New Release

Released in July!

Beast Warrior: Viking Werewolf
Eva Gordon

Beast Warrior is an historical paranormal romance that takes place during the Viking Era of the Dark Ages. A time when only the strong survive. It is the second book in the Wolf Maiden Chronicles, which depicts alpha lycans and their human wolf maiden mates. Sigurd, an alpha Norse wolfskin, son of Gunnolf the Red seeks revenge against shape shifting bearskins, Bork the Mad and his son, Mord the Blood Claw for the death of his parents and his older brother Guda. Orphaned, he has been raised by his older sister Brynhild, who convinces him to take a wolf maiden in order to increase their small pack. Despite the warning by Hungerd the wolf witch, he takes a farmer's new bride with tragic consequences. Alone he joins a long ship until the day he can avenge his pack's demise. Emelisse, a Frank wolf maiden, has been raised and educated in the classics, science, literature and languages by female lycans of the Lupercal. Born a runt with a weak heart her father has been overprotective. She refuses to be treated like a delicate vase and rebels by seeking out riding and falconry. Now at age eighteen Emelisse frets that her father wants her to accept Radulf III the Cruel, an alpha lycan of a pack of powerful warriors. She tries to run away with her human lover. Viking werewolf, Sigurd rescues Emelisse, from the claws of the berserker bear men. He claims her as his ulf hexen or wolf maiden, but she wants to leave lycan society and live with humans. To complicate matters she has been called by her goddess Feronia to save the lycans from a dreaded disease. Their union is wrought with great peril in a world where werewolves must battle against their own kind as well as their fierce enemy, the berserker bear men. Will Emelisse accept Sigurd a foreign lycan as her alpha mate? Sigurd vows to protect her from their enemies but how can he save her before she dies from her ailing heart?

About the Author
Eva writes fantasy and paranormal novels with a strong romantic element. Werewolf Sanctuary is Book 1 in her epic Wolf Maiden Chronicles, a paranormal romance series involving male alpha lycans and their human mates known as wolf maidens. Werewolf Sanctuary is a contemporary that will lead to all the other historical paranormal tales in the Wolf Maiden Chronicles. Book 2 in the series, Beast Warrior:Viking Werewolf, takes place during the Viking era. She loves to create stories that combine her passion for mythology, romance and werewolf lore. Eva has a BS in Zoology and graduate studies in Biology. She has taught high school Biology, Environmental Science and Anatomy/Physiology. Her background in science and her passion for wildlife biology adds credibility to her writings. She also moonlights as a faculty member of the Grey School of Wizardry, an online school for kids and adults interested in magic and lore. A member of Romance Writers of America, Eva has also taught workshops on wolf lore and falconry for writer groups. Eva is a world traveler and loves visiting the places where her novels take place. She lives in Northern California with her husband, son and near her young adult daughter. She also shares her home with an almost human standard poodle.


Find this and other new releases on medieval-novels.com !

The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain

Announcing!

The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain
New Edition
Edited by Kenneth O. Morgan
704 pages | 268 black and white halftones and 25 colour plates | 246x189mm
978-0-19-954475-2 | Paperback | 12 March 2009
Price: £18.99

A vivid, sometimes surprising picture emerges of a continuous turmoil of change in every period, and the wider social context of political and economic tension is made clear. But consensus, no less than conflict, is a part of the story: in focusing on elements of continuity down the centuries, the authors bring out that special awareness of identity which has been such a distinctive feature of British society. By relating both these factors in the British experience, and by exploring the many ways in which Britain has shaped and been shaped by contact with Europe and the wider world, this landmark work brings the reader face to face with the past, and the foundations of modern British society.

The new edition, the first for almost twenty years, brings the story into the twenty-first century, covering the changes to British society and culture during the Blair years and the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.

Readership: All those interested in the history of Britain and the British Isles, from Roman times to the 21st century

Oxford University Press

Separate but Unequal

I will write "she" and "her" in this story, but this could happen just as well to a man.

