Review: Interesting and Informative
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 20, 2013
Malcom IV, King of Scotland, dies and his brother, William the Lyon, take the throne. The loss of the Earldom of Northumberland to the English always rankled William so when King Henry is occupied on the Continent in putting down a rebellion led by his sons, William seizes the opportunity to raise an army and take Northumberland back. Bad move, Billy. He is captured early in the Battle of Alnick and the disheartened Scots army heads back to the north from where it came.  William is shipped cross channel to Falaise where he is forced to sign a non-negotiable treaty and take an oath that makes him little more than a vassal to Henry Plantagenet.  He can't even marry without Henry's consent, has to cede more land and castles, has to pay for the English garrisons  and can't raise an army.  "In order to regain an earldom, I have lost a kingdom."He is not the only one having problems during this turbulent period in history.  While trying to condense 30 years of English history into a novel of a little over 200 pages,  the author still finds time to weave in  a number of interesting plots.  The introduction of Robert of Locksley, an outlaw of Sherwood Forest, being one.  One actual historical figure, Sir William Marshall, was mentioned a few times in the story.  As one of the few knights that actually lived up to the code of chivalry and honor, I hope to see more of him in forthcoming novels.I found this to be a very enjoyable and informative read.  Certainly the battle scenes and tactics seemed accurate.  Then there were the goings-on behind the scenes.  I used to think that being Lord of the Manor would be a great job but now I realize that, at least in this period of time, it could be a tentative job at best.