G1048 Book Review of A black matter for the king by Matthew Willis and J.A. Ironside
Author: J.A. Ironside and Matthew Willis
ISBN: 978-1-946409-46-1
Publisher: Penmore Press
Part of a Series: An Arguement of Blood is the prequel
Type of book: 1050s-1080s?, William the Bastard Duke of Normandy, political power, intrigues, England, Harold, the Godwin family, battles, wars, slights, oath, Edward the Confessor, control, Battle of Hastings 1066, death, aging
Year it was published: 2018
Summary:
TWO POWERFUL RIVALS -- ONE DECISIVE BATTLE Now a political hostage in Falaise, Aelfgifa forms an unlikely friendship with William, Duke of Normandy. William has been swift to recognize her skills and exploit them to his advantage. However, unbeknownst to the duke, Gifa is acting as a spy for her brother, Harold Godwinson, a possible rival for the English throne currently in the failing grip of Edward the Confessor. Homesick and alienated by the Norman court, Gifa is torn between the Duke's trust and the duty she owes her family. William has subdued his dissenting nobles, and a united Normandy is within his grasp. But the tides of power and influence are rarely still. As William's stature grows, the circle of those he can trust shrinks. Beyond the English Channel, William has received news of Edward's astonishing decree regarding the succession.
Aelfgifa returns to an England where an undercurrent of discontent bubbles beneath the surface. An England that may soon erupt in conflict as one king dies and another is chosen. The ambitions of two powerful men will decide the fates of rival cultures in a single battle at Hastings that will change England, Europe, and the world in this compelling conclusion to the Oath & Crown series on the life and battles of William the Conqueror.
Characters:
Main characters would be AElfgifa and William as well as AElgifa's older brother Harold. AElgifa continues to remain the sharp-tongued and wise beyond her years woman whom many are afraid to trifle with, and its not because of her intelligence but also because of her appearance, as sad as it to report. Most likely, she is probably the only woman I have run across that actually never ended up having a paramour. She lives and breathes for intrigues, knowledge and for control, and unfortunately ends up in situations where she cannot use her gifts as they are meant to be used. William, the Duke of Normandy, feels friendship for AElfgifa and often uses her gifts for his own means. He is best described as tempered, stubborn and determined to avenge whatever slights he is able. He is also a capable leader and tends to judge people well in terms of helping him reach his goals. Harold in this book is happy-go-lucky as well as daring and someone who is charming and often resists listening to reason.
Theme:
Things don't go as often as planned
Plot:
The story is in third person narrative from AElfgifa's and William's points of view. The characters continue to remain the same as in the previous novel, and there are a number of memorable scenes with William and what he did during the battles. Probably because most of my readings of the road to Battle of Hastings comes from Harold's points of view, it's odd to not be in the thick among the important events, although AElfgifa does provide the Battle of Stamford Bridge. I also appreciated how clear the battles are written for the readers and that I had understood what was going on and why, which is new with when it comes to historical fiction.
Author Information:
(From the book)
J.A. Ironside (Jules) grew up in rural Dorset, surrounded by books – which pretty much set he up for life as a complete bibliophile. She loves speculative fiction of all stripes, especially fantasy and science fiction, although when it comes to the written word, she’s not choosy and will read almost anything. Actually it would be fair to say she starts to go a bit peculiar if she doesn’t get through at least three books a week. She writes across various genres, both adult and YA fiction, and it’s a rare story if there isn’t a fantastical or speculative element in there somewhere.
Jules has had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies, as well as recorded for literature podcasts. Books 1 and 2 of her popular Unveiled series are currently available with the 3rd and 4th books due for release Autumn/ Winter 2017.
She also co-authored the sweeping epic historical Oath and Crown Duology with Matthew Willis, released June 2017 from Penmore Press.
Jules now lives on the edge of the Cotswold way with her boyfriend creature and a small black and white cat, both of whom share a god-complex.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Matthew Willis is an author of historical fiction, SF, fantasy and non-fiction. In June 2017 An Argument of Blood, the first of two historical novels about the Norman Conquest co-written with J.A. Ironside, was published. In 2015 his story Energy was shortlisted for the Bridport short story award.
Matthew studied Literature and History of Science at the University of Kent, where he wrote an MA thesis on Joseph Conrad and sailed for the University in national competitions. He subsequently worked as a journalist for Autosport and F1 Racing magazines, before switching to a career with the National Health Service.
His first non-fiction book, a history of the Blackburn Skua WW2 naval dive bomber, was published in 2007. He now has four non fiction books published with a fifth, a biography of test pilot Duncan Menzies, due later in 2017. He currently lives in Southampton and writes both fiction and non-fiction for a living.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Opinion:
The previous book, AN ARGUMENT OF BLOOD, has set the bar very high when it comes to this book: I think I expected for this book to contain a lot of Aegilfa, and much to mine disappointment it doesn't contain much of her. While the events have very high stakes, (the future of England, and the deciding ruler,) I don't think this book had as much sparkle as the prequel. Previous times when I have read about the road to Battle of Hastings in 1066, most likely the narrator was Harold, thus I knew next very little about William Duke of Normandy beyond the fact of his birth. Probably for the first time I've actually read a tale from William's point of view. I also think that both books need to be read immediately after one another because when the time period is long between the readings, a lot can be lost between the space (for one thing I was confused with which characters were important,)
This is for HFVBT
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
Comments
Post a Comment