Once upon a time, a Reader walked into her local tax-supported library to pick up a book she wanted to read. A big sign over the door proclaimed "New undamaged copies of books available!" Reader was delighted because for some time the library's collection had been deteriorating. About one out of every five books had sections damaged and even ripped out of the books. Now at last she could take a book out of the library confident that she wouldn't get halfway into it only to find a large section unreadable. She entered the library, then stopped. All she saw were the usual books. The only thing different was that there were now dozens of locked doors along the walls. She approached the Librarian.

Reader: I came to take out a particular book. Is it available in the new undamaged format?

Librarian: Yes, it is!

Reader: Great. Please get it for me.

Librarian: I'm sorry. You can only read it in one of these rooms.

Reader: Why?

Librarian: We promised the publishers we wouldn't let their books out to just anyone.

Reader: Oh! Well, all right, then give me a room too.

Librarian: You have to have a key to get into a room. Sign up for one here, please.

Reader: (Fills out the form and gives it back to the Librarian.) All right, here you are. May I have the book and the room now?

Librarian: I'm sorry, we don't have any rooms available.

Reader: But.. but.. I used to be able to read any books I wanted. Why can't I do that now?

Librarian: I told you. We don't have enough rooms. They are being built by a Canadian company and we have been beta testing them. These things take time.

Reader: What am I supposed to do in the meantime?

Librarian: There are always the books over in the possibly-damaged section.

Reader: I don't want to get into a book only to find I can't finish it or that I am missing a part of it.

Librarian: You can always buy a room of your own.

Reader: Buy one? Why should I have to buy one? I pay my taxes faithfully and willingly. I already paid my share. Why do I have to shell out more money?

Librarian: I'm sorry you feel that way. Others are waiting for rooms too, you know.

Reader: Why can't you just issue keys to the library and let us read the books in this huge room with all the chairs and tables?

Librarian: We looked at this problem long and hard and decided this was the best way to handle the problem. You will just have to be patient.

Reader: So what you are telling me is that if I want to read this book, I must either take a chance on a damaged book, buy my own room, or patiently wait for a room to become available?

Librarian: That's right.

If this story seems ridiculous, it is, but it's happening. Right now people with print impairments, like blind and partially sighted people, are relgated to reading cassette books that are often damaged so badly that they can't be enjoyed. To solve this problem, the National Library Services of the U. S. Library of Congress has created downloadable books that will be available to those people who cannot or prefer not to use the Internet on cartridges they will send out by mail. Patrons will receive reading devices in which to put the cartridge to read the book. In order to use the cartridges they ill need to be issued a key that activates the book.

The problem is that there are not enough devices and cartridges to go around. There probably will not be for many months. In the meantime a reader like myself will have to make do with the cassette books. Unlike every other taxpayer in the country, I will not have access to the book until such time as I am issued a device. I can buy one, but I wonder why I should have to if no other taxpayer does? Especially when there is another way to accomplish the same thing. The library could issue proprietary software to make every computer such a device. They could still require a key. This would cost a great deal less and happen a lot sooner.

I feel as a person with a disability I am being required to accept what we all thought went out of our society thanks to the equality movements of the last century. Of course in reality separate but equal continues to be the rule in some places, but at least not officially. If at the end of my story the Librarian had added, "You African Americans/Jews/women or the like will just have to be patient. We are doing the best we can." there would be outrage. They are saying it, but they are saying, "You blind and otherwise print impaired people will just have to wait."

Someone pointed out to me that this plan has been in the works for more than five years. Perhaps I should have spoken up sooner. I will concede that, but I didn't. Others, however, have. Yet the typical government tendency to do something the least efficient and the most expensive won out anyway.

The solution is simple. The NLS needs to get over whatever arcane notion they have about not making the books accessible to eligible persons on a person's computer. As an author and publisher, I feel this should satisfy the Fair Use provision of the Copyright Act.

