"The historical details become the ingredients in the alchemist's recipe, and Swope is a credible alchemist. All the characters we expect from Arthurian lore are here in all their glory. Swope then works his own magic, crafting a saga that is an enjoyable read, faithful to its historical roots." -Karen K. Brees, author of Crosswind
Dark Age Monarch: Uther Pendragon blends Arthurian legend, historical fact, and elements of fantasy to re-imagine the landscape of Britain under siege following the exodus of the Roman Empire in 410 CE. A prequel to the best-selling Dark Age Monarch: The Reign of King Arthur, this work traces the chaotic 5th Century British landscape of shifting political loyalties and multiple enemies. Following the stable leadership of his father, Uther Pendragon grasps control of Britain and leads an unprecedented offensive against his foes.
Uther's brutal nature, however, does not go unnoticed. Single-minded with little compassion for those who oppose him, the king leaves an indelible mark across Britain. Uther battles the Angles, Saxons, and other invaders with brutality and conviction. But Uther makes as many enemies as allies and loyalties become fractured throughout his reign. Uther also wins Igraine, and together produce the king's lasting legacy: his only child, Arthur, destined to lead the Britons to a legendary Golden Age.
Dark Age Monarch: Uther Pendragon blends Arthurian legend, historical fact, and elements of fantasy to re-imagine the landscape of Britain under siege following the exodus of the Roman Empire in 410 CE. A prequel to the best-selling Dark Age Monarch: The Reign of King Arthur, this work traces the chaotic 5th Century British landscape of shifting political loyalties and multiple enemies. Following the stable leadership of his father, Uther Pendragon grasps control of Britain and leads an unprecedented offensive against his foes.
Uther's brutal nature, however, does not go unnoticed. Single-minded with little compassion for those who oppose him, the king leaves an indelible mark across Britain. Uther battles the Angles, Saxons, and other invaders with brutality and conviction. But Uther makes as many enemies as allies and loyalties become fractured throughout his reign. Uther also wins Igraine, and together produce the king's lasting legacy: his only child, Arthur, destined to lead the Britons to a legendary Golden Age.
Taschenbuch
"Pendragon has all the hallmarks of a traditional historical adventure story . . . However, there is also intellectual heft to this story, with its themes of myth-making and the nature of power." Antonia Senior THE TIMES
Here is the beginning of a legend. Long before Camelot rose, a hundred years before the myth of King Arthur was half-formed, at the start of the Red Century, the world was slipping into a Dark Age...
It is AD 367. In a frozen forest beyond Hadrian's Wall, six scouts of the Roman army are found murdered. For Lucanus, known as the Wolf and leader of elite unit called the Arcani, this chilling ritual killing is a sign of a greater threat.
But to the Wolf the far north is a foreign land, a place where daemons and witches and the old gods live on. Only when the child of a friend is snatched will he venture alone into this treacherous world - a territory ruled over by a barbarian horde - in order to bring the boy back home. What he finds there beyond the wall will echo down the years.
A secret game with hidden factions is unfolding in the shadows: cabals from the edge of Empire to the eternal city of Rome itself, from the great pagan monument of Stonehenge to the warrior kingdoms of Gaul will go to any length to find and possess what is believed to be a source of great power, signified by the mark of the Dragon.
A soldier and a thief, a cut-throat, courtesan and a druid, even the Emperor Valentinian himself - each of these has a part to play in the beginnings of this legend...the rise of the House of Pendragon.
Here is the beginning of a legend. Long before Camelot rose, a hundred years before the myth of King Arthur was half-formed, at the start of the Red Century, the world was slipping into a Dark Age...
It is AD 367. In a frozen forest beyond Hadrian's Wall, six scouts of the Roman army are found murdered. For Lucanus, known as the Wolf and leader of elite unit called the Arcani, this chilling ritual killing is a sign of a greater threat.
But to the Wolf the far north is a foreign land, a place where daemons and witches and the old gods live on. Only when the child of a friend is snatched will he venture alone into this treacherous world - a territory ruled over by a barbarian horde - in order to bring the boy back home. What he finds there beyond the wall will echo down the years.
A secret game with hidden factions is unfolding in the shadows: cabals from the edge of Empire to the eternal city of Rome itself, from the great pagan monument of Stonehenge to the warrior kingdoms of Gaul will go to any length to find and possess what is believed to be a source of great power, signified by the mark of the Dragon.
A soldier and a thief, a cut-throat, courtesan and a druid, even the Emperor Valentinian himself - each of these has a part to play in the beginnings of this legend...the rise of the House of Pendragon.