Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

In the years following William of Normandy’s victory at Hastings, he found that the English were perhaps not as easy to conquer as he originally thought as small rebellions rose up around the country. One of leaders of these rebellions is Hereward the Wake and his story is largely unknown and untold. Conquest is one of two books being released this year that will change that.


Hereward is the son of the thegn of Bourne and is commonly known as Hereward of Bourne. As a young man he is rebellious, irresponsible and has a knack for getting himself into trouble – he’s the 11th century version of the juvenile delinquent. When a crime of passion leads him to take the law into his own hands, Hereward finds himself banished and left to fend for himself.  Resourceful and skilled with weapons, he makes his way into the service of various masters, including Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Wales , Macbeth of Scotland, a commander in Sicily, William of Normandy and ultimately, back in England with King Harold II.

Even before the fateful events at Hastings, Hereward is convinced that the Normans mean bad news and that their success will mean an end to the English way of life. Having spent time with the Norman duke, he is afraid for his country and its people but he is powerless as the events in the fall of 1066 spiral towards their ultimate conclusion.  Hereward is badly wounded and after leaving England for two years he returns amid stories of the brutality of William's rule.  But even though there are others in the country who would like nothing more than to see the Normans sent back to where they came from, they bicker amongst themselves rather than joining forces.

Hereward is an excellent warrior and good with military tactics and strategies. He lives to fight – but only for causes that he feels are justified and right. Throughout his travels he learns different ways of fighting and methods that will help him as he tries to frustrate and irritate England’s new king. He also learns the concept of self-control and the value of thinking things through. Hereward’s military skill is evenly matched by William and eventually Hereward comes to the realization that the majority of the English people just don’t have the heart to oppose the Normans. Not quite ready to totally surrender their way of life, he puts together a last ditch stand at Ely to at least try and convince William to rule them fairly and justly – five years after Hastings.


Overall I enjoyed Conquest - the writing reminded me somewhat of Cornwell's Saxon books - but the narrative set up is a little unusual as an old man tells Hereward’s story to a couple of princes from the Byzantine empire who are looking for the mysteries and answers surrounding an ancient talisman. This results in some fairly lengthy passages of “telling” the surrounding history, especially in the first half or so which caused the plot to drag at times.   Still, this is an entertaining story of honor, loyalty, sacrifice and  redemption woven around a slightly different perspective of one of history's great events.
 
 

In case the FTC asks: The publisher sent me a copy to review