The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, was one of the most popular novels of the 20th century, but a letter by the author just after the book was published reveals that sales were initially slow and that a second printing may not happen.
BOOK REVIEW: Edric the Wild
October 2, 2012 By
A book review of the new release “Edric the Wild”, by Jayden Woods
Interview with James Forrester, author of Sacred Treason
October 1, 2012 By
‘The whole plot becomes so much more sensational when set in the Elizabethan period, and the struggle the conscientious individual to ‘do the right thing’ becomes a battle in itself.’
The Hobbit – 75 years old and still going strong
September 22, 2012 By
It took a review by a ten-year old boy to convince a publisher to print it, but on September 21, 1937, the first edition of The Hobbit hit the bookstores.
The Treatment of Mythology in Children’s Fantasy
June 26, 2012 By
Fantasy stories trace their roots back to far older tales: the myths and legends of various cultures, which grew from oral storytelling in the days when myths were the only explanation for the mysterious workings of the real world.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
June 23, 2012 By
On the surface, this book was an unlikely candidate to become an international bestseller – a book by an Italian professor, it has long digressions into medieval theology and references to a work by Aristotle.
The Peace Weaver: Wealhthrow in Beowulf
April 10, 2012 By
My goal in writing this fictional novella is twofold: to make Beowulf more accessible to modern readers and to expound upon the less articulated female point of view in the poem.
A Response to Anglo-Saxon Heroism and Fourteenth Century Chivalry: Ideals for the Warrior in the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien
February 29, 2012 By
While the chivalric ideal has continued to appear in British literature, Anglo-Saxon heroism with its bond between lord and thane has largely dropped away. The writings of J.R.R. Tolkien provide the striking exception to this.
The Knight and the Serpent: A Legend of Medieval Normandy
January 27, 2012 By
John R. Gabourel writes about the universal tale of choices and where they can lead us in his novel The Knight and the Serpent: A Legend of Medieval Normandy
Cluny Cross: A Mad Medieval Tale
January 25, 2012 By
Cluny Cross – A Mad Medieval Tale, a novel placed in the 11th century, follows a Benedictine monk’s frantic adventure through the Byzantine and Turk Empires before it races on to Jerusalem and the embattled Holy Land.
France’s Jehanne: The 15th Century Heroine in Truth and Fiction
January 6, 2012 By
Jehanne bends her legs and arms, holding them close to her chest like a small child, trying hopelessly to find warmth on the cold, damp floor of her prison cell. Sitting only feet away from her body, outside the bars of her tiny cage, two guards argue over whose task it is to watch over her throughout the night. Their loud shouts echo against the tower’s stone walls and follow the stairs to the wet, deserted ground. She extends her arms around her head in an effort to drown out their foul noise from her head and hopefully alleviate her nose from the rank odor of putrefied air.
Book Review: Pope Joan, by Lawrence Durrell
December 29, 2011 By
Once I got past all the unnecessary narrative, this book read like a script from a ‘Carry On’ movie: a titillating tale of lusty desires and ambition set against a religious backdrop, and heavily cloaked in the guarded innuendo of the time.
Njáls saga as a novel: four aspects of rewriting
December 28, 2011 By
Inspired by Njáls saga and Laxdæla saga, the novel Fire in the Ice by American novelist Dorothy James Roberts is one of numerous modern rewritings of classical and medieval literature.
Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan, by Conn Iggulden
November 21, 2011 By
An epic tale of a great and heroic mind; his action-packed rule; and how in conquering one-fifth of the world’s inhabited land, he changed the course of history forever.
