Customer Reviews

The King's Shadow

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It's often said that history is written by the winner. We know of William the Conqueror and his victory at the Battle of Hastings. What few know is who it was he fought against and what that enemy was like.

Now, 931 years after the fact, Elizabeth Alder has told us the story of Harold II, the last Saxon king of England. We are shown Harold's tragic story through the eyes of his "shadow", a voiceless squire who becomes one of the king's most trusted friends.

While some apparently think the story boring, it touched me like few other books have. Harold is portrayed as one of the few kings who gives all of himself for his realm and it is heartbreaking to read of all his efforts to unite England, knowing that in a very short while it will all be gone. Even the chapter headings tick off the years leading up to 1066 like some sort of death knell.

As to how this story has anything to do with us? If it were not for the events in this story many of us, myself included, would not even be able to read this book. We would be speaking and reading French.

Mrs. Alder is my English teacher and I say ,we didn't think she was capable of writing this well. It is strange to think of the person who yells at you and gives you detentions when you don't have your red marking pen writing a terrific book. But she did! We had to read the book for class and I know many people were prejudiced at the beginning, but towards the end, I think most of us enjoyed it. So here goes on the review:
Evyn is a young Welsh farmworker in the mid-1000's. He loses his tongue in revenge by the brothers of someone who his uncle killed. With it goes his dream of becoming a revered storyteller. His father is killed also, and he is sold into slavery. Luckily, his lady is kind and sends him to a monastery to learn how to read and write. He joins Harold the Fair as his squire and friend, and later on, his foster son. He returns to the monastery after the Battle of Hastings to write the history chronicles of their journeys and adventures. I think this book was well written, but there were a few points that I did not enjoy. When Mrs. Alder wrote about the Battle of Hastings, she was a little too descriptive. In fact, I felt sick. I understand that some information was vital to the battle, but the whole "He was hacked until he was unrecognizable" was just a touch too much. Also, in class, she told us that Ealdgyth and Harold had children together, but that was not included in the book. Since the Little Queen had no children, the children of Ealdgyth would have been heirs to the throne. I thought this would have been very important, and she only mentions it at the very end of the last chapter. But I also think there were very many strong points. She kept true to the historcal truth and detailed everything well, but not too much throughout the books. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more of her work!

This is the kind of book that a teacher is always delighted to discover! This is an excellent first novel by an author who has created a vivid picture of the world in which Harold becomes king of England and then loses his throne and his life to William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. The story is told from the viewpoint of Evyn, a Welsh boy who loses his ability to speak in a brutal attack in his village and who is then sold as a slave to the court of Harold's common-law wife. The story is enormous in its scope but uncomplicated in the telling, with action-filled battle scenes and authentic descriptions of the politics and treachery of the time. Suitable for middle school readers, it brings the end of Anglo-Saxon England to life. Highly recommended!

Well-written historical fiction like this makes the period come alive. Late Saxon England is sometimes overlooked, notched between the Dark Ages and feudal Britain. Stone castles and chivalry came later; this was the age of wooden feast-halls and "housecurls" (a little like knights). The King's Shadow focuses ostensibly on Evyn, a Welsh boy whose dreams of becoming a bard are stolen from him by violence, but it is also the story of Harold, the last Saxon king of England. Evyn is drawn to Harold after being sold into slavery. He becomes Harold's guide, his squire, and, ultimately, his chronicler.

Alder handles the violence of the time just right for younger readers, toning it down without sugar-coating it, and manages to pull a satisfactory measure of believable and unforced happiness from the story's mostly sad conclusion. The details of her clearly extensive research never force themselves on the reader but emerge naturally as part of the story.

One criticism is that Alder's sympathies are perhaps a little too clearly with the Saxons. (One could easily imagine William the Bastard's lackeys addressing him as "Lord Vader", by contrast.) I felt she explained away some of Harold's faults/mistakes a little too neatly. Still, Evyn's respect and devotion to Harold are always believable.

The King's Shadow sufficiently piqued my historical interest to make me browse a translation of the Anglo-Saxon chronicles. I felt a chill while doing so, knowing that real people like Evyn must have written them. Recommended.

I'm a mid-30's mom and find this book fascinating! Don't be put off by this being just for kids! It's not! If you love history and adventure in a well written soup, this book might interest you!

I was assigned to read this book in school, and was at first hesitant, but found it quite enjoyable. The story is an interesting one, and Ms. Alder does a good job of providing an enjoyable interface for the rich historical information. Disregard any bad reviews, it is a truly good book and deserves a read. You'll probably learn a lot on the way, and it is time well-spent. The only reason I did not give it 5, is that it sometimes drags on with some unimportant details, but it is still a great story with a solid plot, and is worth the longer read (all the more time to savor it!).

