• Author
  • Book
  • Story behind the book
  • Media Links
  • Reviews
D T

D T

About

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

0.0
0 ratings

Description

<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

Delays at airports can lead to books being written. I picked up a National Geographic when I was delayed and it led to the plot for The Pirates of Aden.

Media Links

Reviews

<span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;">Rasic catches the reader with an enthralling opening chapter focusing on a governmental interrogation that immediately has you racing to the next page. He owns you at this point and you'll find it very difficult to put the book down...I certainly did! Shifting gears to several years later in a a port city in Somalia, you are introduced to a series of intriguing and well-developed characters woven into the start of an equally well-developed plot. You'll find yourself endeared to Sami and his plight, all the while knowing what he does is inherently wrong. This might be expected as the pirates are portrayed as real people amidst their own struggle. What you're not expecting is the complexity of what takes place next. The book focuses on Dr. Paul Alban, a physician and US governmental operative who is trying to put his past experiences behind him. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that this won't be easy. Paul's past connection to Kadar Hadad brings a personal flavor to the plot and is essential in his character development. The reader is presented with his tortured past not only through his workings with the government, but in his family relationships as well. You can really sense his inner struggle with guilt involving his occupation, family, relationship with Ellen and feeling of responsibility for the death of a friend. Behind every character is another story and within every story is another twist which will keep you guessing the whole way through. Rasic writes an exciting novel and clearly has the ability to keep you wanting more. This novel moves at a frantic pace at times, but he never loses control of each character as a believable part of the story. His style and approach is something I would expect from a more seasoned writer, but his vision on this debut novel displays his creativity and ability as a novelist. The Pirates of Aden is captivating and pure entertainment! This book is an impressive first novel by any account I will now wait impatiently to a follow-up effort! </span><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height:normal;font-size:small;">-Robert Berger, Spring Hill FL</span></span></div>