The Bleeding Land by Giles Kristian

England is at war with itself. King Charles and Parliament each gather soldiers to their banners. Across the land men prepare to fight for their religious and political ideals.

Civil war has begun. A war that will rip families asunder and change everything. 

You know, if learning about things you were generally clueless about was always this much fun, the world might be a shinier place than it is right now. Sadly, that’s not going to happen, but at least history stands a chance with writers like this championing it.

I’ll freely admit that what I knew about the English civil war before opening The Bleeding Land could have been jotted down on the back of a postage stamp. It wasn’t on our school curriculum other than in a passing mention; two, perhaps three sentences to sum up such a bitter conflict. So I opened the covers with equal parts anticipation and trepidation- the last thing I wanted to find lurking in there was a political thriller. Intrigue, innuendo and the thousand possible meanings of a smouldering stare are wasted on me.

I really should've known better.

There’s a line from a Marilyn Manson ditty that goes ‘the death of one is a tragedy, but the death of millions is a statistic’ – it’s an insidious but undeniable truth. The reality of war loses its sting when it’s rendered down into faceless numbers. The battle of Stalingrad saw at least 1,970,600 casualties. It’s just a number you skim over. But each one of those was a life, each with its own story and The Bleeding Land, while set in a time of epic conflict, isn’t about the numbers. Far from it. It’s about a family caught up in that conflict, about the awful decisions they’re forced to make as the world they know crumbles around them and allegiances, both old and new, become matters to fight -or die- for. It’s about the all too real complexities and emotional toll of trying to balance heart against mind. And it was that solid grounding, combined with well realised characters which drew me in and made me care and coloured every single action sequence with tension.

The story centres on the fate of Edmund and Tom Rivers as they are drawn into the gritty, sordid reality of that war, and the consequences of the decisions that set them on different paths. Paths that you know are destined to collide and most likely with tragic results. Anyone who’s read Giles’ Raven series (and if you haven’t , you should, asap) will know how good he is at bringing his characters to life, and TBL proves no exception.  The mad heroism is scaled back, and the pace is a steady one rather than the headlong rush of that series, but TBL is a different animal and the story benefits from it. The scope, research and smooth delivery that made Raven impossible to either ignore or put down shines through again, vividly evoking the chaos of battle and bloody glory of the age in with a definite and unmistakeable energy.

Marvellous stuff all round.

Buy it! Read it! 

You can read our wee interview with Giles here, visit his website here or watch the amazing trailer:

Shieldwall by Justin Hill

The year is 1016 and England burns, while the Viking armies blockade the great city of Lundenburh. King Ethelred lies dying and the England he knew is dying with him; the warring kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex and Northymbria tremble on the brink of great change. One man lives to bear witness to the upheaval: Godwin, barely out of boyhood and destined to become one of his country's great warriors.

Shieldwall is, of course, Godwin's story although it begins with his exiled father rather than him. Wulfnoth is steadily becoming aware that his strength and life are destined to fade before he can lay his eyes upon the son he was forced to leave as a hostage many years before. As he lays dying, he commands his war band, all tough and grizzled fighters, to seek out Godwin and serve him.

The story loops back then to introduce us to the Godwin, and so begins a journey into a turbulent period in England's history that has long been overlooked amidst the more glamourous and accessible Hastings. The hardback clocks in at just under 400 pages, and crammed into that are decades of warfare, betrayal and a desperate struggle see the dream of a better future bartered away by lesser men, all filtered through Godwin's perceptions. He's an interesting character, a realist who refuses to surrender his ideals or honour even in the darkest hours. The world he and his band occupy is not an easy one. People starve, wounds get infected, heroes piss their breeches. It may be fiction, but it sure isn't fantasy. The action is vivid and brutal -and there's plenty of it to go around too.

My only complaint per se, and I expect that it's a by-product of the sheer scope of the novel, is that there was a bit in the middle where I started to feel a bit distanced from Godwin. Things that I would have liked to have been 'in on' are fleetingly spoken of or referenced in retrospect, including an incident where one of his closest childhood friends was killed. It takes the focus off him and slows the pace a bit, but it's minor wobble, a deep breath before the plunge towards the showdown with Knut.

