Martin Lake writes a story set in England, Normandy, and Scotland
during the turbulent times of 1066. This story follows the English
heir to the throne, Edgar the Aetheling. Edgar, a descendent of the
royal line, is only a boy, not yet fourteen at the time of the Norman
Conquest. The upheaval of the Norman invasion brings chaos and
bloodshed to the Isle. Many of the thegns and church leaders want to
crown Edgar king but William the Conqueror is too powerful for a boy
king to rule. Thus, it is decided to surrender to William and crown
William king. Edgar is now a political hostage to William.Edgar has a small group of supporters and friends that are there to guide and counsel him. Among them are Oswald, a former Housecarl of King Harold's, Godwin, son of Oswald, who becomes Edgar's best friend, Athelstan, Thegn of Wessex, an extremely able advisor to Edgar, Merleswein, a very wealthy Thegn, shire reeve of Lincolnshire and supporter of Edgar, and Earl Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria. When Edgar's older sister, Margaret marries the Scottish King Malcolm, Malcolm also becomes a supporter of Edgar's right to the English throne.
We see Edgar thrive and mature in the challenges he faces in his determination to regain the crown of England for himself. Edgar must make some very hard decisions in his pursuit of his goal and with the help of his family, friends, and supporters Edgar makes strong inroads on this path.One must read Martin Lake's book, Wasteland, to follow Edgar's continuing resistance against the Normans.
I really enjoyed reading a novel set during the Norman Conquest and from Edgar's point of view. I have read many books on the Conquest and this is the first book I have encountered that was about Edgar. Martin Lake sets an accurate tone throughout the book. The characters were well written and one cannot help but want Edgar to succeed and defeat William. I will definitely be reading Edgar's continuing story in Martin's next book in the series, Wasteland..
Martin Lake is offering a free e-copy of The Lost King: Resistance. For a chance to win this wonderful book please leave a comment below or send me a private message on Facebook. Giveaway runs till Sunday October 13th.
Martin Lake lives on the French Riviera with his wife. He has a written five historical novels. Three are about Edgar Atheling, the last native born King of England and his battle to win back the throne from William the Conqueror.
‘Outcasts,’ is about the common men who were knighted to defend Jerusalem against Saladin.
'Artful' concerns the further adventures of the young pick-pocket after he has been transported to Australia.
Martin’s work has been broadcast on radio and he won first prize in the Kenneth Grahame Society competition to write a story based on 'The Wind in the Willows.'
You can find Martin’s blog at http://martinlakewriting.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinLakeWriting
Twitter: @martinlake14
Email: martinlake14@gmail.com
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This is a really informative review, and the book sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tinney!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Martin for telling Edgar's story. He deserves to be remembered. It's really quite amazing how England got behind Harold so decidedly and yet support for Edgar was, okay maybe at first it was fairly strong, but it did not take long to wane. He obviously hadn't had time to build a rapport and create his own household guard and being so young didn't help. The people soon realised that William's strength of character was the thing that was going to stop them from throwing their full support behind him.But he was brave and give him his due - he did try
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment, Paula. If Edgar was older I am sure he would have given William a lot more of a fight.
DeleteA very interesting and informative review. This is most definitely a book which is going on my ever growing reading list. I haven't really read about Edgar before, I know of him of course, but not about him.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Louise.
DeleteI enjoyed your review so much Marsha that I went immediately and bought the 3 books series from Amazon (talk about lack of impulse control).
ReplyDeleteOne question though do we find out what happens to Edgar and his family when Harold is elected king?
Thank you for your comment. I hope you enjoy the books as well. The story starts just after the Battle of Hastings.
ReplyDeleteWhere they still in England then? I know that Edgar was king for a while between Hastings and William's coronation on Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteYes, in the book they are still in England.
DeleteAlll three Edgar books are great - I hope Martin continues the series. I knew very little about life in England after the start of William's rule, so I have learnt a lot as well as thoroughly enjoying the read.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Anne. I am hoping to read the next two books in the series very soon. One of my favorite time periods to read about.
DeleteThis book sounds great. It is great to see books being written about this time in history as for a while it seemed forgotten
ReplyDeleteIt was a great read. I especially liked that it was from Edgar's point of view.
DeleteBrilliant review, this book is definitely one to read. You can only feel sorry for Edgar, denied his birth right by a foreign invader, and wonder how different things would be now if he had succeeded in gaining his throne.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rob. Indeed, one can wonder what if Edgar had been older and had succeeded in gaining the throne. How different English history would have been. Thanks for your comment.
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