jmatkinson1's review
3.0
After the death of his father, young William is named Duke of Normandy but he has a group of nobles who are acting as protectors until he achieves adulthood. Ralph de Gace is a junior member of the council until he manages to kill off his elders but how will he cope as William grows up? In England Harold Harefoot is dead and his half-brother Edward has come to claim the throne but the earls are politicking to control the throne. As William grows into a strong young man he sows the seeds of his own dynasty by securing his Dukedom.
The back-story of William the Conqueror (or William the Bastard as he is known here) is fairly sketchy, however the connections between England, Normandy and Denmark are well-known. In this book Churchill has built a historical novel around the known facts, he has embroidered on what is known and developed existing and fictional characters in order to tell a coherent story. The story bounces along at a decent pace with lots of thrilling set pieces and a few interesting characters. However the quality of the writing is a little superficial and it does feel like a series of set pieces vaguely linked together. Enjoyable enough but not with a lot of depth.
The back-story of William the Conqueror (or William the Bastard as he is known here) is fairly sketchy, however the connections between England, Normandy and Denmark are well-known. In this book Churchill has built a historical novel around the known facts, he has embroidered on what is known and developed existing and fictional characters in order to tell a coherent story. The story bounces along at a decent pace with lots of thrilling set pieces and a few interesting characters. However the quality of the writing is a little superficial and it does feel like a series of set pieces vaguely linked together. Enjoyable enough but not with a lot of depth.
clairby11xxx's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
liisp_cvr2cvr's review
5.0
If you count yourself a fan of historical fiction at all, then it would be madness for you not to get your hands on this mega read.
Duke is book #2 in The Leopards of Normany trilogy by David Churchill. My sincere thanks to Bookbridgr, Headline Publishing and David Churchill for providing me a copy of Book #1, Devil for a review last year. To my utter delight and surprise Headline Publishing followed up by also sending me review copy of Duke. How awesome is that? Now, I must apologize I haven’t got around to reading Duke until recently and the delay in getting this review done.
Devil, book #1 of The Leopards of Normandy follows Robert the Duke- his life, his battles, the deceipt and loyalty of fellow countrymen and neighbors. In Duke, the historical fiction continues with Robert’s son William the Bastard who as a young boy takes over the duchy and faces many a hardship in his young life. The hardships however make William stand up for himself as he grows older and holds his duchy with even more conviction.
This book truly portrays a game of thrones, the moving about of chesspieces by many an ambitious hand. Loaded with fictional and historical characters alike, David Churchill has managed to take what few evidenced historical facts there are and build a tremendous fiction around it.
The writing is of truly high quality and standard while the fiction supporting facts is imaginative and spectactular indeed. With so many characters and everyone’s varying ambitions one could be worried about being able to follow the story, yet as was the case with Devil, this is where the quality comes in- the writing is so simple and easy to follow yet packs a proper punch therefore delivering the whole story in a convincing and adventurous way.
The book has a fantastic balance of everything that historical fiction stands for- betrayal, wit, love and hate, loyalties and death. There isn’t a single moment in this book which doesn’t satisfy the hunger of the bookworm.
Power hungry characters are the most interesting as they will go to any length to get what they want and yet, William, the Bastard, the Conqueror is a character I enjoyed seeing grow from a boy to a man on the pages of this book while keeping an air of level headedness about him earning the respect of any reader.
Devil, book #1 was easily one of my favorite reads last year. This year, Duke is among the favorites as well… and I can’t wait to read how the story ends!
Duke is book #2 in The Leopards of Normany trilogy by David Churchill. My sincere thanks to Bookbridgr, Headline Publishing and David Churchill for providing me a copy of Book #1, Devil for a review last year. To my utter delight and surprise Headline Publishing followed up by also sending me review copy of Duke. How awesome is that? Now, I must apologize I haven’t got around to reading Duke until recently and the delay in getting this review done.
Devil, book #1 of The Leopards of Normandy follows Robert the Duke- his life, his battles, the deceipt and loyalty of fellow countrymen and neighbors. In Duke, the historical fiction continues with Robert’s son William the Bastard who as a young boy takes over the duchy and faces many a hardship in his young life. The hardships however make William stand up for himself as he grows older and holds his duchy with even more conviction.