The Abacus cover - due c. 06/2012

For me this is historical fiction of the best sort. Hill has blended fact and interpretative fiction to bring an almost forgotten bit of history and the players therein to life in an immersive and taut novel, shot through with an evocative poetry that echoes the sagas of the time. It's a great read.

I enjoyed it immensely and have found it a home on my shelves next to Giles Kristian's Raven series.

You can visit Justin's blog here.

(And this is how not to charge a shieldwall)

A conversation with Giles Kristian

Having been bowled over by his Raven trilogy, I contacted Giles via twitter (@GilesKristian) to try lure him into a chat about the books. Fortunately no coercion was required as the enthusiasm he'd shown at the launch of Odin's Wolves was still very much in evidence.

Welcome to MFB, Giles and thank you for a cracking read!

MFB: What was the seed or catalyst for the story? What sparked it into life?

GK: Being half Norwegian, I spent many, many childhood holidays in and around the Norwegian fjords. I would imagine longships brimming with warriors setting off through the island channels towards the open sea, the men’s families waving them off, children running and jumping over rocks, calling out excitedly, trying to keep up. I would imagine the warriors themselves, full of bravado thought they knew they might never return. There is no doubt that the 1958 film The Vikings, starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis coloured my imagination and I remember even at that age thinking I’d rather be the ‘all out’ no-nonsense Viking (Douglas) than the film’s conflicted, moral-burdened hero (Curtis). We have a family cottage in the fjords and it’s my favourite place on earth. Even now, I get a palpable thrill from being in a land/seascape that, to all intents and purposes, appears to my eyes as it would have to a sea-raider’s eyes one thousand years ago. In that environment if a boy doesn’t think of Vikings then I feel sorry for him. But it was whilst on a stag weekend in Oslo that the vague story in my mind began to reveal itself, like a dragon ship prowing out of the fog.

We were visiting the incredible Viking Ship Museum and I was staring, utterly captivated (for the second time in my life) by the stunningly beautiful Gokstad Ship, dug out of the ground on a farm in Gokstad in 1880. Surrounded by my own crew of enthusiastic young men from foreign shores I got the notion that what we were engaged in was a little raiding trip of our own, not so different from those of days gone by, though perhaps the risks were less for us. Then again perhaps not. That sense of camaraderie, of a ‘fellowship’ in search of adventure was the ember that would become the flame of the RAVEN saga.


MFB: Which of the trilogy proved the most difficult to write?

GK: The third book, Odin’s Wolves, was the most difficult to write because in it I have tried to re-create, or at least give a believable impression of, Rome and Constantinople (or Miklagard – the Great City, to the Norsemen). My aim was to capture Rome in all its faded glory and Constantinople in all its magnificence. This is quite a challenge compared to describing a muddy Saxon village that is little more than a clutter of wooden dwellings and animal pens. Depictions of Rome in its heyday are everywhere, not least in historical fiction, but descriptions of Rome in the 9th century – fiction or non-fiction – are not all that easy to come. I wondered what kind of state it would have been in by then and wondered, too, how historical ruins might have been viewed by folk who are to us historical themselves. My aim was to try to give a sense of how extraordinary these great and ancient cities must have appeared to my Norsemen who have no reference for what they are seeing, no concept of such size, let alone the architecture, wealth, politics etc of such metropolises.

In one scene in Odin’s Wolves they come across a mosque. Bearing in mind that Raven himself is narrating the story (not the usual literary device of an all-seeing, all-knowing, omnipresent narrator whom the reader conveniently agrees not to notice or question) how would he describe a mosque, having never seen a domed building before? Even using the word ‘dome’ felt utterly wrong to me, almost anachronistic. So I had to have the Norsemen describe the mosque within the confines of their own framework of reference. Rather embarrassingly (but perhaps fittingly) to them the building’s shape conjures the image of a giantess’s breast, and so the mosque becomes Gerd’s Tit. (Don’t blame me!).

MFB:  What kept you going when the going go a bit rocky?

