![]() ![]() (Incest, for some reason, is a common thread in medieval fiction. ![]() The illicit streak running through the book is the incestuous romantic tension at the heart of the story. The book stretches to nearly 600 pages that contain plenty of battles, allegiances forged and broken, and a few sexual encounters. Much like Martin in his fantastical Ice and Fire books, Griffith is fond of long descriptions of pastoral England’s ancient oaks and mossy hillsides, not to mention the cheeses, fresh-baked breads, and meads of the hall feasts. It is a tasteful work of historical fiction, artfully dramatizing real events to recreate Hild’s seventh-century world. Griffith explains Hild’s mystical powers as a combination of attentiveness and keen intelligence, and limits the discussion of wights and witches to Hild’s less perceptive peers. We follow young Hild from the death of her father to her early career as a seer for King Edwin of Northumbria and her eventual evolution into a political actor in her own right. (A quick definition of terms: It is generally agreed that the Middle Ages extend from the 5th to the 15th century, bookended by Thomas Cromwell and then passing into the Renaissance.) The novel uses her scant biography (about half a page in a Christian history) to weave together an epic bildungsroman. ![]() ![]() Hilda, who helped to convert Britain to Christianity. Hild, which takes place in seventh-century Britain, is based on the historic figure now known as St. ![]()
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