Book
Warrior of Woden
In 642, Beobrand has become a wealthy warlord and trusted commander of King Oswald. Penda of Mercia invades Northumbria, bringing the pagan Mercian king into direct conflict with Oswald's Christian rule. Beobrand and his black-shielded warriors face the decisive Battle of Maserfield, where the future of the kingdom, the fate of its king and the religious direction of the north are all at stake.
Maserfield gives the novel a decisive historical centre. Oswald's defeat does more than remove a king: it threatens the Christian political settlement he has built and exposes Beobrand's household to the consequences of service. The story contrasts public loyalty to a ruler with the private obligations of a warlord who must keep his own people alive after royal power collapses around them.
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