This book truly portrays a game of thrones, the moving about of chesspieces by many an ambitious hand. Loaded with fictional and historical characters alike, David Churchill has managed to take what few evidenced historical facts there are and build a tremendous fiction around it.
The writing is of truly high quality and standard while the fiction supporting facts is imaginative and spectactular indeed. With so many characters and everyone’s varying ambitions one could be worried about being able to follow the story, yet as was the case with Devil, this is where the quality comes in- the writing is so simple and easy to follow yet packs a proper punch therefore delivering the whole story in a convincing and adventurous way.
The book has a fantastic balance of everything that historical fiction stands for- betrayal, wit, love and hate, loyalties and death. There isn’t a single moment in this book which doesn’t satisfy the hunger of the bookworm.
Power hungry characters are the most interesting as they will go to any length to get what they want and yet, William, the Bastard, the Conqueror is a character I enjoyed seeing grow from a boy to a man on the pages of this book while keeping an air of level headedness about him earning the respect of any reader.
Devil, book #1 was easily one of my favorite reads last year. This year, Duke is among the favorites as well… and I can’t wait to read how the story ends!
jackielaw's review
5.0
Duke, by David Churchill, is the second book in The Leopards of Normandy trilogy. This series tells a fictionalised version of the story of William, Duke of Normandy, who is remembered as The Conqueror. The first book in the series was Devil, which I reviewed here.
The story opens with the reading of Archbishop Robert of Rouen’s will in which he tried to ensure that nine year old William, the boy Duke, would have loyal advisors and guardians to care for him until he came of age. Despite the many familial links of blood and marriage between the powerful and wealthy families of the region, loyalties could not be relied upon. This period in history was a real life Game of Thrones.
During the fourteen years covered by this installment in the tale there are numerous assassinations and changes of allegiance as each of the key characters schemes to further their own cause. Alongside the rivalries being played out in Normandy, the reader is kept up to date with the goings on in England where three kings are crowned in succession without producing an heir.
Historical fact is intertwined with myth and literary licence to provide a colourful and compelling account of life in these troubled times. The harrying of Worcester and the battle scenes portray how tenuous this could be. A lack of medical knowledge and skill meant injury and illness were treated with little more than prayer.
The reader is taken into the heart of a familiar tale told anew. The protagonist must survive yet tension is maintained as he encounters assassins, a wild boar and erstwhile friends determined to supplant him. The author is a skilled story teller who has done his research and chosen well how to present the accepted accounts of the times alongside more fanciful elements. His notes at the end suggest that many of the apparently imaginative characters and events are lifted from chronicles written at the time.
For fans of historical fiction who relish the intricacies and intrigue of a ruthless, feudal system of governance, this is a fascinating and enjoyable read: history brought vividly to life.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
The story opens with the reading of Archbishop Robert of Rouen’s will in which he tried to ensure that nine year old William, the boy Duke, would have loyal advisors and guardians to care for him until he came of age. Despite the many familial links of blood and marriage between the powerful and wealthy families of the region, loyalties could not be relied upon. This period in history was a real life Game of Thrones.
During the fourteen years covered by this installment in the tale there are numerous assassinations and changes of allegiance as each of the key characters schemes to further their own cause. Alongside the rivalries being played out in Normandy, the reader is kept up to date with the goings on in England where three kings are crowned in succession without producing an heir.
Historical fact is intertwined with myth and literary licence to provide a colourful and compelling account of life in these troubled times. The harrying of Worcester and the battle scenes portray how tenuous this could be. A lack of medical knowledge and skill meant injury and illness were treated with little more than prayer.
The reader is taken into the heart of a familiar tale told anew. The protagonist must survive yet tension is maintained as he encounters assassins, a wild boar and erstwhile friends determined to supplant him. The author is a skilled story teller who has done his research and chosen well how to present the accepted accounts of the times alongside more fanciful elements. His notes at the end suggest that many of the apparently imaginative characters and events are lifted from chronicles written at the time.
For fans of historical fiction who relish the intricacies and intrigue of a ruthless, feudal system of governance, this is a fascinating and enjoyable read: history brought vividly to life.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
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