King Æthelstan 924-939 King of All Britain

I am close to completing a novel set in the reign of the Anglo-Saxon King Æthelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great. Writing an historical novel can be harder work than writing pure fiction. Even if you are familiar with the period, numerous details have to be checked, about everything from dates, to religious practises, clothing, armour and other rulers in the vicinity.

I have made slow progress due to my knee operation, but in the meantime I have been writing some short stories, which do not need research, and have kept me active.

As for King Æthelstan, he was extremely active as a prince and then as king, with battles, support for monasteries, signing many charters about law and order or grants of land and other administrative matters. The royal family was very large, which means that many characters have to come into the narrative. This includes his many sisters, who were married off to royalty and the nobility in Europe.

My story is told through the eyes of two (fictional) scribes in his court, and their dramatic stories are intertwined with account of the historical events in the life of the king.

I used a similar approach in my previous novel “the Migrants” (details on this website). This story is set at the end of the Romano-British period, when the Roman legions had to leave Britain to its own devices and the land was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons and others. British (Welsh or Cornish) families fled to Brittany for a new life. The story is told through the eyes of these families. What we think of as history was current affairs to them. Their stories are intertwined with the crucial historical events taking place in Britain and the continent.

I have been getting very favourable feedback from readers, most of whom were not familiar with that pivotal period in British and European history. They like the way that fictional narrative is merged with historical events, making them more poignant as they impact upon ordinary people.

Now I am getting better, I will complete the King Æthelstan novel and hope to find a publisher for it and for my collection of short stories.

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