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#BookReview A Time For Swords by Matthew Harffy @AriesFiction

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Time For Swords by Matthew Harffy, the first book in a brand new series set in the Viking age. My thanks to Jade at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my digital review copy via NetGalley. Do check out the post by my tour buddy for today, Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow. Available now as an ebook, A Time for Swords will be published in hardback on 4th March 2021.

Harffy_A TIME FOR SWORDS_HB packshotAbout the Book

Lindisfarne, AD793. There had been portents – famine, whirlwinds, lightning from clear skies, serpents seen flying through the air. But when the raiders came, no one was prepared. They came from the North, their dragon-prowed longships gliding out of the dawn mist as they descended on the kingdom’s most sacred site.

It is 8th June AD793, and with the pillage of the monastery on Lindisfarne, the Viking Age has begun. While his fellow monks flee before the Norse onslaught, one young novice stands his ground. He has been taught to turn the other cheek, but faced with the slaughter of his brothers and the pagan desecration of his church, forgiveness is impossible.

Hunlaf soon learns that there is a time for faith and prayer… and there is a time for swords.

Format: ebook (400 pages)                        Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 10th December 2020 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find A Time for Swords on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK
*Link provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

Matthew Harffy is best known for his Bernicia Chronicles series set in 7th century Northumbria of which Fortress of Fury is the latest instalment. Last year also saw publication of his standalone historical novel, Wolf of Wessex.

A Time for Swords takes place a century on from the exploits of Beobrand in the Bernicia Chronicles, transporting the reader to the time of the first Viking raids on the northeast of Britain. Our narrator is Hunlaf who, in old age, seeks to record the story of an eventful life. As he says, “I’ve seen things people wouldn’t believe. A Turkic ship on fire off the shore of Odessa. I’ve watched sunbeams glitter in the dark eyes of the Empress of Roma as we passed beneath Byzantion’s Golden Gate. I do not want all those moments to be lost in time like the winter snow when the rains of spring come.” (Is it just me or is that a subtle allusion to the ‘tears in rain’ speech by Rutger Hauer at the end of the film Bladerunner? If so, it will demonstrate the efforts of my MA English tutor to have me grasp the concept of intertextuality were not in vain.)

Hunlaf begins his story looking back to his time as a young novice at the minster of Werceworthe (modern day Warkworth in Northumberland). Despite his vocation, Hunlaf admits to being enthralled as a boy by the tales his father told him of Beobrand’s exploits against the Mercians (the subject of Fortress of Fury). As a neat in-joke, the author has Hunlaf observe, “I am sure now…that all such yarns have been embellished, for is that not the way of the storyteller, to make the tale more exciting than the simple truth?”

When he travels to Lindisfarne with his fellow monk, Brother Leofstan, Hunlaf has an unexpected reunion and, with echoes of The Name of the Rose, catches sight of a forbidden book in the monastery’s library. Both events will be significant for the future but, for the time being, are overshadowed by the arrival of three Viking warships. Murder, rape and pillage follow but, during the raid, Hunlaf discovers his instinct is to fight the attackers not flee. That action will result in the forging of an unlikely alliance and mark a change in the future path of his life. It will also leave him with long-lasting memories of the dreadful sights he witnessed.  “A warrior’s scars are many, and not all of them leave their mark on the flesh.”

Knowing the Vikings are likely to target other vulnerable sites such as Werceworthe, Hunlaf joins the search for warriors willing to help defend the community. Six eventually become a warband of seven, each with their own particular skill with sword, axe or bow. By the way, if you’re thinking seven is a significant (even a magnificent) number you’re correct, as the author explains in his afterword. Each of the seven have their own personal reasons for wanting to fight, whether that’s to test themselves against the best, to protect the weak or a desire for revenge.

Like the inhabitants of Werceworthe, the reader anxiously awaits the return of the Norsemen, hoping that the crude defensive devices they have prepared and their carefully thought-out plans will be sufficient to protect the community.  It will come as no surprise to readers of Matthew Harffy’s previous books that the action scenes are vividly described so you feel every thud of axe upon shield, hear the swift flight of arrows towards the enemy and smell the burning houses.  Will Hunlaf take up his quill to record more of his adventures? If he does, it promises to be to tell of a quest to rival John Wayne’s in The Searchers.