And then we will be able to read happily ever after.

If you are tempted to think or say "Well, but we are talking about the blind! It's no one's fault they are blind. It's just how things are!" just please remember you are talking about me, and if I have ever done anything for you whether a favor or enlightenment through a review or entertained or educated you with my writing, reconsider whether I should be regarded as a beggar who cannot be a chooser. I plan to send this blog post to my legislators.

I would like to hear from you all how you would respond to the scenario I painted above.

Thanks!

Nan Hawthorne
hawthorne at nanhawthorne.com

P.S. This by the way is the 100th post to this blog.

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves

I, Claudius
Robert Graves

Most of us are familiar with the Masterpiece Theater dramatization of I, Claudius now available on VHS and DVD. Don't expect everything you saw in the dramatization to be in the novel. Two scenes I remember distinctly, Sejanus's death and Caligula's murder of his pregnant sister, are mentioned only in passing in Claudius's telling of the story. That is because the novel is not so much a novel as anecdotal memoirs. That is is fictional makes it a novel. However, feel free to picture the incredible cast, Derek Jacobi (Claudius), Sían Phillips (Livia), Brian Blessed (Augustus) and John Hurt (Caligula) as well as many others to enrich your reading. Oh, and Capt. Jean Luc Picarde as Sejanus.



Poet Robert Graves wrote this novel and its sequel, Claudius the God, as a fictional memoir of Emperor Claudius, an early emperor of Rome. Born with various disabilities, Claudius managed to stay alive while literally thousands were poisoned and executed simply because no one regarded him as a credible threat. He is a scholar, a historian, and though he claims otherwise, a very clever man when it comes to manipulating people and situations for his own survival. His grandmother, that queen of poisoners, Livia, seems to come to realize the gem in the rough that Claudius is just before her death and begs him to make her a goddess after her death so she cannot be punished for her evbil deeds in the afterlife. Few others ever come to that realization about him, lucky for him.

Claudius lives through Livia's empire building techniques, then through his paranoid uncle Tiberius's vicious reign and his mad nephew Caligula's reign of terror. In between moments of intense fear he lives through and recounts the stories of the early empire, its battles, conquests, colonization of the rest of the known world, and along with its sublime moments its impious acts.

Clausius's style is personal, relaxed, self deprecating, and insightful, his wit mostly directed at himself, his reminiscence rambling. I must admit that Graves' frequent hints as to Tiberius's inimical sexual practices and then reticence about expanding on what they were was rather frustrating. If anything, I thought Caligula came off at times as rather a tame madman compared to most portrayals of him. He was one scary kid though.

This is the September 1st book for Let's Read Historical Novels on AccessibleWorld.org.

This book is available in just about any medium you could want. The edition pictured is the Penguin Classic. I actually listened to the Borders Audio edition purchased on Audible.com.

World Without Ened, by Ken Follett

World Without End
Ken Follett

As someone who reads medieval era historical novels almost constantly, I had a very hard time seeing this novel and Follett's earlier as someone new to the genre might. There were lots of little distractions, like anachronistic names and details, but I decided my own position of laissez-faire about such things in other people's books should kick in. So other than this undoubtedly unworthy preface, I am not going to get into this issue.

As Pillars of the Earth was about the building of the great cathedral at the fictional town of Kingsbridge, this sequel is about its later maintenance and rebuilding and a great deal more. Descendants of characters in the earlier novel are central to this one. In fact they are almost identical to them. That was the oddest thing about this book. Pillars had Jack Builder, the stonemason, who rocked his era with his vision and innovation. World has Merthen Bridger, a carpenter turned architect who does precisely the same thing... and is his descendant. Jack had a lady love, Aline, who defied convention, became a savvy business woman, and Merthen has Caris, who defies convention and revolutionizes the cloth trade in Kingsbridge too. Jack had his incompetent brother Alfred who undermines his plans for the cathedral and other building jobs in order to land them for himself and then does such a bad job the buildings collapse. Merthen has his master Atheric who does precisely the same thing. Finally, Pillars of the Earth's voyeuristic sexual predator nobleman has his own doppelganger in World Without End, Merthen's brother Ralph. Two hundred year's later to boot. If every single person who reads these books doesn't notice and comment on this, then they are, in my humble opinion, letting Follett's star power influence them. It struck me as nothing less than inept authorship and editing.

