I loved how this book captured the feeling of what life must have been like in the Middle Ages.
What separates mediocre historical fiction from great historical fiction is a true sense of authenticity, and Battle Song has that in spades. The characters are deep and engaging, but their outlook on the world is not modern.
Surrounded by casual violence, and pervasive religious and racial bigotry, the hero, Adam de Norton has to navigate his way along a dangerous path from lowly squire at tournaments across Europe to a knight in battle in a bloody uprising on British soil in the book’s epic conclusion. I can’t wait for the sequel!
'A very promising historical adventure' - THE TIMES
'A terrific novel' - HISTORIA MAGAZINE
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'There is a fury in England that none shall suppress - and when it breaks forth it will shake the throne'
1264
Storm clouds are gathering as Simon de Montfort and the barons of the realm challenge the power of Henry III. The barons demand reform; the crown demands obedience. England is on the brink of civil war.
Adam de Norton, a young squire devoted to the virtues of chivalry, longs only to be knighted, and to win back his father's lands. Then a bloody…
Steven has a wonderful way of getting inside the head of his characters, bringing them to life in the pages of his books.
Here he tackles Alfred the Great, one of the most famous of English monarchs. So much has been written about Alfred before, but Steven manages to make him fresh and accessible. Alfred is a conflicted character, battling between his very real piety and the more earthly passions of a young warrior and king-in-waiting.
Filled with action and adventure, The Heathen Horde is the first of what I am sure will prove to be a best-selling trilogy.
'Immersive and visceral, I loved every word' Christian Cameron
'Another excellent historical adventure from Steven McKay. A captivating thrill ride' Tim Hodkinson
Northumbria, AD 864. Viking warlord Ragnar Lothbrok is captured and killed in brutal fashion, an event that will shape the future of the nation for decades to come.
Mercia, AD 868. Alfred, son of Wessex and heir to the throne, draws his first blood on the battlefield. It will not be his last.
A devastating scourge from the north is coming to Britain, one that will bring armies and entire…
In this first novel in his long-running series, Lansdale introduces us to his wonderful characters, Hap Collins and Leonard Pike, who get drawn into a poorly conceived plot to find a stash of money lost after a long-ago bank heist.
Hap and Leonard are unlikely heroes, but their camaraderie and banter make them irresistible and as they get deeper and deeper into trouble you can’t help rooting for them. Lansdale’s writing it whip-sharp, funny, and lyrical, with dialogue that will make you gasp with delight at its audacity.
Here comes Trudy back into Hap's life, thirty-six but looking ten years younger, with long blonde hair and legs that begin under her chin, and the kind of walk that'll make a man run his car off the road. Here comes trouble, says Leonard, and he's right. She was always trouble, but she had this laugh when she was happy in bed that could win Hap over every time. Trudy has a proposition: an easy two hundred thousand dollars, tax-free. It's just a simple matter of digging it up ...Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, white and black, straight and gay,…
AD 796. Sailing in search of an object of great power, Hunlaf and his comrades are far from home when they are caught up in a violent skirmish against pirates.
After the bloody onslaught, an encounter with ships from Islamic Spain soon sees them escorted under guard to the city of Qadis, one of the jewels of the Emirate of Al-Andalus and the true destination of their voyage.
Hunlaf believes the Emir's lands hold the key to his search, but there are dangerous games at play. To achieve his goal, Hunlaf and his allies must walk a difficult path where friends and enemies alike are not always what they seem – and where a weapon deadlier than any yet seen could change the future of all the kingdoms in Europe.