GK: The emails I receive from readers make the whole experience of writing even more satisfying. To think that people take the time out of their busy day to express how much they’ve enjoyed the books is something I find amazing. Also, reading a good review makes my day, even though other authors I respect have told me to take little notice of reviews good or bad. (Yeah, right). But really, I don’t need much to keep me going. Being a novelist is an absolute joy and a privilege. There is nothing I would rather do.

MFB: You’ve certainly demonstrated a good grasp of the era and captured real feeling of ‘being there’. How did you get inside their minds so convincingly?

GK: I like to think that the sense of camaraderie amongst my motley crew is what keeps the reader rooting for them even though at times their behaviour can be somewhat poor even by 9th century standards. The good-natured insults, the banter, the arrogance and occasional insecurities that you find aboard Serpent or Fjord-Elk can be found in any football or rugby team’s dressing room, or in any army barracks around the world today. It’s a sense of belonging to something, being a part of something and sharing experiences. It’s really about friendship, I suppose. Warriors sometimes fight for ideals, or because they’re simply following orders, but mostly they fight for each other. That was the same then as now. So I don’t really think it’s too difficult to get inside their heads. It’s their clothes I wouldn’t fancy getting into (apart from Cynethryth’s. ha!). Imagine the scratchiness.

MFB: The guys from Urban Apache did a fantastic job with the prologue for Odin's Wolves, which I've embedded at the bottom of this post. How did that come about? And how does it feel seeing your characters coming to life beyond the pages?

GK: Urban Apache and director Phillip Stevens did an incredible job in bringing the prologue to glorious (goryous?) life for the big screen. I met Phil at one of my book launches and he gave me another short film he and his crew had made (Northmen) and I was so impressed I knew straight away that I wanted to work with them. Together we came up with the idea of making a book trailer that went beyond anything else we’ve seen out there for an historical fiction novel. The result is a 12 minute film, from which we cut two short trailers. It was an incredible experience! Cast and crew from near and far gathered in a longhouse in York one freezing day in January, and after several day’s shooting in various locations we had a film we are all enormously proud of. Raven himself (superbly played by David Clayton) is the only character from the books represented on screen (the rest are all long gone) and he blew my mind. His intensity and charisma as the ageing and proud warrior is as tangible as a Dane axe in the face. For me it was an honour to work with Urban Apache and you can take it from me that they are going places. Talent like that won’t be ignored. I only wish we could spread the word and get more people watching it, because to me it shows that talent and enthusiasm are more than a match for a big budget. Please help the film fly and pass it on to your friends if you enjoy it.

MFB:The covers of each book are very striking. Did you have any input into them?

GK: I am lucky that the design team at Transworld are top notch and really know how to make an (blood)eye-catching jacket. I do get involved in the cover designs to an extent, though only because I have worked with movie poster designers for several years and have some modest appreciation of the process. I remember for Blood Eye asking that the character’s face be much more heavily shadowed. I thought he was too clean-cut, too good looking to be a Viking. I also thought it would lend a sense of mystery and foreboding, which is never a bad thing to my mind. Plus, I thought the readers would assume the character on the cover was Raven himself, and rather than plant that image in their mind’s eye, I would rather each and every reader has their own mental image of what Raven looks like. When all’s said and done, I think it’s only fair that a book cover with my name on it should have my blessing. The last think you want is to let something go and then regret it every time you look at the cover. I think each of the RAVEN saga book jackets really capture, by way of colour palettes as well as visual themes, the spirits of each tale, and for that I have the Transworld crew to thank.

MFB: Did you have a series in mind when you started writing?

GK: The honest answer is that I had a series in mind but very little idea where the tale would lead. But one day in 2007 (three years after I’d begun writing Blood Eye) my agent phoned me in New York to say that Transworld were interested and that they wanted to see the outlines for the second and third books. I thought, doh! Better come up with something! Fortunately though, the Norns were busy weaving and it all turned out OK.

MFB: Do you write in silence and/or isolation, or to music? If the latter, what sort?

