- Paperback: 228 pages
- Publisher: Quaestor2000 Ltd (January 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1906836094
- ISBN-13: 978-1906836092
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 358 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,203,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
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.
Product Description
The stirring story of a young prince caught between Britonnic and Saxon worlds in 7th century England. 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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Takes a while to get rolling, but it ends strong., Nov 30 2010
By Topolino "Lisa" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Paths of Exile (Paperback)
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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A path well worth following, Nov 10 2010
By Alistair Forrest - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Paths of Exile (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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible, April 24 2010
By K. Huff - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Paths of Exile (Paperback)
There's a dearth of novels based on the early middle ages--probably because it's such a hard period to research and then recreate. Very little is known about England prior to the Viking invasions, but Carla Nayland's wonderful novel about early 7th century Eboracum (York) and Deira (Yorkshire) successfully fills the gap nicely.This is the story of Eadwine, a prince of Deira whose lands are invaded and conquered by Aetheferth, king of a neighboring tribe. After a devastating battle, Eadwine goes into exile with some of his followers. They stop at a farmhouse occupied by three women, one of whom is Severa, a healing woman of sorts and their leader. Most of the story follows Eadwine, biding his time as he waits for the opportunity to reclaim his lands and betrothed (who has a surprise waiting for him at home). Meanwhile, there's a fair bit of tension going on between Eadwine and Severa...
This is an excellent book that effortlessly combines fiction with the relatively little that's known about this period in English history. Therefore, recreating this period must have been challenging for the author, but you wouldn't know it from reading this novel. According to the author's note at the end, Eadwine and many of the other major characters are based up real people (Nayland used Bede's account of the 7th century as the basis for her research); and apparently, this is only the beginning of the story. In fact, the ending of this book leads me to hope that there will be a sequel.
The author is especially skilled at dialogue, and developing her characters, although this book takes place over a short period of time. The characters too are very believable; each (with the exception of Severa, who seems a bit too perfect sometimes), is fallible. It's because of people's faults (and strength) that a reader gets emotionally invested in a story, and that's especially true of the characters in the novels, who seem as though they lived and breathed yesterday and not 1400 years ago! Highly recommended if you're looking for an excellent novel about the early middle ages. Of note, however, the font size in this edition is very tiny.
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