This story is about young boy who loses his tongue due to the misdeeds of his uncle. He is sent through a series of misfortunes that lead him to a position as Harold's faithful assistant. The story follows the young man's adventures culminating in the Battle of Hastings with William the Conqueror.

I expected a less than eager reception from my children as they read this book, due to the small print and numerous pages. Instead, it captivated their attention and became an all time favorite in their reading.

This story is breathtaking. It takes place in the Middle Ages. THE KING'S SHADOW is a very good book; it's about a young boy named Evyn. He dreams of being a storyteller, but his dream is shattered by his Uncle's poor manners and straight up bad luck! His Uncle is a man who speaks before he actually thinks about what he is saying. His Uncle got drunk and interrupted one of the sons of Griffon. They were not invited. They barged into the banquet at a Welsh castle. And Evyn's Uncle accidently killed a son of Griffon. The sons of Griffon are very evil people and enjoy murdering . They chase Evyn's Uncle out of the castle trying to kill him. Evyn's father and Evyn's uncle are twins so the sons of Griffon see Evyn's father and kill him. The sons of griffon recognize Evyn from the banquet and cut off his tongue. A quote from this book is " Yes you are right, Evyn. A storm comes this way. I can feel it in my knees." The King said that because whenever a storm is coming his knees fell excrutiating pain. I picked this quote because it stood out from the other quotes. It made you wonder what life was like without cures to stuff. I would probably compare this book to THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells because they are both about wars that were very dangerous. I suggest you read this book if you like adventure stories. I recommend readers should be 10 and over because it has a lot of bloody parts. This book is sad due to people dying. Another book by Elizabeth Alder is THE SECRET OF THE VILLA MIMOSA. Here is some vivid language from the book: "But slowly the burning began to diminish like a fire left to die." This is vivid because it sets a strong image in your head of what she is saying. This book won the 1996 friends of American Writers Award. Here are the opening and closing lines:" Thunder rumbled in the distance like a pack of angry wolves."=opening. " Evyn drew a deep breath, read over the words he had written and continued, dipping his pen in the ink once more."=closing. These are good because if you just read those lines you want to read the whole book. I think the moral is that even if you are a peasant, life can change. The book was published in 1995. Elizabeth Alder writes mostly about the Middle Ages.

THE END

Decent literature for kids is the sort that adults appreciate as much as kids. While reading this story to my seven-year-old, I felt like reading ahead after putting him to bed. The story is exciting and well-written. Months after having it read to him, my son read it himself.

As we read this book, my son and I reenacted the battles with his toy playmobil figures. We also debated whether Harold Godwinson or William of Normandy had the rightful claim to the English throne in 1066. It was a whole lot of fun. In this work of historical fiction, the events of Harold Godwinson's life are faithfully presented, with a little embellishment, based on what we know from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. But the Chronicle is sketchy on the Conquest itself, and does not even mention Harold's controversial oath to William. One thing I like about this book is its obvious Anglo-Saxon perspective: Harold is a hero, and William the Conqueror is a villain. (I don't care for pretended attempts at "objectivity", which are usually misleading and often boring).

Of course, there is another side to this story. The key medieval sources of the Norman Conquest are from the Norman perspective (naturally: the winners write the history books). Their take is far different from what Alder presents in this book. I highly recommend recommend the *Gesta Guillelmi* of William of Poitiers and the *Gesta Normannorum Ducum* by William of Jumieges and continuators (both are available in translation from Oxford University Press in their Oxford Medieval Texts series).

In short, this book is an engaging, one-sided dramatization of the Norman Conquest. It's a fun read by itself. But it can be part of a stimulating exercise for both adults and children when read alongside the early Norman sources.

As a middle school teacher, I found this book an outstanding read. The King's Shadow is not only an excellent teaching tool but Ms. Alder knows how to spin a great yarn. The book is a page turner! Ms. Alder keeps the plot flowing and teaches about life in the middle ages simultaneously. She has certainly done her research and I consider this book an excellent teaching tool as to how life was during this turbulent period. I would certainly use this book if I were doing a unit on the time period. It really gives a sense of how people lived, died and what their lives were like. She brings the characters to life and really makes you believe in their plights. Their suffering is our suffering, especially Eveyn/Shadow the main character.
Plus, it's a much more enjoyable way to learn about the time period rather than just relying on a dull textbook. I just loved the way she weaves strands of actual history with the plot. Usually with historical fiction, I tend to find anacronisms and in this case, everything seemed very authentic.
I think Ms. Ader did a superb job on this novel and I look forward to more books from her in the future.