Review of Shadow on The Crown by Regia Anglorum Re-enactor Paul Waddington

Shadow on the Crown

by Patricia Bracewell                        

Shadow on the Crown is an interesting novel set in the years immediately after the turn of the first millennium and based around the intrigues between the courts of England, Denmark and Normandy and the internal politics of the England of Ethelred ‘the unready’ (though the author is far too intelligent ever to give the king that anachronistic appellation) as he seeks to balance the ambitions of his nobles and his sons with the needs of foreign diplomacy of a kingdom under increasingly serious threat. The main protagonist is Emma, the beautiful by naive fifteen-year-old daughter

of the Duke of Normandy who is sent to England to marry the recently widowed king she has never met and the story follows her through the early years of her marriage to the birth of her first child.  In her new home Emma faces the plotting of Elgiva, daughter of England's greatest noble who had seen herself as the king's new consort, the suspicion of the king's sons who fear their places will be usurped by any sons of their father's new marriage and the sullen hostility of the king who resents a marriage forced on him by his councillors while all the time the Danish threat grows.The story is well told, blending solid historical fact with plausible inter personal relationships and the grim and often brutal reality of early medieval life; the ‘magical’ element in the story may sit uneasily with some readers, but given the total belief in the supernatural of the people at time I found that this added to the sense of time and place. All in all this book is a fine blend of intrigue, action and developing human relationships.

The book's greatest strength is the sound historical research (I believe the author studied Anglo-Saxon history at Cambridge) and, while certainly indulging in some creative licence she paints a vivid picture of the world of North West Europe at the beginning of the 11th century and the interrelated nature of England, Normandy and Denmark in the unfolding story. Particularly impressive, to me at least, was the author's portrayal of the Norman attitude to the Danes, recognising their kinship but at the same time growing ever more distant as the Normans embrace mainstream civilisation while the Danes retain their wilder northern culture.The characterisation is solid rather than spectacular but is true to the time and place, Ethelred is well drawn as a dark-hearted man capable of truly shocking behaviour, haunted by the memory of his brother, pressed by his advisors and fearful of the ambitions of his sons, Athelstan, Edmond and Ecbert, the king's three sons are similarly plausible as loyalty, suspicion, fear and ambition mix. The main characters, though, are Emma and Elgiva, daughter of the Earl of Northumbria who is a plausible enough opponent to our heroine. The main character however is undoubtedly Emma, who we follow on her journey from young, nervous bride to increasingly powerful wife and queen, she is well depicted as a rounded, flawed character, neither perfect heroine nor pantomime villain and as I understand that this book is the first of a trilogy I will look forward to the second part.

Nasty Warlord Paul

Paul Waddington has been interested in Anglo Saxon history since he was given a copy of the Ladybird book of Alfred the Great when aged 6 and he now spends his weekends playing at being an Anglo Saxon warrior in early medieval re-enactment. He is not a very nice man and is far too convinced of his own rightness to have many friends.

Thanks for the fantastic review, Paul!

Patricia is kindly giving away a copy of Shadow on the Crown in both the US and the UK 
If you would like to enter the draw for a copy please comment here on the blog.

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