The House Of Wolf
Sir Tony Robinson - actor, presenter, historical expert and star of Blackadder and Time Team - makes his adult fiction debut with this earthy, entertaining and gloriously witty recreation of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and the making of England.
Rome.
Father Asser is waiting to die. His idealism has landed him in a papal prison on false charges of heresy, but then salvation arrives in an unexpected form. Cardinal Balotelli also dreams of a better Europe, free from the ravages of the Norlanders. He has an important job for Asser, one that will take him home to Wessex.
Wessex.
King Aethelwolf's power is fading, but none of his feckless children are fit to rule. His eldest sons would rather fight each other than the blood-thirsty Norlander invaders. His daughter, Swift, is clever and cunning, but sometimes blinded by her ambition. Finally there's Alfred, his once-promising younger son, whom nobody has seen in years.
Then Wolf meets a young priest with a proposition from Rome that could change everything.
Lindisfarne.
Rhiannon is a slave who wants to see her Saxon captors punished for their crimes. So when she meets Guthrum, a Norlander hell-bent on wiping Wessex from the map, she sets out on a journey of destruction.
So begins an epic struggle between greed and idealism, ambition and betrayal, freedom and tyranny. Because change always meets with resistance and, on the path to power, nobody can be trusted.
Reviews
Thrilling and gripping, Tony Robinson’s sensational debut sweeps you up into its wonderful Anglo Saxon world and never lets you go. This debut novel is entirely brilliant, a vividly evoked story with characters who hold tight to your heart.
A compelling historical epic, rich in character and detail. Every bit as wise, witty and hugely entertaining as you would expect from one of our greatest storytellers. I can’t wait for the next in the series.A compelling historical epic, rich in character and detail. Every bit as wise, witty and hugely entertaining as you would expect from one of our greatest storytellers. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
A riveting epic that brings the Anglo-Saxon world riotously to life; THE HOUSE OF WOLF fizzes with energy, humour and imagination. Tony Robinson’s love for the period is evident in the wealth of detail and the memorable cast of character
Pacy and vivid, bloody and funny, THE HOUSE OF WOLF brings to life a medieval world on the brink of sweeping change. This is a page-turner full of unforgettable characters - underpinned by historical intelligence, wit and heart.
Driven by a riveting cast of characters, Robinson takes us on a thrilling tale of ambition, betrayal and power, bringing the almighty thrills and terrors of the Anglo-Saxon world vividly to life
The Anglo-Saxons have never seemed so alive! Immersive, rich in detail and epic in scale – not to mention very funny. A great read!
Tony Robinson delights in conveying all of the wonder and horror of early medieval Europe in flux. Epic and earthy, THE HOUSE OF WOLF effortlessly brings together serious religious and political debate with vivid historical detail, and left me desperate for more!
This is such a clever – and at times very funny – reimagining of the making of England. I loved it as much for its authentic picture of early medieval life as for its gripping action. This is a rich world, lovingly created.
Robinson’s fiction debut is a bawdy, bloody retelling of Anglo-Saxon power struggles, featuring scheming royals, enslaved rebels and idealists dreaming of a better England. Ambitious and irreverent.
Immensely entertaining.
THE HOUSE OF WOLF is a thrilling succession drama set in Anglo-Saxon England, from battlefield and court to bedchamber and cloister. With humour and insight, Tony Robinson paints a vivid picture, richly evoking the blood, sweat and tears of a cast of unforgettable characters and bringing to life some incredible lost locations. A hugely impressive and absorbing novel.
George RR Martin meets Terry Prachett
An epic and entertaining tale about power, resistance and freedom.
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