Chapters (76)
- Cover
- Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
- BY MATTHEW HARFFY
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Maps
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Place Names
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- An Invitation from the Publisher
Firstly, thank you, dear reader, for setting aside the time to read this book. I know how many things compete for your time and attention, so I am delighted that my writing has made its way to the top of your to-do list. If you have enjoyed the story, please spread the word to others who haven’t yet discovered my writing. And if you have a moment, please consider leaving a short review on your online store of choice. Reviews really do help readers find new writers and decide on a book they might otherwise not take a chance on.
Extra special thanks to Jon McAfee, Mary Faulkner and Emma Stone, for their generous patronage. To find out more about becoming a patron, and what rewards you can receive for doing so, please go to www.matthewharffy.com.
Thanks to my test readers, Gareth Jones, Alex Forbes, Shane Smart and Simon Blunsdon. Their input into the early draft is always invaluable.
Special thanks to Christopher Monk for his help with the Old English. And special thanks to Phil Lavender for helping with Old Norse terms. Any linguistic errors in the final text are mine alone.
No book is published without a lot of work from many people besides the author, so thank you to my editors, Nicolas Cheetham and Holly Domney, and all of the wonderful team at Aries and Head of Zeus. I do my best with the words, but the talented professionals at Head of Zeus are responsible for designing and producing the beautiful books that end up on bookshelves and in your hands.
I wrote all of this book during the numerous, lengthy lockdowns in the UK in 2020 and 2021. It was a very strange time and all too easy to let the seemingly constant barrage of bad news, and the lengthy isolation from friends and family get me down, so thanks to the incredibly supportive online community of historical fiction authors and readers who connect with me regularly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There are many negatives about the modern world and the relentless nature of social media, but the ability to connect with like-minded people via the Internet is certainly a positive, and even more so during a pandemic that saw us unable to travel and meet other people.
And finally, but of course not least, my undying thanks and love to my family. To my daughters for their patience and for keeping me grounded, and to my wonderful wife, Maite (Maria to her work colleagues). There is nobody I would rather have been locked down with!
Matthew Harffy
Wiltshire, August 2021
About the Author
MATTHEW HARFFY grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. Matthew is the author of Wolf of Wessex and the Bernicia Chronicles series. He now lives in Wiltshire with his wife and their two daughters.