GK: Mostly I write in silence in my study at home. However, often if I’m writing a battle scene I’ll play movie soundtracks to inspire me, to perhaps echo the rhythms of the fight. I’ll play the gladiator score, or Kingdom of Heaven or Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans, or Lord of the Rings. Gets me in the mood and sometimes makes it feel less like work!

MFB: What’s the coolest thing you discovered while doing your research?

GK: I commissioned Nigel Carren , a master armourer, to hand make me a Viking helmet (all in the name of research of course) and I love it. It’s a 4-piece steel Spangen helmet with one-piece cross and nasal, and highly ornamented occularia. (The golden eyebrows above the eyeholes!) and is loosely based on the Gjermundbu helmet, the only example of a complete Viking helmet in existence. One can barely imagine how terrifying it would have been to come face to face with a warrior wearing something like this. It showed he had money and power and that he more than likely had the ability and inclination to carve you into pieces.


When I had come up with the idea for my next series (Civil War) I was at a book signing in Dorking when I walked past an antique dealer that had a three bar lobster tail pot helmet in the window. For me it’s the iconic image of the English Civil War and when I saw this particular helmet I just had to have it (again, all research you understand) and so in I went. To think that this helmet is 370 years old and that someone used to put it on hoping he’d make it through the day (literally) is quite something. I have been known to wear it whilst writing, to get a sense of what it feels like to be in the thing certainly, but mostly because when it’s on my head I just feel like causing trouble.


MFB: What are you currently working on? Will you be delving into the Viking world again?

GK: I have a new series beginning in April next year. It’s a trilogy set during the bloody and tumultuous years of the English Civil War and will be very different from the RAVEN saga. This series follows the (mis)fortunes of a family ripped apart during the struggles, with the reader spending time with each of the three central characters; two brothers and their sister. I have found the writing of it an extraordinary and at times moving experience and can’t wait for the release of the first book, titled The Bleeding Land. Nevertheless, I will certainly return to the Viking world, possibly even to my Fellowship from the RAVEN books. They are like old friends (the ones that I haven’t killed off!) and already I begin to I miss them.

MFB: I'll reserve some space on our shelves! Best of luck... now get back to work!

This is Urban Apache's awesome prologue for Odin's Wolves..



You can also watch the (shorter) trailer here.




You can follow Giles on Facebook, Twitter, or visit his website.

Raven Blood Eye, Sons of Thunder and Odin's Wolves by Giles Kristian

For two years Osric has lived a simple life, though he is feared and shunned for his mysterious part and blood-red eye. Then raiders from across the sea ransack his village and Osric is taken prisoner by this ruthless band of warriors.

Immersed in the Norsemen’s way of life and driven by their lust for adventure, Osric proves a natural fighter and forges a deep bond with their chief, Sigurd the Lucky, who renames him Raven.

But the Norsemen’s world is a savage one, where loyalty is often repaid in blood, and a young man must become a killer to survive. It seems the path Raven has chosen is a dangerous one indeed.
-

Wow. Yes, after much deliberation, that’s how I’ve chosen to start this review. Because that was the word which sprang to mind when I picked up the Raven Blood-Eye on a Sunday morning, and again when I finished Odin’s Wolves on the following Friday.

The first of the series is Raven Blood Eye, which introduces Osric/ Raven, and how he falls in with the Norsemen who arrive at the village that has become his home. Osric isn't a native Englishman, or at least he's not sure if he is since he has no memories older than two years. Then the Norsemen arrive and he discovers a talent for their language, which becomes the gateway for his induction into their ranks and a world beyond anything he ever expected.

The second book in the series, Sons of Thunder, leaves the shores of England for the continent as Sigurd and his crew chase the traitorous Ealdred to the shores of the Frankish empire- an empire sworn to eradicate heathens like them. What follows is a combination of Ocean’s Eleven and the Great Escape, Viking style, as Sigurd and Raven risk everything for honour, love and gold.

Odin’s Wolves follows Sons of Thunder, and sees the Sigurd’s fellowship turning their prow towards the fabled city of Miklagard, seeking to sate their appetite for treasure and, perhaps more prized than that, a good saga that will see their names and deeds live on through the ages. It’s no easy journey, and takes them through frozen marshlands and the shadows of what was once the glory of Rome, but nothing will truly prepare them for what waits for them at what could be their final destination.

