Hammer For Princes Kinghood Book 1 eBook Cecelia Holland
Download As PDF : Hammer For Princes Kinghood Book 1 eBook Cecelia Holland 
England in the twelfth century torn by a long and bloody civil war between King Stephen and Henry Plantagenet.
The wise and principled Fulk, Earl of Stafford, along with his son Rannulf and their allies bravely fight with their knights for honor and peace as Thierry, Fulk’s uncle, grows increasingly obsessed by his own dark desire for success.
New battles are fought throughout the kingdom and sieges grip the nation as war and fever threaten to take Fulk’s loved ones from him.
Filled with regret and uneasy about the naïve and stubborn Rannulf’s welfare, the Earl of Stafford fiercely defends himself and all he holds dear.
Yet all is not well as grief and weariness threaten to overtake him, but as he prays for guidance he relentlessly seeks victory and peace amongst the volatile treachery that surrounds him.
A loyal fighter, father and friend, Fulk contends with dangerous heraldic politics and powerful but potentially deadly noble women, to fight for what he knows is rightfully his…
‘Hammer for Princes’ is a drama of jealousy and ambition, betrayal and murder, played out in a bitter medieval family feud.
Praise for Cecelia Holland
‘Brilliant evocation of medieval England … Miss Holland is expert at using … details that bring home the feel, the colour and the scent of the period.’ Rosemary Hawley Jarman.
Cecelia Holland was born on New Year's Eve, 1943, in Henderson, Nevada, and was raised in Metuchen, New Jersey. She received her education at Connecticut College. Her first book, ‘The Firedrake’, written when she was just 22, was acclaimed as a work of maturity, craftsmanship and force. Her subsequent novels have established Cecelia Holland as an exciting and imaginative writer. She is also the author of ‘Ghosts on the Steppe’ and ‘The King’s Road’.
Hammer For Princes Kinghood Book 1 eBook Cecelia Holland
I give this five stars on Amazon, and I'd shelve it with Nicola Griffith's HILD and books by Hilary Mantel (WOLF HALL)--because these authors share a sophisticated historical approach, including (but not limited to) a literary authorial voice; main characters involved in political maneuvering on a grand scale; and a sense of total immersion in the daily life of the time.One unique and appealing element: I'd guess that almost half of this book is spent with the main character on horseback, traveling or hunting or fighting.
That main character is Fulk, one of the nobles who supported Prince Henry (better known as Henry II, husband of Eleanor and father of Richard the Lionhearted and King John) in his long battle campaign for England's crown.
Hailing from all over Normandy and England, these nobles fought as fiercely among themselves as they did for Henry, knowing that after the victory there would be earldoms and dukedoms awarded to the most prominent war heroes.Their suspicions and resentments, their dead-serious jostling, and their shifting alliances, all form the framework of novel.
The general timeline and many of the characters are documented in history. But little seems to be known for certain about the real Fulk. This gives Holland free rein to imagine his part in this fascinating power struggle. She can make him part of all the crucial battles and the political maneuvering.
She also imagines him a wife and two sons--and this personal side of the story forms a strong subplot, since even among Fulk's immediate family, loyalties are constantly strained (for reasons that are better told by Holland than me).
Holland is one of my favorite novelists for stories set in the middle ages.
(A substantially identical review has been posted to Goodreads)
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Hammer For Princes Kinghood Book 1 eBook Cecelia Holland Reviews
I loved this book. I became a Cecilia Holland fan in 1970, and I read this book when it first came out. When I read it, it was titled "The Earl". I've probably re-read it three or four times over the years.
should point out that "Hammer For Princes" was the original U.K. title, and that it was published as "The Earl" in the USA. I ended up buying this on thinking it was a sequel that I hadn't read. I was quite disappointed when I opened it up to find out it was a book I already knew by heart.
I will say that this is not my favorite Holland historical fiction. Here is a sort of detached approach that I sometimes find in her work. In such cases, as here, I find the story is more about the characters as opposed to a more immersive style (that Holland can certainly employ) that makes you the reader with the characters as the story unfolds. I hope that makes sense.
