January, 1069: Two-thousand Normans march into the bitter
heart of Northumbria to subdue the rebellious people and
solidify the Normans control of England after their victory
at the battle of Hastings. The Normans are ambushed and
slaughtered. Only three hundred survive. Tancred a Dinant
is seriously wounded, but his survival is a mixed blessing.
Lord Robert, who Tancred had served since he was a boy of
fourteen, died in the battle. Tancred is now without a lord
to serve under. The very fact that he didn't die protecting
his lord has shamed him. No one is willing to accept his
sword in their defense except Guillaume Malet whose
loyalties are questioned. Malet is half French, half
English. Can a man with such close ties to the people of
England be trusted to uphold and support a Norman king?
Tancred has few options. He can swear his allegiance and
sword to Malet or return to Brittany, landless, lordless,
and destitute. For an ambitious knight there is only one
real choice; he must live by his sword.
SWORN SWORD by James Aitcheson is what looks to be the
first novel in this epic historical series. A very handy
map is included at the beginning of the book showing the
major towns and cities in England and Northern France
during this time. Aitcheson's also included an even more
fascinating historical account at the end. It is a small
thing, but I love when authors take the time to include
a 'fact vs. fiction' section. I'm not particularly well-
educated on the Battle of Hastings and the political
tension following it so these small details helped ground
my knowledge of the time.
The first one-hundred pages of SWORN SWORD are very slow to
read which is surprising considering there is a bloody
battle that burns a city and kills nearly two thousand men.
This is a combination of setting the stage for a large
political struggle and creating a believable and relatable
connection with Tancred. There is a flashback to how
Tancred came to serve Lord Robert and the following chapter
is Tancred delirious from his wounds. Those two chapters
stopped the story in its tracks and building up momentum
again proved slow. That being said, power through those
first pages, and SWORN SWORD delivers a dynamic story of
betrayal and intrigue. The last two-thirds of the story are
a whirlwind of action I couldn't walk away from.
Tancred is a romanticized version of a knight. With a slant
toward gritty, realism in much of historical fiction today,
SWORN SWORD reintroduces a knight who would have been a
forerunner of the chivalric knight. Chivalry emphasized the
aspects of honor, courtly love, and courtesy. With Tancred,
the seeds of those ideals are buried beneath his actions.
Tancred is certainly a more martial knight. He glories in
the battle and feels satisfaction in his honorable kills.
The role of being a courtly knight is still beyond him, but
there is a tantalizing glimpse of his ambition to become
landed and powerful. His character growth includes learning
courtesy towards the fair sex. This glimpse into the
evolution the knightly code of conduct is fascinating.
Aitcheson manages to capture the precarious nature of the
time period as well as give us a knight who not only
captures our interest but reflects the changes that are
coming.
SWORN SWORD may start slow but it's a fascinating glimpse
into the past shaped by betrayal and revenge. I'll be
interested to see how James Aitcheson continues this
historical series and how Tancred will evolve.
It's January 1069. Less than three years have passed since
Hastings and the death of the usurper, Harold Godwineson. In
the depths of winter, two thousand Normans march to subdue
the troublesome province of Northumbria. Tancred a Dinant,
an ambitious and oath-sworn knight and a proud leader of
men, is among them, hungry for battle, for silver and for
land. But at Durham the Normans are ambushed in the streets
by English rebels. In the battle that ensues, their army is
slaughtered almost to a man. Badly wounded, Tancred barely
escapes with his life. His lord is among those slain. Soon
the enemy are on the march, led by the dispossessed prince
Eadgar, the last of the ancient Saxon line, who is
determined to seize the realm he believes is his. Yet even
as Tancred seeks vengeance for his lord's murder, he finds
himself caught up in secret dealings between a powerful
Norman magnate and a shadow from the past. As the Norman and
English armies prepare to clash, Tancred begins to uncover a
plot which harks back to the day of Hastings itself. A plot
which, if allowed to succeed, threatens to undermine the
entire Conquest. The fate of the Kingdom hangs in the
balance...
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