Britain, 605 AD. When his homeland is defeated by a predatory neighbouring kingdom, Eadwine finds himself on the run for his life. Homeless, penniless and friendless, literally with a price on his head, he must evade his enemies, avenge his brother's murder and rescue his betrothed. Along the way, he will lose his heart to another woman and discover a shattering secret that challenges all the ideals he holds dear.
Paths of Exile
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Review
Editor's Choice for the August 2009 issue of the Historical Novels Review. A powerful novel. I was completely transported to the world of seventh century Britain. A strong new voice in the field of historical fiction; Carla Nayland has written a fine book. --Elizabeth Chadwick, award-winning author of The Wild Hunt, A Place Beyond Courage, The Greatest Knight and other novels Carla Nayland pulls the curtain back on the little known period of seventh century Britain to reveal the fascinating world of Eadwine. Filled with unforgettable characters and wonderful historical detail, Paths of Exile is historical fiction at its most intriguing. --Michelle Moran, best-selling author of The Heretic Queen Paths of Exile is an epic tale of battle, honour, loyalty and betrayal that is at once exquisitely entertaining and utterly convincing. Carla Nayland's prose is irresistible, luring the reader from the comforts of the 21st century into the harsh and often bloody reality of Saxon England . A triumphant debut that demands a sequel. --Russell Whitfield, critically acclaimed author of Gladiatrix.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Carla Nayland has a lifelong interest in history and archaeology and considered doing a degree in the subject in her spare time, until deciding it would be much more fun to explore it in historical fiction instead. She has degrees in Natural Sciences and Pharmacology from Cambridge and has worked for many years in corporate strategy, cost-benefit analysis, health economics and scientific writing. Carla is also a keen hillwalker, which is a bit of a problem as she lives in the flatlands of East Anglia.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Dominic
Format:Kindle Edition
A good story with humour and interesting personal interactions. A good mixture of intrigue, action, relationship (romantic and platonic). Looking forward to the next installment.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautifully Crafted Story
Jun 20 2012
By T.D. McKinnon
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
Carla Nayland's `Paths of Exile' takes place in a land of many Kingdoms, on a vast island that will one day become England, Scotland and Wales: the United Kingdom. The author very cleverly paints a crisp, clear glimpse of an opaque period of Britain's history. This is where historical fiction - the active, conjecturing mind of an author who is familiar with all the available facts of a certain period - does what no amount of history lessons can ever achieve: it brings an era to life.
This tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, revenge, escape and pursuit, in 7th century post-Roman, pre-Norman Britain (sometimes known as the early `Dark Ages') also has just a smidgen of romance thrown in for good measure. The story is woven around some authentic historical characters (filled out to full living colour), including the main protagonist, along with some vivid entities from the author's fertile imagination. With great attention to detail (the author is certainly au fait with this period); this is a beautifully crafted story.
For me personally, being just a boy at heart, the only area this superbly crafted tale fell short (and believe me it did not detract from my enjoyment) was not taking full advantage of the many battle/fighting opportunities that the author herself provided. Regardless, `Paths of Exile' is still worth five stars.
Review by T.D.McKinnon, a Goodreads author/reviewer and the author of `Terra Nullius', an historical fiction, and four other Amazon Kindle titles.
This tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, revenge, escape and pursuit, in 7th century post-Roman, pre-Norman Britain (sometimes known as the early `Dark Ages') also has just a smidgen of romance thrown in for good measure. The story is woven around some authentic historical characters (filled out to full living colour), including the main protagonist, along with some vivid entities from the author's fertile imagination. With great attention to detail (the author is certainly au fait with this period); this is a beautifully crafted story.
For me personally, being just a boy at heart, the only area this superbly crafted tale fell short (and believe me it did not detract from my enjoyment) was not taking full advantage of the many battle/fighting opportunities that the author herself provided. Regardless, `Paths of Exile' is still worth five stars.
Review by T.D.McKinnon, a Goodreads author/reviewer and the author of `Terra Nullius', an historical fiction, and four other Amazon Kindle titles.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Takes a while to get rolling, but it ends strong.
Nov 30 2010
By Topolino
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First, don't be fooled by the apparent of this book...it may be just over 200 pages but it's very small print and very large pages. Consider it a 350 or so pages! I say this, because it took me a while to get into the story and since it seemed so short I was ready to give up after 20 pages. Stick with it, the names are terribly confusing at first, some different by only a couple of letters, and the places, though less confusing, still managed to throw me off.
Having said all that, this is a terrific historical novel, obviously written by some one who knows what they are talking about and not just researching a book. (The author is a historian that specializes in 7th century Britain) THe details of places, people, behaviour and way of life are fascinating and really add to the story. The author is a historian first and this may explain the slow start in terms of storytelling. You won't even notice it by the end, instead you'll be asking why this book wasn't longer!! Hope for a sequel. The battle scenes are riveting, the various escapes through moors, rivers and all manner of danger will keep you up at night. Well done.
Having said all that, this is a terrific historical novel, obviously written by some one who knows what they are talking about and not just researching a book. (The author is a historian that specializes in 7th century Britain) THe details of places, people, behaviour and way of life are fascinating and really add to the story. The author is a historian first and this may explain the slow start in terms of storytelling. You won't even notice it by the end, instead you'll be asking why this book wasn't longer!! Hope for a sequel. The battle scenes are riveting, the various escapes through moors, rivers and all manner of danger will keep you up at night. Well done.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A path well worth following
Nov 10 2010
By Alistair Forrest
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Paths of Exile follows the back-to-the-wall story of Eadwine (Edwin), a Saxon atheling on the run after his family is wiped out and his kingdom overrun. It's a beautifully crafted story by an author who clearly knows her Dark Ages history and has a deft skill at weaving a story of courage, intrigue and betrayal. The setting seems to me to be very real, with great attention to detail in customs, beliefs, topography, religion, economics and social interaction.
It's the first book by Carla Nayland that I've read and I'm delighted to see from her website [...] and various other mentions here and there that a sequel is in the offing. It can't come soon enough. Eadwine has suffered not only family loss and personal injury, but his betrothed has turned out to be a bit of an airhead and the new woman in his life, the courageous and striking Severa, seems to have been consigned to the witch's flames. And they were made for each other, dammit!
Let's hope Severa has somehow survived and follows Eadwine and his lively friends in their honourable mission against the odds.
It's the first book by Carla Nayland that I've read and I'm delighted to see from her website [...] and various other mentions here and there that a sequel is in the offing. It can't come soon enough. Eadwine has suffered not only family loss and personal injury, but his betrothed has turned out to be a bit of an airhead and the new woman in his life, the courageous and striking Severa, seems to have been consigned to the witch's flames. And they were made for each other, dammit!
Let's hope Severa has somehow survived and follows Eadwine and his lively friends in their honourable mission against the odds.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
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