Review KK
This debut novel by Tony Robinson, of Time Team and Blackadder fame, takes us on a tour of 9th-century Europe: from the Holy Roman Emperor’s royal residence at Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) in Francia, to the home of the Pope in Rome, and on to the kingdom of Wessex in southern England. Fast-paced, full of political intrigue, and focused around an existential battle over what is right versus what is financially beneficial to those in power, this is a book that is very much written to fit the modern zeitgeist.
In addition to its central struggle between morality and power, the book touches on myriad themes of interest: religious oppression; the impact of the Viking invasions; concerns over royal succession; and the struggle to form larger kingdoms. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the book to me, however – even though it plays only a small part in the overall story – was how Robinson dealt with the relationship between the ‘invading’ Anglo-Saxons and the ‘local’ Britons. By the time this book is set, the two populations had already been living side-by-side for almost 400 years, but Robinson taps into the baseness of human behaviours and how enduring grudges can be, particularly concerning land ownership.
Over the course of the first few chapters, we are quickly introduced to a large cast of characters which, handily, are listed at the start of the book to help readers keep track of who is who. Martin Henig – the modern-day expert in Roman art and culture – even makes a brief appearance as a Viking raider (known as Norlanders in the book)! Leading the cast, though, are historical figures including Asser, a passionate priest seeking to reform the Church (later to become Bishop Asser of Sherborne, author of the Life of King Alfred); King Æthelwulf (ruler of Wessex from AD 839-858, and known as Wolf in the story); and his progeny – the last and most famous of whom, the above-mentioned Alfred, makes a notable entrance only halfway through the novel.