Interview with Sharon Kay Penman
October 26, 2011 By
Best-selling author Sharon Kay Penman has published her twelfth novel, Lionheart, which focuses on King Richard I and his crusade to the Holy Land in the late-twelfth century. We had the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Kay Penman about this novel and how she writes historical fiction: This book is a kind of sequel to your […]
Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman
October 26, 2011 By
Lionheart By Sharon Kay Penman Penguin Books, 2011 ISBN: 978039915785 Publisher’s Description: From the New York Times-bestselling novelist, a stunning story of a great medieval warrior-king, the accomplished and controversial son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Richard, Coeur de Lion. They were called “The Devil’s Brood,” though never to their faces. They were the […]
Dance of the Dandelion, by Dina Sleiman
September 29, 2011 By
Dance of the Dandelion By Dina Sleiman WhiteFire Publishing, 2011 ISBN: 978-0983455608 Price $14.99 for a print copy, under $4 for an electronic edition Love’s quest leads her the world over. Dandelion Dering was born a peasant in the English village of Arun, but her soul yearned for another life, another world. One filled with […]
Interview with Jayden Woods, author of Godric the Kingslayer
September 27, 2011 By
In 2010 we interviewed author Jayden Woods about her novel Eadric the Grasper: Sons of Mercia Volume I. Jayden has now published the sequel – Godric the Kingslayer, and we caught up with her to discuss the new book: 1.) Compared to the first book, how did the writing process differ when you sat down […]
Almodis: The Peaceweaver
September 22, 2011 By
Tracey Warr of the University of Wales – Trinity St.David has published her first novel. Almodis: The Peaceweaver is a story of love, adventure and scandal, based on the real life of the eleventh-century countess Almodis de la Marche. Through her marriages to three important historical figures, Almodis founds a maternal dynasty that rules southern […]
Mystery in the Minster
September 1, 2011 By
Mystery in the Minster: The Seventeenth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew By Susanna Gregory Sphere Books, 2011 ISBN: 9781847442970 Publisher’s Synopsis: In 1358 the fledging college of Michaelhouse in Cambridge is in need of extra funds. A legacy from the Archbishop of York of a parish close to that city promises a welcome source of income. […]
A Dance with Dragons, the fifth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, released
July 13, 2011 By
The long-awaited fifth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, entitled A Dance with Dragons, was released this week. The work, written by George R.R. Martin, has earned huge sales and positive reviews. A Dance with Dragons is set in the fictional world of Westeros, but takes many elements from medieval Europe […]
Morgen of Avalon: Dreamspell
June 20, 2011 By
Morgen of Avalon: Dreamspell By Carol Weakland CreateSpace, 2011 ISBN: 978-1456347581 Carol Weakland portrays King Arthur’s rise to power in Morgen of Avalon, the first title in the author’s series of romantic fantasy novels that introduces Arthur and Morgen as star-crossed lovers. An ancient prophecy suggests that Morgen (Avalon’s Fairy Queen) and King Arthur possess […]
Of Faith and Fidelity: Geoffrey Hotspur and the War for St. Peter’s Thone
June 6, 2011 By
Of Faith and Fidelity: Geoffrey Hotspur and the War for St. Peter’s Thone By Evan Ostryzniuk Knox Robinson Publishing, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-9567901-5-6 Publisher’s Synopsis: Of Faith and Fidelity is the first book in the English Free Company series set in the late Middle Ages. The English Free Company is led by Geoffrey Hotspur, an orphan-squire […]
New book examines the influence of medieval Welsh on Tolkien
May 25, 2011 By
J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote: “I love Wales…and especially the Welsh language”. Now, a Cardiff University academic has explored Wales’ influence on Tolkien in the first book-length study of his debts to Welsh language and literature. Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity traces the Welsh influences in Tolkien’s scholarly and creative work, paying particular attention […]
Guy Gavriel Kay to do online Q&A on May 3rd
April 28, 2011 By
The bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay will be taking questions online at a special web Q&A on Tuesday, May 3rd. The event will promote the release of Under Heaven in paperback. The one-hour event (2pm-3pm EDT) will have Guy using a new online conversation technology from PollStream called OneRoom. Kay tells Medievalists.net “the Pollstream/OneRoom model […]
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