It’s always a wonder when you come across books that hook you from the outset and only tighten their grip along the way until you can reluctantly peel yourself away from them at the end. If you pick these up, do so in the knowledge that you will miss your train station, and look up from the page to realise that the rest of the house is in darkness because “another 5 pages” turned into “another 5 chapters”.

The source of their addictiveness lies with the depth and dynamism of the characters and their interactions, particularly Osric/ Raven and Sigurd. They’re distinct personalities, each with their own foibles and aspirations, bound together by a sense of loyalty that transcends the oaths they’ve sworn. They and the camaraderie between them are realised very well, leaving little room for doubt that they would take the risks that they are. It draws you in until you’re completely immersed in their world and not so much reading about it as sharing it.

Raven’s world has been well researched and remains grounded in reality throughout the series. There’s a clear sense that the rest of the world will carry on regardless of what happens to them, cleverly contrasting the mean drudgery of the life that Osric may have led against the Vikings’ larger than life yearnings for glory and adventure and the clear sense of freedom that their way of life represents for all its dangers and deprivations. The gulf between the Norsemen’s pagan beliefs and the growth of Christianity adds to this contrast, and provides an additional level of understanding as to what makes them tick.

The series is written in the first person from Raven’s point of view, but this provides scant relief from the tension that is piled on as they continually push their luck, because this isn’t just his story. It all comes back to how you’re made to care about Sigurd and the rest of the Wolfpack, with the full knowledge that no character is safe. There’s plenty of action in each book as you’d expect, from shield walls to single duels, and I was impressed with how vividly these were portrayed, and how unforgiving the results were.

Whether you're a regular reader of historical fiction or not, read this series. It's fast, brutal, well researched, well written and an absolute blast.

Right, I'm off to sack a village.

Gladiator by Simon Scarrow

Rome, 61 BC

Recruited as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior.

But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father’s old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free.

Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape..

Fresh from the Rome fest of Vespasian, I was quite excited about Gladiator, given that it was penned by Simon Scarrow, whose Eagle Series has been top notch throughout. And besides, who doesn’t like Gladiators?

Gladiator opens well, with Marcus’ home under threat from a moneylender, creating some nice tension in the background as we get to grips with Marcus’ character. It’s a brief interlude before his journey into slavery begins, a journey that doesn’t offer any kind of concession for age or innocence.

That Scarrow is familiar with the Roman world is both subtle and obvious, even if you haven’t read any of his work before; it’s in the descriptions of life beyond Marcus’ immediate circle and the understanding of the casual disregard for slaves as anything except utilities.

However, as much as I wanted to really like Gladiator, there were a couple of bugbears I couldn’t quite work past. The first and most obvious is that it reads like Scarrow Lite, the rich narrative that won the Eagle Series so many fans having been diluted for a younger audience. And while I can sort of understand the reasoning behind it, I feel that it leaves Gladiator in a strange no man’s land where older readers could be turned off and middle grade readers talked down to. It is, of course, aimed at ages 11+, but I think that the ‘+’ is a very narrow range. The other, lesser thing was that I would have liked to have had more time spent on Marcus’ training, given the title et al; aside from the arena matches, that’s one of the things I was looking forward to. Of course, it could well be that this is something that will be picked up again later in the series, and I hope it is. Of course, and excuse the potential spoiler here, having him plucked out of the gladiator school after his first arena match could make this a bit trickier to pull off.

It’s a good concept with loads of potential, and while it's still a decent read, it needs more bite to make it stand out or realise that potential.

Blood Rock - James Jackson

1565, Malta - and the greatest siege the world has ever known.

The legendary Hospitaller Knights of St John stand alone on the island of Malta against the tide of Islam. The Ottoman Emperor, Suleiman the Magnificent, has sent the greatest armada that ever set sail to wipe them off the face of the earth. Time is running out . There is a traitor among them. Malta's doom is sealed.

