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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books ever!, October 22, 2004
This review is from: Cold Heart, Cruel Hand: A Novel Of Hereward The Wake and The Fen Rebellion of 1070-1071 (Paperback)
I was delighted with Mr. Brown's first book, Housecarle. I eagerly ordered this second book and if I could give it 50 stars I would. I dare say it is even better than the first - which was marvelous itself! Mr. Brown picks up the story of Ranulf, the only surviving Housecarle from King Harold's last stand in 1066, as he and his wife and young son struggle against the terrible Norman slaughter in York. Against all odds, they survive and chance brings them to the camp of Hereward the Wake. Hereward was once a nobleman himself, but displaced when William the Conqueror awarded his lands to a Norman lord and killed his only brother. Hereward had been away fighting a forgein war and did not return in time to fight in 1066. He does however put up a resistance that is inspiring, thrilling and makes a story you won't want to put down! Ranulf's personal struggle against survivor's guilt and his single-minded desire to protect his young family are equally thrilling and inspiring. Mr. Brown has created characters on the Norman side that are both vividly terrifying - the kind you love to hate, and also honorable - the kind you'd love to have known. Without giving away the story - which simply pulls you enthusiastically from page to page, I will say that Mr. Brown has taken a period of English history and masterfully captured the political, military and personal struggles that must certainly have happened much as he has imagined. I reached the last page and could have started it over again immediately. I am not ready to be finished with these characters and I desperately hope that the story has not yet come to an end. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!! You will be thrilled that you did!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an epic tale of love and war under the heel of the Normans, August 26, 2004
This review is from: Cold Heart, Cruel Hand: A Novel Of Hereward The Wake and The Fen Rebellion of 1070-1071 (Paperback)
I loved Mr Brown's first book. It is an amazing portrayal of life and war in and around the time of the Norman Invasion in 1066.
It is an old saying that the second book is harder to write than the first but this does not appear to be the case with Mr Brown. His writing style has soared in confidence in his portrayal of life after the Norman Invasion. This is a novel which takes you along at pace.You will visualise it so clearly it would be criminal not to turn it into a film for those who are not so keen on reading as the rest of us. It would be a film with the potential of Braveheart.
The book itself is deeply oppressive detailing the harshness of life under the Normans. The brutality is endemic and the drudgery of life for the Saxons is starkly highlighted. In Hereward's camp the players act out their lives in the cetainty that the Norman killing machine will eventually seek them out and destroy them as the last pocket of resistance.
The story is underlain with a forlorn but nonetheless dogged determination not to give in to the enemy. It is that indomitable spirit that makes the British what they are- the very essence of guts and courage.
Oh! And in a book full of bad guys there is one character who truly drips evil. He makes your flesh crawl. You can feel the poison ooze out of the pages and his vindictive atmosphere pervades the whole story. I kept looking round to make sure he wasn't behind me!
This naked malice is in stark contrast to a father's love for his son and his desperate race to find him and reunite his family.
I can thoroughly recommend this novel to you and I will use that hackneyed cliché - It truly is a book you won't be able to put down.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
COLD HEART, CRUEL HAND - William the Conqueror & Hereward the Wake Come to Life!, February 23, 2007
This review is from: Cold Heart, Cruel Hand: A Novel Of Hereward The Wake and The Fen Rebellion of 1070-1071 (Paperback)
This is the story of Hereward the Wake, the last leader of the resistance against William the Conqueror. He has been stripped of his rightful lands and title by the Bastard. He continues to fight against him and seems to constantly outwit the Normans on his island of Ely in the Fens of East Anglia. He has plenty of help especially when Earl Mortar and Ranulf Redbeard join his cause.
There are many subplots going on behind the scenes and it makes the storyline that much more intriguing. There were many typos, including grammatical, spelling, editing errors but withstanding those the novel was very riveting. I would suggest if this author does any more writing he find better proofreaders & editors, etc.
While this story is based on fact it is historical "fiction." I too noticed the errors of Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Kent, and Robert of Mortain being described as King William's "cousins" while they were in fact his half-brothers. I'm not sure if the author did this deliberately or not.
However, it is still very much a worthwhile read and a genuine page-turner. I recommend it to anyone interested in this time period. Two other excellent novels of Hereward the Wake are "An Endless Exile" by Mary Lancaster & "Green Saxon Darkness" by Pamela Cottrel.
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