Customer Reviews

The Angel and the Sword

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Late in the ninth century, Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire appears heading for extinction. Not only are the Vikings and other barbarians at the gates of Paris, the great monarch's descendent battle with each other. Hope seems futile, as it appears to be days before the empire bites the dust.

While the empire reels, Queen Ingunn of Spain lies dying. She wants her daughter to inherit the throne, but her spouse King Markold has other plans for his child. Markold contrives to marry Ragny. Forced to flee, Ragny wears the disguise of a man and soon earns a deserved reputation as the warrior-savior Roderick. However, will the female soldier in conjunction with the man she loves prove to be enough to save Paris and the reign of Charles the Bald?

THE ANGEL AND THE SWORD is a well-written, exciting epic tale. The story line is fast-paced, filled with action, and loaded with authentic tidbits to give the plot a Medieval feel to it. Ragny is a great heroine and the support cast adds depth to her character. Although Cecilia Holland's basic theme has been used in many novels and movies, she keeps her subject fresh with a powerful writing talent that is sure to gain her many new historical novel readers.

Harriet Klausner

The Angel and the Sword by Cecilia Holland

Amid the bodice-ripping, puerile, and ultimately unsatisfying dreck that passes itself off as historical fiction, there are a small handful of intelligent and literate novelists in the genre, such as Cecilia Holland. The present book takes the popular medieval concept of the maiden warrior and deftly splices a riveting and raucous tale from the French legend of Roderick the Beardless. This marvelous interlacing of fiction, legend, and history is a hallmark of Holland's work and of great historical fiction itself. The author is also an amazingly adroit wordsmith with her customary clever turns of phrase. In the first few pages, she, not for the last time either, refers to a major villain of the piece as "a gross clod of human earth," --- such an incisive, yet witty way of expressing a crude and popular sentiment. There is so much to love and enjoy in this book; even those who do not particularly like the genre could readily learn to do so.

In the middle of the 9th century, a young girl lives in the royal castle in medieval Europe with her mother, the queen, and her dastardly father, Markold. The throne must pass through Queen Ingunn of Roderick's bloodline. Because she has had no sons, her only child, Ragny, is the last descendant of the line. "Queen Ingunn had made a mistake, and paid for it all her life, but now, with her life gone, she saw a way to make amends" (p. 1). The queen lies on her deathbed. Her last wish in order to make amends is to see her estranged daughter-and to proclaim Ragny rightful heir to the throne as the new queen of Spain. Unfortunately, it is not to be for Markold holds sway over the soldiers and servants of the household. Though Markold does not keep Ingunn from giving Ragny a key piece of information, before the queen dies, he does prevent the proclamation of a new queen. Instead, he intends to marry Ragny, his daughter, and force her to bear a son of the Roderick line.

Ragny is young, slender, almost boyish. She hasn't fully bloomed to womanhood, and already she is facing dilemmas of the worst kind. She cannot stay with Markold and claim her rightful place and to flee is a risky proposition, but she chooses the latter course. With the king's men hot on her trail, she begins a journey to Francia disguised as a young man named Roderick the Beardless. Little does she realize at first that she has allies her foes cannot even imagine. Despite her youth and inexperience, within Ragny beats the heart of a champion, a lover, and a just person, capable of inspiring others so long as she is attired as a man. What will happen if she drops the disguise?

I read the first few pages of this historical drama/romance in the bookstore, was utterly hooked on this epic tale, and could hardly wait to get home and read more about this warrior princess with strange powers on her side. The twists and turns the story takes kept me reading long into the night. The cast of characters-priests, the French king, the Viking invaders, Frankish knights, and Seffrid, the sergeant charged by Markold to track down Ragny-are all well-drawn as are the battles and conflicts. Ragny's journey, both external and internal, was illuminated with grace and power by an author clearly comfortable with bringing history to life. I loved this book! I'd have paid a lot closer attention to medieval history in college if it had been this mesmerizing. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a tale well told about knights and kings, lost princesses, and justice stolen and regained. ~Lori L. Lake, author of lesbian fiction and freelance reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Golden Crown Literary Society's "The Crown," The Independent Gay Writer, and Just About Write.com.

I've read and enjoyed several of Ms. Holland's novels. But the praise heaped on her by critics who use their reviews as handy platforms to bash other authors of historical fiction is extremely annoying to anyone well read in the genre.

