Wulfsuna (Book I in The Wolf Spear Saga) by E. S. Moxon
Review by Rob Bayliss
By 410 B.C., riven by dynastic power struggles, internal
rebellions and gathering threats outside its borders, the Western Roman Empire
was in a perilous state. For many years now the empire had clung onto a
semblance of unity, its martial glory now a memory, as it got increasingly
reliant on using Germanic mercenaries to defend itself. It was only a matter of
time until these mercenaries were drawn into the dynastic power plays and began
to wield political clout. It was in this year that the famous Rescript of Honorius (Honorious being the Western Roman
Emperor) was issued instructing the inhabitants of Britannia to “look to their
own defense.”
Review by Rob Bayliss
Be sure to see below for how you could win a FREE COPY of Wulfsuna
Signed paperback!
Signed paperback!
Drawing July 21, 2015
Wulfgar thought of all that had brought him here. Life was not as he would have wished it to be. With each bend in the road, Woden tested his resolve, poking a spearhead in his back to force him along a path he did not want to tread.
This drawing has been held and a winner announced at Facebook.
Please see new reviews for more chances!
We have a giveaway with every review!
By 410 B.C., riven by dynastic power struggles, internal
rebellions and gathering threats outside its borders, the Western Roman Empire
was in a perilous state. For many years now the empire had clung onto a
semblance of unity, its martial glory now a memory, as it got increasingly
reliant on using Germanic mercenaries to defend itself. It was only a matter of
time until these mercenaries were drawn into the dynastic power plays and began
to wield political clout. It was in this year that the famous Rescript of Honorius (Honorious being the Western Roman
Emperor) was issued instructing the inhabitants of Britannia to “look to their
own defense.”
In truth the province had already been doing just that. Thirty years previously Roman troops had been
withdrawn from the north and west to counter the Visigoth threat to Italy
itself. The remaining garrisons were stripped further as the-would-be emperor,
Constantine III, endeavoured to build a separate Romano-Celtic Empire of
Britannia, Gaul and Hispania. Alas Constantine was no match for the treacherous
world of Roman politics and his quest to found his own dynasty came to nothing.
And all the time there were raids by Picts, Irish, Scotti, Angles and Saxons.
Little wonder then, that the Romano-British did as before and employed Angles,
Saxons and Jutes to bolster their defense.
In E. S. Moxon’s Wulfsuna it is now 433 A.D.; we meet a Saxon tribe of the same name which
has long traversed the North Sea as mercenaries and settlers. Their leader
Wulfric once served Rome as a mercenary, but has a dream of returning and carving
out a new home alongside his kinsmen, who stayed and married local women. He is
joined in this endeavour with his temperamental allies, the Angles, but upon
landing the plan goes awry.
Betrayed by the Angles, Wulfric is killed and his son
Wulfgar is thrust into the unenviable task of fulfilling his father’s dream,
despite the two branches distrusting each other. Wulfgar is a complex
character, mourning his father, not adequately versed in the ways of a Headman
and, perplexed by troubling dreams of witchcraft, he must unite the strands of
the Wulfsuna, while all the time the Angles are a constant threat.
Meanwhile across the land a young British girl, Morwyneth, has recently lost her
mother. She has the gift (or curse) of foresight and is mistrusted among her
people. Inadvertently she becomes involved in treacherous Roman politics at the
local level and is expelled from her tribe. In the wild, her dreams become dominated by a growing threat to her village, but also a vision of a young wolf…
The author has researched this period to a very high degree
to bring this world to life. Dress, custom and beliefs of the time are well
described. This is the cusp of when the province of Britannia began to
culturally change to modern England and Wales. As well as historical fiction
this has the fantasy element of the young seer’s dreams and the manner in which
she is found by the tribe. The Wulfsuna fear the supernatural power of the Nix, which Morwyneth seems to exhibit,
yet she is the means by which the two branches of the Wulfsuna can be united.
There is also an element of the romantic novel here, as a marriage of convenience
blossoms into love. This element avoids being clichéd and in some ways is a microcosm
of the lands of Romano-Celtic Britain becoming Anglo-Saxon England.Wulfgar came to understand his wife's affinity with the land and its magick; how she knew every leaf, every fruit and understood each animal and their cry. He felt the ground speak to him, its pulsing life-rhythm flowing through his feet like the roots of the mighty world tree, Yggdrasil.
The characters are well fleshed out; Wulfgar, one of the
main point-of-view characters seems initially unpleasant, certainly lacking the charisma
of his half-British friend Siegfrith, but he grows on the reader, mirroring his
slowly ascending reputation as headman of the Wulfsuna. The other main character, Morwyneth, grows in
confidence throughout the novel, both in her adopted tribe and in harnessing her
gift. As this is book one of The Wolf Spear Saga it will be interesting to see
what the future holds in subsequent sequels.
Author E. S. Moxon has so kindly offered a FREE COPY of Wulfsuna to one lucky winner. To be part of our drawing, simply comment below OR at this review's associated Facebook thread, located here.
About the Author:
Of Anglo-Italian heritage, E. S. Moxon's life has always involved languages and travel. Growing up she spent many family holidays visiting ancient burial sites and stone circles, exploring Britain's multi-cultural past. Her Italian grandfather's tales of the roguish adventures of his youth fuelled Elaine's passion for writing from a young age. She is currently working on book two of the Wolf Spear Saga, which is set in 460 A.D. and follows the lives of the Wolf Sons 27 years after the end of Wulfsuna. A former holistic therapist and current member of the Historical Novel Society, she lives in the Midlands with her family.
You can learn more about Elaine Moxon and her projects at Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, her blog and webpage. Wulfsuna may also be purchased at Amazon, Amazon UK or direct.
Rob Bayliss is a reviewer at The Review and is currently writing his own fantasy series. Information on his writing projects can be found at Flint & Steel, Fire & Shadow.
Author E. S. Moxon has so kindly offered a FREE COPY of Wulfsuna to one lucky winner. To be part of our drawing, simply comment below OR at this review's associated Facebook thread, located here.
Of Anglo-Italian heritage, E. S. Moxon's life has always involved languages and travel. Growing up she spent many family holidays visiting ancient burial sites and stone circles, exploring Britain's multi-cultural past. Her Italian grandfather's tales of the roguish adventures of his youth fuelled Elaine's passion for writing from a young age. She is currently working on book two of the Wolf Spear Saga, which is set in 460 A.D. and follows the lives of the Wolf Sons 27 years after the end of Wulfsuna. A former holistic therapist and current member of the Historical Novel Society, she lives in the Midlands with her family.
You can learn more about Elaine Moxon and her projects at Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, her blog and webpage. Wulfsuna may also be purchased at Amazon, Amazon UK or direct.
*********
Rob Bayliss is a reviewer at The Review and is currently writing his own fantasy series. Information on his writing projects can be found at Flint & Steel, Fire & Shadow.
Note: This post has been updated to reflect the format of the giveaway as a signed paperback.
