Instead of reading the latest and greatest hot new releases that everyone is always buzzing about I like to travel a different path on occasion and find those lesser known, long forgotten treasures. I've been posting about some of them over the last few weeks and thanks to Kathy at Bags, Books and Bon Jovi I've found another blogger doing something similar - "My Favorite Reads" by Alyce of At Home With Books.  That said, another great find I've had in the last year or two has been Valerie Anand - and I'm not talking about her two most recent books, The House of Lanyon (slooooow and oh-so-predictable) and The House of Allerbrook (that flew around page 25). She's also written a series of mysteries under the name Fiona Buckley, but I'm not much of a mystery reader and haven't tried them. IMHO the best work she's done is the series of medievals she wrote that begins in 1036 and finishes with the reign and mysterious murder of William Rufus. It's a bit of a challenge to get these books without paying an arm and a leg - but a worthwhile one none the less. She also wrote a six-book series referred to as the Bridges Over Time. I've read five of the six and will post about those one of these days.


Gildenford begins in 1036 when Alfred Atheling and 600 of his party were betrayed and massacred at Gildenford by Harold Harefoot, one of the claimants for the English throne. But, did Harefoot have help in the plot to betray the Atheling and lead him to believe he would be safe entering England? His mother Emma? Godwin, the Earl of Wessex? Brand the Woodcutter is innocently drawn into the plot and thus begins his years of service to the very powerful Earl of Wessex as the story then focuses on the reign of Edward the Confessor (Alfred's older brother), Godwin's great secret about the massacre at Gildenford and the events that eventually lead England toward it's destiny with Duke William of Normandy.

The Norman Pretender takes up the story where Gildenford left off, and when the old Earl dies and his oldest son Harold becomes The Earl of Wessex and the story then details Harold's life as he battles the Welsh and his bitter enemy Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, while also struggling with his jealous brother Tostig. We also see the return of the fictional character of Brand the Woodcutter (who has been living in Duke William's court), along with Wulfhild, the daughter he didn't know existed, as he returns to England and Harold gives them the lands surrounding Fallowdene.

In The Disputed Crown William has conquered England and been crowned King, yet there are still those who resist his iron-fisted rule, and long to put a Saxon back on the throne. William's wrath at the rebels results in drastic and deadly measures taken on the innocent populace of the north (known as the Harrying of the North) and the nation finally settles into an uneasy peace. William brings his nobles from Normandy and parcels out the land and inter-marries the Normans with the Saxons -- including his niece Judith with one of the former rebels, Waltheof of Northumbria. Judith is not a warm and loving wife (to say the least), and weak natured Waltheof is finally drawn into the disastrous Revolt of the Earls.  It was a lot of fun comparing Anand's take on Judith as opposed to EC's in The Winter Mantle.

In King of the Wood, Ralph de Aix is a younger son who strikes out from Normandy to England with hopes of better advancement in his talents as a huntsman and horseman. Eventually Ralph attracts the attention of William Rufus, King of England, and Ralph is willing to use that attraction to advance his prospects as a courtier. Eventually William gives Ralph some land at Chenna's Tun in the New Forest, and he brings his young bride Sybil to live with him there. Ralph is quickly drawn in to his Saxon tenant's ancient worship in the forest, and William's ambitious younger brother uses his knowledge of Ralph's activities to force him into committing a heinous deed. I do give the author credit for tactfully handling Rufus' unusual "activities" in the bedroom, and Ralph's mixed feelings about his relationship with Rufus and his relief when he is freed from it and able to return to more normal relationships with women.

Anand does a great job of bringing the medieval period and its people to life, all in all quite entertaining and I highly recommend the series. There were one or two incidents in the  that I couldn't find any factual references on, especially the kidnapping of one of Judith's ladies (although it was jolly good fun). Happy reading.