If I was going to write a series of
novels set in Dark Ages Britain, then I badly needed a story, and I
happened to find a compelling one almost as soon as I began my
research. It all began in the year 655, when the King of Mercia,
Penda – at the time, the most powerful lord in the country –
rallied his allies to launch a war against the Northumbrians. The
latter had hoped to regain their former dominance, but had also
sought to avoid war, offering great wealth to King Penda to try and
convince him to withdraw his forces. This did not succeed, and he
pressed home his attack, culminating in the Battle of Winwaed. A
battle that Penda – who had up to that point never lost a war –
lost. He was killed, as were almost all of his followers. Many
kingdoms died that day, their royal families destroyed forever, and
the Northumbrians regained their dominance over the land.
Not for long, though. Three years
later, Penda's young son, Wulfhere, led a revolt with the assistance
of three great ealdormen which drove the Northumbrians out of Mercia,
and ultimately he would even eclipse the greatness of his father. And
there we have the extent of the historical record of this period,
essentially – very little is known about this time, a brief blip in
Mercian overlordship. Nevertheless, there are several elements that
immediately attracted my attention.
The first is the time period itself;
we're in the middle of the 7th century AD, right at the
time where the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms were establishing themselves.
This particular moment is the time when many of the smaller kingdoms
died out, and the great Heptarchy began to form, a series of larger
kingdoms that would last well into the time of the Vikings as
independent states. This period hasn't really been well covered by
novels – off-hand, I can't think of any. So it seems like nice
fertile ground to cover.
The second is the story. There is a
great battle, where the King is killed, and the son is forced into
exile. There are lots of other bits and pieces as well – an older
son who is a puppet king, married to the daughter of the Northumbrian
King, who reigns for a short time. The Welsh King who retreats on the
eve of the great battle, blamed for the defeat. The heir going into
hiding, vanishing for three years until reappearing to lead his
people – right down to the three ealdorman, figures who appear in
history for this brief moment before vanishing again. That's an epic
story if I ever heard it!
The third is the rest of the land.
There are a lot of other bits and pieces going on at this time –
important rulers dying during this period, lots of unrest, and I
can't help but consider that all of these elements are likely related
in some way. It was a time of turmoil, and those are always of
interest to a writer. It also gives opportunities to roam around the
landscape to a lot of interesting places, a lot of interesting
peoples – a whole wide-ranging world to explore. Definitely a plus!
So, now the focused research begins,
and I essentially go back to university for a month or so! I've got
all the books I need – either here, or a couple still on the way –
so I'm going to be hunting down for the specific elements to prepare
the full outline of what I am currently plotting out at a four book
series. This means looking over some maps – and here I expect
Google Earth to be a tremendous asset to me, because in many cases
I'm going to be able to look at the landscape myself without having
to go there, and most importantly, look at the topography. It means
going back over sources such as Bede and the Welsh Annuals, to come
up with a timeline of the period. (Something like 650-660 should be
more than sufficient – I want to know what was happening in
Britain, and where.)
Names are obviously most important,
coming up with a list of dramatis personae. The big and the not so
big, but if they are recorded, I want to have then down in case I
need them. Obviously, I'm also going to have to make an awful lot of
names up, but there are plenty of sites with nice lists that I can
scavenge without too much trouble. The primary consideration here is
refreshing my memory of the situation. I've been reading over the
subject for the last few months; I have the luxury now of being able
to take a month of concentrated study – while I'm doing the Conan
reviews, which will resume tomorrow. As soon as I feel I am ready, I
will begin my work!
They'll be a couple of research trips
as well, naturally. The British Museum is on my list for, well,
tomorrow. A fantastic place to get a sense of history, and while
their main Anglo-Saxon hall is currently being refurbished, the
Sutton Hoo objects are still
on display, and I'll be taking a good long look at them and taking
some photographs – which naturally I shall share on the blog! The
Ashmolean in Oxford has an even more extensive collection of
artefacts, and I'll be going there early next month to
take a peek.
As a
little sneak preview, the current working titles and blurbs of the
four books....
Book 1: The Battle of Winwaed
Eadbert, scion of a royal house, is
serving in the retinue of Peada, heir to the throne of Mercia, on
campaign with his father, the feared King Penda. With treachery and
deceit at every turn, he must survive the greatest catastrophe to
face Mercia since the departure of the Romans, and navigate the tides
of intrigue in a desperate fight to survive.
Book
2: The Dragon's Lament
King Cadafael, once a renowned
warrior, now known as Battle-Shirker, sits uneasily on his throne,
knowing that the architect of his doom, Eadbert, now seeks revenge
for his betrayal at Winwaed. With armies massing on the border and
raiders harrying him from the shores of Ulster, and his own people
rising against him, what will become of his Kingdom of Gwynedd?
Book 3: The Lost
Heir
News has reached Eadbert that hope
for Mercia let lives; a son of Penda is alive, and is free. To find
him, he must gather together a crew and sail for the ends of the
earth, his enemies in pursuit, hoping that he can find the young boy,
Wulfhere, in time to save his life from those who wish him to
disappear forever.
Book 4: Shadows in
the Dark
A dark
figure haunts the meadhalls of the great men of Mercia, a figure that
speaks of a time when they bowed to no foreign master and won their
own destiny on the field of battle. Eadbert attempts
to rally the allies he has won and the last of the Mercian war-bands
for a final glorious struggle that will see Mercia free – or
vanquished forever.
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