History… the interesting bits!

AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston’s solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse.

Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man’s daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed.

Rushing headlong through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness. And if he has any hope of victory against the implacable enemies on their trail, he must confront his long-buried past – becoming the man he once was and embracing traits he had promised he would never return to. The Wolf of Wessex must hunt again; honour and duty demand it.

I have watched Matthew Harffy‘s writing career take off from the very first book, The Serpent Sword. Matthew’s wonderful series, the Bernicia Chronicles bring 7th century England to life. However, its always a risk for a writer – and a reader – to start a new book series, or produce a standalone, especially when the first series was so impressive. I’m sure writer and reader both begin to wonder if the new project will stand up to the reader’s high expectations.

Well, Matthew Harffy need not have worried.

His new hero, Dunston, rather older than young Beobrand – though no less bold and living a couple of hundred years later, is a truly fascinating character, with a history of his own that is as compelling as Beobrand’s ever was. But, there the similarity ends. Dunston is a whole new creation, his story unique and mesmerising in its hints at a past that earned him the name Dunston the Bold.

As we have come to expect from Matthew Harffy, Wolf of Wessex is a beautifully crafted novel, the story and action carefully balanced to take the reader on a wonderful journey through 9th century Wessex. The skillful storyteller shines through on every page.

And what a gorgeous book cover! So atmospheric, it complements the book perfectly.

The man frowned.

“Do not fear,” he said. “Odin won’t hurt you. Will you, boy?”

As if in answer, the dog licked her hand. Looking down, she saw the knife still clutched there. The dog looked up at her with its one, deep brown eye. It nuzzled its snout into her, inviting her to stroke it perhaps. Shakily, she sheathed the knife and reached out to caress the soft fur of the dog’s ears. Odin sat down contentedly and once again nudged her with his head, encouraging her to continue.

Could the man be one of the heathen Norsemen to have named his dog thus, she wondered?

“By Christ’s bones,” said the man. “Disobedient and soft.”

She noted that he had in his large hand a long seax. The blade of the knife glimmered dully as he moved. For an instant, her fear returned with a sudden icy chill. But as she watched, he slid the weapon into a scabbard that hung from his belt.

“Now,” the old man said, “who are you and what are you dooing in my forest?”

“I -,” she stammered, her voice catching, “I am Aedwen, Lytelman’s daughter.”

“And where were you headed?”

“To find my father…” she swallowed, not wishing to put words to what had occurred. “He – He was attacked.”

The man ran a callused hand over his face and beard. His eyes glittered, chips of ice in the crags of his face. She wondered if he ever smiled. His was a hard face, unyielding and unsmiling, so unlike her father’s. He always appeared content with his lot in life. She recalled his screams and shuddered.

Set in the time of Alfred the Great’s grandfather, Dunston and Aedwen are an odd combination for travelling companions; an aged warrior and a teenage girl, both drawn into a greater conspiracy by the murder of Aedwen’s father. Thrown together by circumstance, these two wonderful characters take us on an adventure that will not easily be forgotten.

As has come to be expected with Matthew Harffy, his research into the period is impeccable. Not only with the weapons, but all aspects of life in 9th century Wessex, from the charcoal burners to the king’s warriors and reeves, are recreated with an eye to accuracy and authenticity. Matthew Harffy keeps the tension high throughout the book, using the characters, events and even landscape to enhance the drama of the story.

However, what makes this novel – as always – is the story itself. Beautifully written, engrossing and fraught with tension, it is enthralling from the first word to the last and will leave the reader wanting more.

In Wolf of Wessex, a true page-turner, Matthew Harffy has produced a contender for Best Read of 2019. A must-read for anyone who loves action packed books with a great story!

About the author:

Matthew Harffy lived in Northumberland as a child and the area had a great impact on him. The rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline made it easy to imagine the past. Decades later, a documentary about Northumbria’s Golden Age sowed the kernel of an idea for a series of historical fiction novels. The first of them is the action-packed tale of vengeance and coming of age, THE SERPENT SWORD.

Matthew has worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator. Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.

For all the latest news and exclusive competitions, join Matthew online:
http://www.matthewharffy.com
twitter.com/@MatthewHarffy
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To Buy the Book

Amazon: iBooks: Kobo: Google Play.

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My Books

Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest

From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Æthelred II to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066.  Available now from Amazon UK,  Amberley Publishing, Book Depository and Amazon US.

Heroines of the Medieval World

Telling the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich, Heroines of the Medieval World,  is available now on kindle and in paperback in the UK from from both Amberley Publishing and Amazon, in the US from Amazon and worldwide from Book Depository.

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©2019 Sharon Bennett Connolly