There are lots of fine writers writing historical fiction in paperback-only release. Many of them, believe it or not, also write well-researched romances. Laura Kinsale is a good example. Gillian Bradshaw writes just as good hardback historicals--perhaps better. The cover copy on this particular book disses every other writer in the genre so baldly as to offend anyone not related to the author.

Okay, I know that the author doesn't control the cover copy. But she does control what's inside the book and this particular book was filled with the same cliches you'd find in a rack full of medieval romance historicals. All that was missing was believeable human emotion and inventive plotting. The character development is so thin, that all the characters were like cartoons. An "angel" fixes everything that goes wrong. No one in the story gives it a second thought. The "romance" which gives the story its happy ending has almost no scenes between the protagonists in which their relationship might be explored.

I am certain that had this been published in paperback with an unknown author's name on the cover, the same reviewers that praise it here would have sneered at it as a junky "paranormal" romance.

I was rather disappointed with this book. I just did not find the characters particularly riveting or memorable. This was certainly not up to the standards of Jerusalem or even her first book The Firedrake. Although she gets off to a good start the book begins to drag when they reach Paris and I had a hard time finishing this book, despite the fact it is a rather short book -- more of a novelette than a novel.

This is an incredibly well detailed book, well written and extremely satisfying to the last page.

This is the story of a legendary hero of the 9th century called Roderick the Beardless. The story centers around a princess from Spain. As the book opens, her mother is on her deathbed -- Ragney, the main character, believes that somehow her barbarous father has had a role in killing her mother so that he can rule the area of Spain on his own. He is so barbarous and cruel that he even decides that after her mother's death, that Ragney will wed him, her own father. Her mother prays some death bed prayers summoning a spirit who helps protect her throughout the book -- the spirit is alluded to throughout the entire book, and stating that doesn't give away the story at all since it appears in the beginning of the story. Ragney escapes and disguises herself as a male to elude her father's search for her as she flees his grasp. She becomes "Roderick". Thus, the main substance of the book begins ...

All of the above is just the beginning of this great tale. To tell more would give away far too much of the story. Let it suffice to say that this is one of the most richly rewarding books I have ever read. It had enough suspense in it that I was on the edge of my seat during the conclusion of the story. I borrowed this book from the library and now plan to purchase it. It's a keeper. Buy it, you will be glad you did!

Cecelia Holland is fantastic at weaving strands of history into her fiction, and with "Angel and the Sword," she does not disappoint. This might be one of my favorites of hers.

This is the first novel I've read by this author, and it might be the last. I've had this book in my collection for awhile, so I finally decided to pick it up. However it might have been better off continuing to collect dust.

I found it hard to stick with it in the beginning and there were a few instances when I back tracked a few pages, wondering if I had missed something, for when I read into some action I was like, 'Whoa, where did this come from.' The characters were too flat and all over the place with their actions and opinions/beliefs. As in my headline, the plot was also too predictable and there was only one instance where I was taken by surprise; read this near garbage of a novel if you want to know what that is (about 2/3's the way through).

I will likely be wary of this author in the future. Hopefully something out there in her collection of 20 books can redeem her somewhat.

I just finished reading this book. I ordered it online here at Amazon used for 25 cents. I normally love stories with srong female POV. So this book seemed to have the right recipe- princess on the run from her father, disguised as male knight, has adventures and falls in love. However the characterization is flat. The heroine is one dimensional, and there is a weird mystic theme that would be appropriate for a fantasy but seems odd in a book labeled historical fiction.

I thought this was a very good book--maybe not quite 5 stars good--but still good. Ragny, on finding out her father's plan to marry her (to himself), runs away. Seffrin, her father's man (or so it seems) chases after her on her father's order. Soon, he realizes that something protects her from harm, and allows her to accomplish her goals. They go to France & meet the King, save the kingdom, marry the princess.....you get the picture.

The plot is pretty typical--about the only twist is the force protecting Ragny--she never seems to be aware of it consciously. Others see it at times, but they discount it to sunlight.

I thought this was a good book because it was well written and mingled fact and fiction seamlessly. The book, if it had been any longer, would have been boring and too drawn out. It is just the right length for the story Ms. Holland was trying to present. I would recommend it for a quick read.