1066 – The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth

Whether it is Hollywood drama or scholarly accuracy, historical retellings are all we can use to satisfy the “What happened?” question. In 1066-The Year of the Conquest, David Howarth manages to provide the best of both worlds.

Howarth skillfully depicts the intrigue and suspense of every event of the conquest. He highlights the fateful decisions made by Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, King Edward the Confessor, and all the other key players. He stresses the incredible timing of the events, which cascaded down on poor Harold like a waterfall of bad luck. He even delves into Harold’s and William’s relationships with women, which adds a powerful sentimental pang to this otherwise grim, masculine tale.

For the stingy scholars, his descriptions are drawn straight from a plethora of original sources. The research is not only complete, but even-handed as well. Both the Norman and Saxon points of view are presented (no small feat since most of the Saxon points of view died with Harold at Hastings or soon thereafter). Howarth even goes so far as to draw from original Norse sources, so the Norwegian element of the story is as strong as the others.

By linking high drama with solid facts, Howarth’s readers not only learn “what happened” during that amazing time in history, but gain a real sense of the players and their motives. Harold, William, Tostig, Harald, and many more historical figures become real people with real problems and ambitions. The end result is an enjoyable, educational read for all.

The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease

Viewed through the lenses of history, the 1300s appear especially vivid and colorful. The velvet crimsons, brooding cobalts, and brilliant golds of heraldry juxtapose against a backdrop of black, be it the prince or the plague. The shining light of chivalry collides head-on with the painful darkness brought on by the western schism and the Hundred Year’s War. With so many colors flying around, it is no surprise that novelists find ample opportunity to reach out and capture some of it for their own story-telling purposes.

In her first novel, Brenda Vantrease does not shy away from filling her book with 14^th century color. The book is set in England in the latter portions of the time period, during the state of flux that followed the death of King Edward III. The book covers many of the old stand-by themes readers have come to expect from pre-renaissance historical fiction: the church’s extortionist practices, the struggles of the peasant class, and the race for power between the church and the state. Yet it also explores the relatively nubile soil of the Lollard uprising; a content and emotion-rich topic that sets this book apart from the standard 14^th century yarn.

In order to cover all these bases, Vantrease weaves fictional characters into an all-star cast of real historical figures. John Wycliffe, the “Morningstar of the Reformation,” Henry Despenser, the “Warrior Bishop,” and John of Gaunt loom large in this novel, creating an anchor of authority and potency around which all the action revolves. Speaking of anchors, Vantrease also includes the anchoress Julian of Norwich in the book. Her character adds a heavy dose of 14^th century religion from the unique perspective of a literate, canonically-progressive woman.

To tie these real people together, the author employs the fictional main characters of an illuminator named Finn and a newly-widowed noblewoman named Kathryn. The meat of the book begins when Finn becomes a lodger at Kathryn’s estate so he can paint illuminations for a nearby abbey. While working for the abbey to support his daughter on the surface, Finn also works secretly to support Wycliffe’s radical anti-church teachings. Meanwhile, Kathryn tries to maintain her estates amidst ruinous taxes from the state and the church, thieving workers, and her two no-good sons.

As both characters develop, their true colors for religion and for each other take center stage. Several plot twists, involving the murder of a corrupt priest, the adolescent lust between Finn’s daughter and Kathryn’s sons, and the meddling sheriff of Norwich, serve to aid the development of Finn’s and Kathryn’s relationship. Also, Vantrease gives Despenser a direct hand in her book, as the warrior bishop plays the role of Finn’s arch nemesis.

Several supporting characters add the color of the 14^th century peasant class. Using the point of view of Agnes - the long-time cook for Lady Kathryn - Vantrease shows off her thorough knowledge of medieval recipes and culinary customs. Through the eyes of Half-Tom the dwarf, she shows readers the squalid state of the low peasant. And through Colin – Lady Kathryn’s second son – readers get to experience the passion with which the peasants reviled the ruling class of church and state.

The end result is that The Illuminator achieves what it set out to do: light up the 14th century. While the religiousness gets overbearing at points (the anchoress revelations are especially God-heavy), the Finn-Kathryn relationship is ensnarling right up to the last page. While the book has little to no martial action, the intrigue surrounding the characters keeps the pages turning and gives the reader a good idea as to where all the 14^th century colors come from.