Death Before Compline

Literature & Fiction

Newman, Sharan

Literary

Bagwyn Books

Growing up female in a Viking world of rough men and horrifying monsters is a tall order for any girl. Freawaru, daughter of a sixth-century Danish chieftain, does not have to kill the night-walking Grendel monster herself; the powerful Beowulf takes on that challenge. Freawaru must contend with other assaults both from within and without that demand her wits and intellect. First she must learn how to use and control her goddess-given gift: the ability to see the future. In her father’s hall she is challenged by her sly and lecherous older cousin, and by the mysterious rune-master who may be a madman. On a broader stage, she is challenged to act as peace-weaver between tribes, marrying a rival chieftain to end an ancient feud. In her husband’s hall she is faced with a mother-in-law who wishes her dead — unless she can produce a son. Should she fail, and the feud break out again, she will be forced to make a new life for herself in a foreign land.

Faces in the Fire: The Women of Beowulf: Book One

Rogers, Donnita L.

Eadfrith: Scribe of Lindisfarne (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies)

Treeve, Ms. Michelle

Genre Fiction

<div> A Tapestry of Queens gives us a view of three late 16th-century courts&thinsp;--&thinsp;England, Scotland, and by extension France&thinsp;--&thinsp;through the adventures of a heroine who is dressmaker/needlewoman to a succession of queens, from Katherine Howard to Catherine Parr, plus Marie de Guise to the north. As Queen's Mercer, responsible for the wardrobes of royalty, Cordelia Shelton has had the good fortune to serve three of Henry VIII's wives. The execution of Kathryn Howard, however, has proven disastrous for Cordelia and her merchant husband, leaving Cordelia without a position at court and the family close to financial ruin. Then, without warning, Cordelia's world is turned upside down. Although Scotland and England are on the brink of war, Marie de Guise, wife of James V of Scotland, has requested Cordelia's services as dressmaker. Cordelia's journey to Edinburgh leads her into a world of international intrigue and betrayal as she seeks to befriend both Marie de Guise and Catherine Parr&thinsp;--&thinsp;the woman she realizes King Henry has chosen for his sixth wife. As the novel unfolds, Cordelia's intelligence, resolution, and skill with a needle prove essential for her survival. </div>

A Tapestry of Queens: A Story of Scotland's Struggle for Independence

Milkuhn, Carol

British & Irish

Three centuries after Columbus, uprisings in South America still held out the hope of a Pachacuti, or world-turning, which would reverse the fortunes of the Spanish and the Indians. One such revolt in the eighteenth-century Kingdom of Quito entwines the lives of three people in a story of desire and unextinguished hope that mirrors the complex relations between conquerors and the conquered. For Santiago Huamán the revolt sparks a quest to become a medicine man; for young Ana Alfaro it brings exile and an illicit love affair; and for the Jesuit inquisitor Gregorio Moncada, it precipitates spiritual doubt. From the baroque city of Quito to a remote hacienda in South America's largest crater, Pachacuti: World Overturned captures the grandeur and decay of the Spanish Empire on the eve of disintegration.

Pachacuti: World Overturned

Eshleman, Lori

Edgar, the central figure of The Sparrow and the Hall, is a churl, working and raising his family on a small farm in extreme northeastern England during the seventh century. Though he can barely afford even a metal tip for his wooden plowshare, he looks upon life much as a typical modern American farmer does: with determination, acceptance, and good humor. He loves his wife and children, helps his neighbors, and, above all, is unswervingly loyal to Keelwolf, the heroic, elegant thane who virtually rules this part of Northumbria. This loyalty persists even though Edgar suspects for years that his bride, Gwenda, was seduced by Keelwolf. Along the way, Edgar goes through battles, a plague, loss of loved ones, and an ordeal by boiling water. Like everyone around him, he also undergoes the confusion caused by the changes of official religion — from Christianity to paganism and back to Christianity — ordered by a succession of kings. It is a turbulent time in Northumbria, but Edgar tends to his plowing and cocks an appreciative ear to the songs of the birds — until circumstances put a knife in his hand and murder in his heart. 

The Sparrow and the Hall: Love and Betrayal in Anglo-Saxon England

Williams, Donald Mace

Some thought the old man a specter; he purported himself none other than the Wizard Merlin. Whoever he was, he told a story about Arthur that no one had heard before, a tale of victory and disgrace, love and treachery, arrogance and destiny. It was a time of great turmoil in Britain. A ruthless Saxon warlord was planning to invade. The Norsemen continued their coastal raids. The Picts of north Britain were growing bolder. And the British were not unified. Merlin had groomed young Arthur to deal with threats such as these, but neither master nor pupil was prepared for what they encountered at the annual tournament in Londinium, a beautiful, dark-haired girl named Brenna.

Caliburn: Merlin's Tale

Renzulli, Virgil

During the Hundred Years’ War, England seizes vast lands from France, even Paris itself. Mercenary soldiers called Scorchers ravage the countryside and terrified peasants flee to cities. Ancient prophecies foretell that a Virgin will turn the tide of war and save France from conquest by England. Jeanne (Joan of Arc), a peasant girl from an obscure village in the northeast, claims to hear the voices of saints, who bid her to step forward and fulfill the prophecies. Dressing as a young man, she embarks on a long journey to the court of Charles the Dauphin, the rightful heir. In a matter of months, she convinces him that God has sent her to his aid. Clad in armor, Jeanne spurs the French army to major victories and leads Charles to Reims for his coronation. For the first time in many years, the French people dare to hope for a victory over the English. Meanwhile in Troyes, a town that lies on Jeanne’s path to the coronation, two sisters play chess on a cold winter’s night. For long stretches of the year, Ameline and Felise are on their own since their mother is dead and their father is a long-distance merchant. Because of his debts, the girls rely on Ameline’s income as a dressmaker to put food on the table. Felise, an apprentice scribe, looks forward to the day she too can earn money by her own hand. Felise and Ameline exchange news about Jeanne. Felise is eager to see her face to face but Ameline cautions her against putting too much hope in Jeanne. The girls renew their promise to their dying mother: to remain free from the bonds of unwanted, loveless marriages. Little do they know that everything is about to change forever.

A Tale of Two Maidens: A Medieval French Story of Fate, Adventure, and the Hundred Years' War

Echols, Anne

Mourning Beowulf’s death and sensing an urgent summons from her long absent mother, Freawaru leaves Geatland to cross the whale road. She leaves having blood on her hands, for she has killed a man. Her journey takes her first to Norway, land of the Brondings, where a strange young girl unexpectedly enters her life. She next returns to Denmark, to the court of her old nemesis, Hrothulf, now the respected King Hrolf Kraki. There she seeks clues to her mother’s whereabouts, clues from the mounds of the dead and from her old rune-master, Unferth. Hrolf’s court is itself in peril from the king’s half-sister, the witch-queen Skuld. When Freawaru attempts to assist Hrolf, sobering consequences result. Gathering her people and her courage, Freawaru sails for Angle-land, where she confronts the threat of a new religion. Her gifts as a seeress and healer are repeatedly tested as she struggles to create a home for herself and her followers in East Anglia. Her acts and decisions there, as she strives to stay true to the goddess, will affect the ruling house and the fate of its king, the redoubtable Rædwald. How will she live up to the demands placed upon her?

Cloak of Ashes: The Women of Beowulf Book Three

Readers looking for quality historical fiction ought to add Newman’s name to their lists of must-read authors. In addition to providing readers with a vivid look at life in France in the twelfth century, Newman also offers absorbing stories with well-drawn sympathetic characters. —Mystery Scene

Death Before Compline: Short Stories by Sharan Newman

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