The Paladin [Hardcover]

George Shipway (Author), Maps (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 494 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich; 1St Edition edition (October 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151707405
• ISBN-13: 978-0151707409
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shipway was THE novelist for this period., December 21, 2008

By 

John Brookes (Minnetonka, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Paladin (Hardcover)

As a general rule, I prefer to read straight History, rather than Historical Novels. But I make an exception for the medieval novels of George Shipway. Why? Because his four novels located in Normandy and England, in the period after the Conquest and during the Anarchy - "The Paladin"; "Knight in Anarchy"; "Wolf Time"; and "Free Lance" - are meticulously researched; brilliantly crafted, with believable characters; and, I think, genuinely help to convey the complexities of survival in an era of weak government and uncertain loyalties. Moreover, Shipway was himself a horse-cavalry soldier: when he writes about fighting on horseback, he writes from experience, not merely imagination.

It is a great pity that most of Shipway's works are now out-of-print, and therefore difficult or expensive to find in good condition.

5.0 out of 5 stars The world of William the Conqueror, August 1, 2010

By 

Paul Magnussen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Paladin (Hardcover)

George Shipway (1908-82) was an excellent British historical novelist, whose strengths include a strong realism, and whose cavalry background made him well qualified to write about military matters. Not for Mr. Shipway the romance of chivalry; the nasty, brutish and short side of life in the Middle Ages is presented plainly.

"The Paladin" is the first part of the story of Walter Tirel, reputed killer of William Rufus. Impeccably researched, beautifully written and told in the first person, it's like reading his autobiography.

The sequel is The Wolf Time.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Historical Fiction, March 9, 2001

By 

Mike Swift (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paladin (Hardcover)

This is the second book I've ready of Mr Shipway's on this period. His attention to detail and historical backround accuracy are second-to-none. Although the characters may not always be liked, the reader cannot but help to empathize. Simply excellent historical fiction.