A Time For Swords is a skillfully crafted and compelling introduction to what seems certain to be an addictive new series for fans of historical fiction.

In three words: Thrilling, action-packed, immersive

Try something similar: Wolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy

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Harffy_MatthewAbout the Author

Matthew grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England with his wife and their two daughters.

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#BookReview Becoming Alfie by Neil Patterson

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Becoming Alfie

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Becoming Alfie by Neil Patterson. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the author for my digital review copy. Do check out the posts by my tour buddies for today, Jasmine at Jazzy Book Reviews and Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover.

Becoming AlfieAbout the Book

Alfie Norrington was born into poverty in London’s East End in the first minute of the twentieth century. His life was a battle. From the Brick Lane markets where young Alfie pilfered and pick-pocketed, to the trenches of Flanders, Alfie fought every step of the way.

​Almost killed by a trench bomb he battled to recover and while in a military hospital Alfie made a promise that dramatically changes his life. A true East End hero, Alfie begins his journey away from poverty armed with a robust moral compass and an open heart.

​Becoming Alfie is the first in the Alfie Norrington series. It follows the life of a man who positively influenced thousands of people. The world needs more individuals like Alfie Norrington, that give much more than they take.

Format: Paperback, ebook (288 pages)  Publisher: Green Hill Publishing
Publication date: 24th August 2020       Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Becoming Alfie on Goodreads

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Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Hive | Amazon UK
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My Review

The first in a planned four book series, Becoming Alfie tells the story of Alfie from the very moment of his birth in a tenement in the East End of London to his departure for pastures new.

The Norringtons are an East End family typical of similar novels: the matriarch who’s a “diamond”, the feckless father, and the brother whose moneymaking schemes risk coming to the notice of the ‘Old Bill’ or unfriendly rivals. The author tells the story with gusto, creating a distinctive narrative voice for Alfie, complete with Cockney accent and liberal use of slang. This is a feature not only of the dialogue but also some of the descriptive passages; people visit one another’s “gaff” or get “dolled up” for a night out.

Alfie makes a plucky and resilient hero who has to overcome many challenges and setbacks. I did wonder if, even with the benefit of modern medicine, Alfie could have survived the sort of injury he suffers in Flanders and resumed his life with such energy. However, I placed my trust in the author’s research and that soldiers of the First World War did suffer injuries of that severity and still make a full recovery. I liked that the author incorporated into the storyline the psychological impact of war, the lack of recognition and understanding this received at the time, and the benefit of more enlightened therapies in aiding recovery. The book also recounts the up and downs of Alfie’s love life, although some of his amorous adventures were described a little too explicitly for my taste.

The end of the book sees Alfie setting off to fulfil a promise. “What next? What lay around the corner? Alfie didn’t know, but he did know that it would be exciting, that he would be successful, and that whatever life threw at him, he could handle it.” Writing a saga is an ambitious undertaking but, in Alfie Norrington, the author has created a character whose future exploits I’m sure many readers will wish to follow.

In three words: Spirited, dramatic, optimistic

Try something similar: Fred’s Funeral by Sandy Day

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Neil PattersonAbout the Author

Neil writes: ‘Born in South Essex close to the River Thames and directly East of London, my childhood was peppered with memories of the mighty river itself. We would swim, fish and discover hidden treasure in the tidal mudflats with the fragments of clay pipes we found taking us back to another era. It was here that my inspiration for writing was born. I began to keep a diary of my observations from life and documented my feelings and thoughts.

My wife was twenty two and I was twenty four when we migrated to Australia with a glorious expectation. The sun was shining, the people were friendly and Sydney Harbour simply magnificent. Together we were committed to making the most of this opportunity beginning the next step in our lives. Everything was new which gave me endless writing opportunities that I recorded in my diary which had spilled over into a number of books. We travelled around this incredible country meeting people from all walks of life and from many nationalities. We lived and worked in a variety of capital cities enjoying each and every experience. All this was tremendous fodder for my writing. I began to write short stories and poetry, none of which I sought to publish. By my fifty second birthday I was able to finish working and focus full time on my writing.’

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