That is not to say I did not enjoy this book. My praise goes to Follett's handling of the Great Plagues of 1348-50 and its re-appearance in the early 1360s. It's spread in a time when news traveled as slowly as the means of transport the developing awareness of the threat is well drawn. It's impact not only on mortality but on social development, the psyches of the people, on religion and on commerce is wonderfully dealt with. The book's central theme is how stick in the mud concepts and practices had to give way in some part to economics and medical observation. The main female character, Caris, is a scientific observer of illness and figures out the basics of contagion, thus helping lessen the spread of the plague, though opposed by medical traditionalists all the way. The decimation of the population and the resulting labor shortage rocks the feudal system. The Church's clinging to old learning and support of the feudal system in the face of common sense weakens people's willingness to slavish devotion to the rule of the institution of the Church in general. Follett skillfully demonstrates these changes in the lives of the characters of the book who come from all social classes of the time.

It is a long, long book with such an involved plot I hesitate to try to summarize it. The opening sequence introduces all the main characters. Four children playing in the woods see a knight chased and attacked by men wearing the livery of Queen Isabella, the recent widow of and possible killer of her royal husband, Edward II. Thomas, the man being attacked, has a secret that others are trying to kill him for. Merthen is the boy he trusts with where he buries the letter he is carrying. Merthen's brother Ralph shows his sociopathic colors early by killing Gwenda's dog, Gwenda being a peasant firl that Kerris befriends. Kerris herself h as fascinated Merthen by being brave, bright and independent, though a girl. Merthem by the way, is carrying a bow he designed and built himself. There you have it.. the whole story. Caris's Independence and courage as she fights corruption in the city and priory, Fwenda's dependence on those with influence to help her survive, Ralph whose cruelty makes him mess up everyone else's lives, and Merthen, the clever innovator whose honesty makes him vulnerable to the unscrupulous.

I found the writing repetitive. I understand how that could happen now that I have a novel of my own out. You honestly forget what you told the reader. But I don't think that's what happened here. Ken Follett has editors who should catch this. I had to catch my own gaffes. In so many places Follett seems to feel he needs to remind you what someone looked like or what happened to them in the past.. for the fourth or twentieth time. I also felt he unnecessarily explained a character's actions after having illustrated them quite well already.

The one sequence I have to take issue with is Kerris's journey to find the bishop in France during Edward III's campaign that culminated in the Battle of Crécy. I think the two unescorted nuns would never have made such a journey for such a weak reason -- the prior had stolen money from the convent -- but I also j ust found the introduction of the famous battle into this story irrelevant. It's like Follett just couldn't resist adding a battle scene even though it had little impact on the rest of the story.

The other thing that bugged me was how repeatedly in this novel crises built to a fever pitch and were then just shrugged off. It was like "Oh my god, we're ruined! We're ruined!" was followed by "Well, it's a month or two later and we found a way around it." It almost felt like a manipulative cliffganger style serial.

So, I recommend you read this novel for the sheer enjoyment but don't believe a word of it, don't be surprised if you have a strong sense of literary déja vu, and get ready to make your own scorecard of whose kids is whose. You'll need it.

I read this book as a text file on my Kindle2. It is also available in hardback, paperback, audio download and probably disc and through BookShare.org and your local (US) Library for the Blind.

