Review by Emma Powell
Please see below for information about the freebies!
England is in crisis.
King Edward has no heir and promises never to produce one. There are no obvious
successors available to replace him, but quite a few claimants are eager to
take the crown.
I don’t know why but for some
reason I had made my mind up that I was about to embark on yet another version
of Earl Harold getting the English crown, nasty Norman William comes over and
takes it by force and subsequent battle scenes. I have no idea why I thought that if I’m honest. And was so very pleased
to be proved wrong.
The first part of the book
dedicates itself to giving a background of Godwin, Harold’s father and the
players at King Edward’s court. I’m ashamed to say I began to feel like I was
reading an Anglo-Saxon biopic and was worried about becoming a tad
disillusioned. However, what dawned on
me was I had felt exactly the same when I read my first Sharon K. Penman novel-- lots of background players and lots of political games. Ironically, in both
instances, the pages kept being turned because they are exactly that-- page-turners. The characters were
superbly fleshed out and the ending of each chapter just left the reader
needing to know what happened next. We
all know how successful Penman is with her novels thanks to her
meticulous research and her gift for weaving the fictitious with the
non-fictitious. G. K. Holloway shows the
same talent with 1066: What Fates Impose.
Of course we need to know the
background players! Politics was royalty
and this tale is a fabulous, enthralling yellow-brick-road of insight,
story-telling and research. I was
pleased to learn of events-- such as Harold rescuing Norman soldiers from
quicksand-- that I had never come across before. There are mini tales within bigger tales in
this book. When I researched situations I had never heard of, such as that
previously mentioned and when Harold visited the pope in Rome, I was so pleased
to see they had indeed taken place. It
makes that part of our colourful history all the more real and shows the level
of research that went into this story.
The book also reiterates how
hard and dangerous life was. The
jealousy, tempers, conniving, double-crossing all come alive. The love, hate, kinship, loyalty also all
leap of the page at you and makes Harold come alive as a person, not just a
heroic leader but as a man who was undoubtedly brave but who had faults, warts
an’ all. It also portrayed Edward the
Confessor as the king he was but one who seemed to prefer sitting on the
fence. My personal opinion of Edward is
an effeminate, pale, weak-willed king who could have a dark side and this book
fitted in with my preconceptions.
This is not just another book
about Harold and 1066. This version
takes episodes from when Harold was a young boy and plays them out against the
backdrop of Anglo-Saxon England. Earlier
on in the book we have periods of storytelling of William and his Norman
territories, and these gradually develop until you suddenly start another
chapter and bang, William is there, no longer viewed from a distance but a real
threat. And this is what I liked about
this book-- it makes the reader think more about, for example, why William was
so hell bent on getting the English throne. It makes you question the rationales of the main players, seeing them
not as figures from a far-off distant past but real no-holds-barred personas
that shaped our futures.
So whilst I may deem the book
‘slow to get going’, there is most definitely a reason for this and as things
gather pace, it all makes sense. You can
see why things were done the way they were and it all comes together as one big
jigsaw. The book definitely gathers
momentum but it is exquisitely timed and helped someone like me, who likes
explanations in layman’s terms, understand the politics of it all.
1066: What Fates Impose weaves a deep,
rich tale of such an important era of England. It lays a foundation, builds the players and lets us watch it all tumble
down. It is told by linking real episodes
in a timely manner giving a more over-arching tale than just a story. It really feels like the Bayeux Tapestry in book format and really has set a high
standard of story telling with this most important era of English history. Very well written, good use of the English
language and marvellously researched but
not to be rushed. A fabulous read if you
like your facts woven into a glorious tale. Soak up every chapter and you will have a most satisfying and
informative read.
G.K. Holloway is also so graciously offering TWO FREE COPIES of 1066: What Fates Impose to two lucky winners. To claim your chance to win, simply comment below OR at the Facebook thread for this review, located here.
G. K. Holloway left university in 1980 with a degree in history and politics. After spending a year in Canada he relocated to England's West Country and began work in secondary education. Later he moved firstly into adult ededucation and then into further education before finally working in higher education.
After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson he became fascinated by the fall of Anglo Saxon England and spent several years studying events leading up to and beyond the Battle of Hastings. Eventually he decided he had enough material to make an engrossing novel using characters from the Bayeux Tapestry, the Norse sagas, the Domesday Book and other sources. He feels that he has brought the period and its characters to life in his own particular way. Following the major protagonists, as well as political, religious and personal themes, the downfall of Anglo-Saxon England is portrayed by a strong cast.
After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson he became fascinated by the fall of Anglo Saxon England and spent several years studying events leading up to and beyond the Battle of Hastings. Eventually he decided he had enough material to make an engrossing novel using characters from the Bayeux Tapestry, the Norse sagas, the Domesday Book and other sources. He feels that he has brought the period and its characters to life in his own particular way. Following the major protagonists, as well as political, religious and personal themes, the downfall of Anglo-Saxon England is portrayed by a strong cast.
Nowadays he lives in Bristol with his wife and two children. When he's not writing he works with his wife in their company.
1066 is his debut novel and was originally published as an e-book. It has received very positive reviews and this has encouraged him to publish it in paperback. Currently he is working on a sequel. One day he hopes to write full time.
1066: What Fates Impose can also be purchased at Amazon and Amazon UK.
1066: What Fates Impose can also be purchased at Amazon and Amazon UK.
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Emma Powell has been reviewing for us since The Review started. She has now joined the admins team and you can find more of Emma's scribblings on her blog here.
Edit: This entry has been updated to reflect the dual freebie status.
Edit: This entry has been updated to reflect the dual freebie status.