However even in this removed style or approach, I find Holland is masterful at capturing a period and crafting a plot that seems incredibly authentic and accurate. She captures the brutality of the times in way that proves compelling as action as well as providing a strong foundation for character motivation.
Any Holland, I find worth the read. Even one such as this that suffers in compare to, say Great Maria or Firedrake, is still pretty darn good historical fiction.
A good read. I enjoyed.
This historical work had a bit too much description of one battle after another.
Again Holland draws a portrait that is fully formed in the character of Fulk ,an Earl in the chaotic period of the wars of succession in 12th century England. If smelling the meadow grass and the sweat of their horses as knights pass by matters to you, while reading compelling history, this is your book.
I was interested to read this work of HF due to the time period in which it is set, namely, the years of conflict between Stephen of Blois and Henry Fitz-Empress, later Henry II, over the English throne at the end of the 12th Century. There are many books which deal with Henry's reign, notably his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, his struggles with his rebellious sons, and the assassination of Thomas a Becket, but I was hoping to get a closer look at Henry as a young man before he became king. Although Henry does figure in the action here, the main character is Fulk, one of many noble barons involved in the endless round of battles, forced marches and seiges that are the meat of this story. This novel doesn't have a plot per se, but is rather a snapshot of what life was like for the knights of that period, raised and trained from birth to do nothing but fight. Holland does a credible job of describing the world of these fighting men, and one gets a good sense of the bellicose mentality that dominated these times. There was surely no good place to live for ordinary people in those days of unending upheaval, as city dwellers were constantly at risk of starvation during a seige and countryfolk were at the mercy of rampaging marauders who continually pillaged their homesteads. When there was no actual combat to keep them occupied, these warriors concocted mock tournaments for themselves so they could flail away at each other with maces and swords even on a sunny day! The author's excellent rendering of this world of warfare is the essence of this novel. Unfortunately, the writing itself is not stellar. Holland's other work I have read "The Firedrake" likewise deals with the psychology of an errant knight (that one in the time of the Norman invasion, predating this work). I felt that book too suffered from too stark narration and failed to engage me in caring about the main character, as here. She includes too many "side" characters who are introduced by name, then drop from sight. Also, it is occasionally difficult to follow conversations as the participants are often only unclearly identified. Muddy narrative technique caused me to wonder "what just happened?" more than once and required re-reading of passages. I have another of her novels in the que, "The King's Witch," set in the time of Richard the Lionheart (Henry II's son), but I am less avid about reading it with two less than fabulous works already read. If you are not expecting a Penman-like extravaganza, this little book does succeed modestly in depicting a bygone era of feudal knights and castles. As an aside, Holland is clearly a horse lover as these animals get tender attention in every scene. In truth, the author seems more concerned about the suffering of these animals than that of the men who rode them. Nice touch.
I give this five stars on , and I'd shelve it with Nicola Griffith's HILD and books by Hilary Mantel (WOLF HALL)--because these authors share a sophisticated historical approach, including (but not limited to) a literary authorial voice; main characters involved in political maneuvering on a grand scale; and a sense of total immersion in the daily life of the time.
One unique and appealing element I'd guess that almost half of this book is spent with the main character on horseback, traveling or hunting or fighting.
That main character is Fulk, one of the nobles who supported Prince Henry (better known as Henry II, husband of Eleanor and father of Richard the Lionhearted and King John) in his long battle campaign for England's crown.
Hailing from all over Normandy and England, these nobles fought as fiercely among themselves as they did for Henry, knowing that after the victory there would be earldoms and dukedoms awarded to the most prominent war heroes.Their suspicions and resentments, their dead-serious jostling, and their shifting alliances, all form the framework of novel.
The general timeline and many of the characters are documented in history. But little seems to be known for certain about the real Fulk. This gives Holland free rein to imagine his part in this fascinating power struggle. She can make him part of all the crucial battles and the political maneuvering.
She also imagines him a wife and two sons--and this personal side of the story forms a strong subplot, since even among Fulk's immediate family, loyalties are constantly strained (for reasons that are better told by Holland than me).
Holland is one of my favorite novelists for stories set in the middle ages.
(A substantially identical review has been posted to Goodreads)
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