Sharpe's Rifles, by Bernard Cornwell (Richard Sharpe Adventure Series #1)

Sharpe's Rifles
Bernard Cornwell

Richard Sharpe Adventure Series #1

This is the first Sharpe novel Bernard Cornwell ever wrote, but is not the first one chronologically.. you know, llike Star Wars. The difference is that George Lucas thought out all six episodes beforehand presumably, but when Cornwell wrote his first Sharpe he had no idea Sharpe's adventures would become the phenomenon they have. Thanks to the fact that the Richard Sharpe of Sharpe's Rifles unknown to him or his author at the time of this writing means that anyone coming into the series of novels having read the first five will find some slightly askew factors, such as This Sharpe not having had the year with Grace before contemplating a life with Louisa. No matter though.

If you pick up this novel, however, having seen the Sharpe's Rifles movie prepare for some confusion. First of all, the book refers to Sharpe's field commission happening in India when he saved Wellesley's life, while the movie has him doing this in Portugal at the beginning of the movie. And Sharpe and the 95th Rifles have been together for months.. with Sharpe as their quartermaster. In fact, the book begins with the British retreat from Napoleon's armies, before Wellesley comes back and begins his ultimately successful campaign to drive the French out. Don Blas and his flag are here. Hogan shows up at the very end. The whole story of the animosity between the Rifles and in particular harper and Sharpe is here. Sadly, he never gets to say, "Chosen men, eh? Well, I didn't choose you."

However, having Sean Bean and Darragh O'Malley firmly in my imagination, I think I like the book better than the movie. Maybe because Cornwell didn't know Sharpe much at the first the character comes off more callow, more whiny, which is the point. He is bitter and full of self pity, feeling done dirt by having to be the quartermaster and being treated like an interloper by officers and men alike. In this novel Sharpe comes to find his place as an officer leading men in battle. Cornwell does a fine job showing how this happens, how Don Blas's mentorship and the building mutual respect with Harper combines to give Sharpe the support and spotlight to shine. It is completely credible that Hogan, the Irish major, meeting Sharpe and finding out he was the one that helped the Spanish Cassadors take Santiago de Compostella would provide the catalyst for our hero to become the man we all know and love.

A quick rundown of the story. Sharpe is part of a squadron of Rifles that are cut off as the British are being chased to the sea by napoleon's elite armies. Their captain dies and later their sergeant, and Sharpe is thrown into command by virtue of being the sole officer. He struggles not to be killed by friendly fire until he runs into Don Blas Vivar, an idealistic and even visionary Spanish nobleman. Don Blas helps Sharpe develop the skills to lead what men he has left and teaches him how to deal with the hostile Harper, who all but worships Don Blas. The latter convinces Sharpe to bring his men along to hoist a flag once carried into battle with the Moors by the don's ancestor. he means to inspire the Spanish people to resist the French by showing them St. James, Santiago, is on their side and fighting with them. In spite of Sharpe's own skepticism, he goes along with the plan.

In the meantime Methodist missionaries show up with their very pretty daughter, Louisa. Sharpe falls for the young woman, of course, but so does Don Blas. The question becomes, can a good Methodist girl find happiness by adopting idolatrous Papist ways as a Countess or only by following an aging lieutenant with a lower class accent and no education from battleground to battleground? You do the math. I seem to recall in the movie the harridan of an aunt turns out to be a Rothschild in drag, but maybe that was another episode.

I recommend the book.. you should probably see the movie first and then read it, as I am not sure the other way around will work as well. So now you know why Wellesley looked nothing like himself in Episode I -- or is it Episode VI? Whatever. "Use the forks, Luke!"

Red Branch, by Morgan Llywelyn

Red Branch
By Morgan Llywelyn

I was so excited to get this book in the mail from the Library for the Blind! It was hard to let Red Branch wait for its turn in line. I have read about Finn McCool and Brian Boru - and now Cuchullain! The Hound of Cullen, the Hound of Ulster. I only knew a couple of his legends.

