henry's grandson, Henry II, who became the the first of the great Plantagenet dynasty.
Although he had only three children by his wife, Edith of Scotland, (daughter of King Malcolm) Henry I had more illegitimate children than any other British monarch, numbering twenty-four in all:-
July 20, 2014
Another in Judith Tarr's historical fantasy series. This one covers the reign of William Rufus, with his brother Henry waiting for his chance. Saxon forces are determined to stamp out magic from the world, and King William has washed his hands of his responsibility to his kingdom. Because of William, the dark Hunt from the Otherworld is allowed to ride free in Britain, until it has taken the souls it chooses. The main characters are Edith, descendant of Saxons and future queen, and Henry, youngest son of William the Conqueror. They are called to the work of making Britain whole again.
March 6, 2012
The first book was a bit off in tone. This book did not cover as long a period of history but was a wonderful mixture of fantasy and history. The pace and tone were wonderfully evocative of a time when magic and wonder still existed.
not-reading
May 10, 2008The sequel to Rite of Conquest, which put me to sleep.
May 1, 2009
Not he rbest one, but still has some great characters and a decent story line.
June 11, 2011
Not my thing, too much magic, I couldn't get into it, never finished it.
December 24, 2014
Somewhat ridiculous book with meandering lack of plot and coherence and the occasional smut to string the story along. I couldn't tell you why I kept reading it.
August 21, 2010
Second book in a series, of which I didn't read the first. Meh book was meh.
March 31, 2011
wm's son transforms magic with scots woman
January 21, 2016
A fun historical fantasy - I could barely put it down!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews