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Glenn Stuart

Glenn Stuart

About

I live and work in the mountains of southern Spain, creating my works of mystery, horror and suspence. Mostly I write for young adults. My latest book, 'Cold Hell in Darley Dene', of which there is an extract here, is now published by Black Leaf Books and is available on Amazon.co.uk. The Well of Constant Despair is also available. Early in this new year, the prequel to The Well will be published, together with some other books by me. I hope you enjoy them! You can check out all my latest news on my web site at www.horroronthecosta.com.

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

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

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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

My mother really did tell me this story. It was she who had invited the soldiers to stay in our house during that dreadful night. And when they woke up and they went back down to Darley Dene, it really had been bombed. The best stories always have an element of truth. But what else is true about this book, I'll let you decide!

Media Links

Grapevine Magazine

🔗 www.thegrapevine.es

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Reviews

<p style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">This is</span></em><strong><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"> </span></em></strong><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">an exciting fictional story about a young boy, a mystery, and the supernatural. He has many exciting and dangerous encounters until he finds the answer about his dead father.</span></em></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">I found it easy to read and enjoyable.<span>  </span>The story moves along at a good pace and keeps the interest right to the end.</span></em></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">I would recommend this book for boys of 15 plus who enjoy drama and excitement.<span>  </span>Younger readers may find the ghostly descriptions unsettling.</span></em></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">Glenys Robinson – U.K.<br /><br /><br /></span></em></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">Cold Hell in Darley Dene kept me wide awake and fully intrigued, combining a chilling tale of war-time ghosts and spirits with flashbacks of the ever-relevant issues of peer pressure, bullying and a young boy's struggle to overcome fear to step up. Ben's &quot;adventures&quot; in Darley Dene not only finally uncovered the many questions he had about his father, but allowed him to deal with the loss too. While said to be a folklore with no real evidence of truth, readers will certainly enjoy getting lost in the tale that was written so accurately and so intensely that they will have no choice but to believe it <span>is</span> the truth.&quot;<br /> <br />While it was written about young boys and seems to be suitable for young and young adult readers, I still see a potential for adults to find it gripping.</span></em></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;"></span></em> </p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;">Shanon Supatra - Philippines</span></em></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.4pt;margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p><br /></p>