While this novel actually covers a shorter time period than its predecessor, Here Be Dragons, this novel feels even more sprawling. I think this is partially due to the number of characters and leaders in Wales. While the English part of this narrative is centered around Simon de Montfort, his wife Nell and King Henry III, in that time, the Welsh have three separate rulers: the final years of Llewellyn the Great’s reign, his son Davydd’s short rule, and finally, Llewellyn, Dafydd’s nephew and Llewellyn […]
Wales Finally Gets Its Due
From the time I was a teenager through a good portion of my twenties, historical fiction was my go to genre. John Jakes, James Michener, Edward Rutherford and others were among some my most reliable authors. Michener and Rutherford would take one location, and use one or two families across the centuries (or millennia) to hit the highlights of English, Polish or Hawaiian history in one comprehensive tome, while John Jakes wrote sweeping family dramas spanning several books. I also loved novels like The Mists […]