But one man will never yield. Englishman Christian Hardy will stop at nothing to save the island. With a band of close companions- the Moor, a genius inventor of demonic weapons, Luqa, a young orphan set on becoming Christian's protégé, Hubert, his longstanding friend and spiritual counsellor and Maria, a beautiful noblewoman who rejects the sanctuary of Sicily to be with him. With the help of these steadfast comrades, Christian must now summon all his courage to face an unbeatable enemy, and change the course of history . . .

When we were in Malta last year, I spied a copy of Blood Rock on a rack in the supermarket and congratulated myself on spotting a promising looking holiday read; unfortunately the price tag of 18 euros put me off and I returned it to the dusty rack it probably still calls home.

A couple of weeks ago I glimpsed a copy of it on a bookshelf and promptly bought it- there was a feel of ‘unfinished business’ about it. Armed with my memories of Valetta, I cracked it open and met the main character, one Christian Hardy, a roguish figure with a chequered past and a ready sword.

Soon enough, Hardy is drawn into the Great Siege by notions of honour, duty and the unspoken promise of a beautiful woman. Battle is soon joined and Hardy appears to be in his element as he pushes himself to the edge against the invading Turks. But a traitor lurks amongst the Order, dispensing poison and betrayal from the shadows; the ranks of those Hardy can trust thin as the Siege builds to its climax.

However, for all of the action and the intrigue, I felt quite ambivalent towards Hardy and the fates of his comrades. Considering his role as the hero, his character isn’t really explored, leaving him a bit.. flat. The supporting cast of characters suffer from the same dereliction, which left me struggling to find a reason to root for them. Added to this, while the deprivations and the acts of desperate heroism of the Great Siege are well documented, the action is robbed of its chance to redeem the story as much of its potency is lost by being largely glossed over and Hardy’s seeming indifference to the terrible danger and suffering around him.

Unfortunately, all things considered I have to say that if asked to recommend something for this period or setting, I’d point you in the direction of Tom Willocks’ The Religion.

Caligula, Douglas Jackson

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the third Roman Emperor, is better known by another name: Caligula, a name synonymous with decadence, cruelty and madness. His reign was marked by excess, huge building projects, the largest gladiatorial battles Rome was ever to see – men and animals killed in their hundreds – conspiracies, assassination attempts and sexual scandal.

Rufus as a young slave grows up far from the corruption of the imperial court. His master is a trainer of animals for the gladiatorial arena. Rufus discovers that he has a natural ability with animals, a talent for controlling and schooling them. It is at the arenas that Rufus meets his great friend Cupido, one of Rome’s greatest gladiators.

It is his growing reputation as an animal trainer and his friendship with Cupido that attracts the cruel gaze of the Emperor. Caligula wants a keeper for the imperial elephant and Rufus is bought from his master and taken to the imperial palace. Life here is dictated by Caligula’s ever shifting moods. Caligula is as generous as he is cruel, he is a megalomaniac who declares himself a living god and simultaneously lives in constant fear of the plots against his life. But his paranoia is not misplaced, intrigue permeates his court, and Rufus and Cupido find themselves unwittingly placed at the centre of a conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor.

Douglas Jackson's done a fine job of bringing a slice of Roman history to life in Caligula, but more than that, he's created characters who really are right at home in the first century AD, unsullied by modern perceptions or persuasions. The world they live in is dangerous and cruel, even more so for Rufus as he is drawn into Caligula's orbit and the seething nest of intrigue that lies within the walls of the palace.

As regards the Caligula, the opening chapter featuring the emperor as a boy is wonderful- there, in one broad stroke, the core of his entire character is laid bare and the scene set for the macabre and terrifying highlights of his mercifully brief reign.

It's very cinematic, with fast and deadly action playing out against the grand backdrop of the imperial palace and the blood drenched sands of the arena.

Before you know it, you're immersed you in Rufus' world, where the ever present undercurrent of Caligula's mood swings brings pervasive sense of paranoia to each scene. It's testament to Douglas' abilities that, even though you might know what the ultimate fate of Caligula is, you're never sure of the who, how, why or who until it happens.

It's a great, balanced story that demands to be read, and should be.