Saturday 22 April 2017

A Discovering Diamonds review of 1066: WHAT FATES IMPOSE by G.K. Holloway


Amazon UK £2.48  £9.99
Amazon US $3.09  $16.70
Amazon CA  $29.24

 Military
1066
England

England is in crisis. King Edward has no heir and promises never to produce one. There are no obvious successors available to replace him, but quite a few claimants are eager to take the crown. While power struggles break out between the various factions at court, enemies abroad plot to make England their own.There are raids across the borders with Wales and Scotland.
Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, is seen by many as the one man who can bring stability to the kingdom. He has powerful friends and two women who love him, but he has enemies who will stop at nothing to gain power. As 1066 begins, England heads for an uncertain future. It seems even the heavens are against Harold.
Intelligent and courageous, can Harold forge his own destiny – or does he have to bow to what fates impose?”

The 1066 period in fiction seems to be gaining in popularity, which is a good thing, as is the most welcome swing towards writing the events of what is probably the most famous date in English history from the English point of view – in other words exploring the truth behind the victor’s, the Norman, propaganda.

There are always two sides to conflict and G.K. Holloway certainly knows his stuff when it comes to research and fact; his detail seems to be faultless, but as a novel maybe the dialogue is a bit chunky in places, and perhaps the facts – as good as they are – occasionally get in the way of the fiction? The characterisation gives way to the research a little as well, which is a shame because 1066: What Fates Impose deserves a place among the other 1066 books because of the writer’s obvious enthusiasm and knowledge.

Having said that, the characters, their actions, their motivations – their obsession almost, fit very well into this novel. For readers who prefer their historical fiction to concentrate on the reality of fact, rather than the imagination of made-up fiction,  and to portray the truth of what might have happened, and to do so with confidence, this is the right book.

© Richard Tearle


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