Cuchullain, if he lived, lived in ancient times in Ireland. Llywelyn places him in about the year 0, based on his association with the historical king Conner McNessa who lived around 30 B.C. Born to the king's sister, young Cuchullain soon learns there is a mystery about who is his father. He leaves home and his mentally ill mother for the king's fortress to become a member of the Boys' Troop, the sons of the Red Branch, the mighty warriors of Ulster. He is clearly extraordinary, able to do the impossible, and prone, when infuriated, to turn into a monster with one large eye and a circle of flames around his head. He is, you see, the son of a god, who is himself the son of the Sun.

Llywelyn always does a magnificent job of translating the legends into something plausible but not mundane. Magic is very much part of the landscape. As a result you meet a great many legendary figures: Deirdre who defied a king and lost everything, Skya, the warrior woman and instructor of Cuchullain and the origin of the name of the isle of Skye, and last but not least, Maeve of Connaught, the woman whose hatred of Cuchullain leads her to command an army against him.

This book accomplishes the remarkable feat of taking a figure of legend whose exploits are so many, so various and so rife with the conventions of heroic fantasy and managing to string them all together in an understandable continuum that has a definite and appealing theme. His statement "A man can believe anything he wants to believe" allows him to push away the constant question of his parentage as he simply chooses to start calling the king "Father". His griefs and struggles lead him to reject magic altogether, though it might have made him immortal in the traditional sense. By devoting himself to honor, he truly does become immortal, in legend. Nessa says, "Only death could save Deirdre from her perfect beauty, and only death will save Cuchullain from his perfect honor."

There is a running commentary throughout The Morrigan, a magical raven with whom I am now having some fun on Ghostletters. She is at odds with Cuchullain but also devoted to and in love with him, against the apparent union rules of magical ravens.

The subject of the novel defies any author's ability to make a simple, neat narrative, but Llywelyn certainly satisfied my craving for Irish heroism. I have this horrible dread of running out of Llywelyn books!

In her author's note Llywelyn explains how she sees her historical fiction. She calls it one possibility in the broad range of interpretations of legend or history. I'll drink to that!

The Boleyn Wife Is Available for Preorder!

The long-awaited new edition of Brandy Purdy's Vengeance Is Mine as The Boleyn Wife with additional content on katherine Howard is ready for preorder on Amazon.com!



It is the story of Jane, the embittered wife of Geroge Boleyn, brother and, according to Jane, lover of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. After destroying both her husband and his sister, Jane goes on to attach herself to the Lolita of Tudor England, Katherine Howard, and through her indulgentce of Katherine's appetites, to destroy both herself and the girl. Read the controversial book to find out how it all came to befall.

Three New Releases in Medieval Historical Fiction!

New books from the world of medieval historical fiction!

Rashi's Daughters, Book III: Rachel
Maggie Anton

Rachel is the youngest and most beautiful daughter of medieval Jewish scholar Salomon ben Isaac, or -Rashi.- Her father-s favorite and adored by her new husband, Eliezer, Rachel-s life looks to be one of peaceful scholarship, laughter, and love. But events beyond her control will soon threaten everything she holds dear. Marauders of the First Crusade massacre nearly the entire Jewish population of Germany, and her beloved father suffers a stroke. Eliezer wants their family to move to the safety of Spain, but Rachel is determined to stay in France and help her family save the Troyes yeshiva, the only remnant of the great centers of Jewish learning in Europe. Also on Kindle.

The Healer
John Wright

Two boys, kidnapped by Vikings, are sold into The East. They return, one a trained physician, a surgeon, at a time when the common medicines at the time included bleeding, leeches and magic potions.



Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend
Cheryl Carpinello

At the dawn of Camelot, one young girl is about to take her place beside the greatest king in England's history. At twelve, she must put childish things away and accept greater responsibilities - all in preparation for a
betrothal of marriage.