With Bayeux Tapestry fever still seizing London, James Alistair Henry’s debut novel offers a thought-provoking opportunity to imagine how Britain might look if the Norman Conquest had never taken place. The story is set in 21st-century London, but this is not the modern city we know today. As the novel’s title suggests, its alternative universe is populated by pagan tribes who co-exist in a fragile alliance – until this balance is shattered by a brutal murder.
At its heart, Pagans is a police procedural, with plenty to intrigue fans of more conventional crime thrillers, but it is also woven through with a wealth of historical snippets, opening interesting perspectives on the past – as well as evoking themes of religious, cultural, and political division that still resonate today. Cunningly plotted, with impressively detailed world building, this is an enjoyably twisty tale in which to immerse yourself as the nights draw in.
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