Reviews of An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England, by Nan HawthorneHistorical Novels Review Online (Historical Novel Society)
AN INVOLUNTARY KING
Nan Hawthorne, BookSurge, 2008, $27.99, pb, 648pp, 1419656694
Who knows how many worthy stories from the so-called Middle Ages have been lost to us? It’s a rich period, especially in England, where small nations and armies were constantly clashing and men and women could still be larger than life.
Young Lawrence, the hero of Nan Hawthorne’s sprawling historical novel An Involuntary King, yearns to be larger than life. When his father, the king, is cut down, the crown falls to Lawrence, and he vows to be worthy of it and of his young wife Josephine. But 8th-century Northumbria is a dangerous place for such vows—young Lawrence is soon tested on all sides, and the result is a rousing, involving tale of Saxon war and romance.
Although Hawthorne has done an evident amount of historical research (readers will take away a very pleasant sense of immersion in the medieval Saxon world), the main strength of An Involuntary King lies in its people. In addition to the central trio of Lawrence, Josephine, and the mercenary Elerde who in different ways threatens them both, there’s a huge cast of secondary characters, virtually all of whom are brought to life with colorful details and the author’s sound ear for dialog. Indeed, talk bubbles throughout this book, talk of high state affairs, the outpourings of the heart, and the joking prattle of old friends, and all of it works a kind of magic on the reader. Lawrence and Josephine’s world is one in which that reader will want to linger, and by the end of the book, many of its characters will feel like old friends.
The aforementioned mercenary Elerde won’t exactly feel like a friend, but his impression will be the strongest. He’s the novel’s most memorable creation, and Hawthorne would be well justified in giving him a book of his own some day. -- Steve Donoghue
Brandy Purdy's Book Reviews and News Blog
"An Involuntary King" is a grand tale, it is the best kind of story, a rich, exciting, medieval saga that skillfully blends adventure, romance, and history to weave a captivating tapestry the reader will want to stay enmeshed in even after the last page has been read.
Lawrence, younger son of Arneth, King of Crislicland, was never meant to be king. When tragedy foists the crown upon him, he fights to master his own feelings of unworthiness and self-doubt and prove himself worthy of the honor. He strives to become not just a good king, but a great king--strong, beloved, and wise.
This novel charts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Lawrence's reign: the bloody battles to hold his kingdom and vanquish his foes; his marriage to the passionate and lively Josephine, whose beauty draws admirers as honey does flies, including a darkly handsome mercenary willing to do anything to make her his own.
With a vibrant cast of characters who seem to spring to life and leap right off the page and burrow tenaciously into the reader's imagination with a determination never to be forgotten, "An Involuntary King" is from start to finish a delight to read. The author's love, knowledge, and dedication to this book and its characters are apparent on every page. It is a strong and engrossing novel that fully deserves a dedicated following.
More individual reviews
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Off the Page and Into My Imagination, September 6, 2008
By G. Marlow
This review is from: An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England (Paperback)
The thing that most attracts me to a book -- or causes me to put one down -- is character development. I want to feel that the characters are real people, not just cardboard cutouts acting out a part in the book's plot. This book satisfies that demand, not just with the title character (Lawrence, the involuntary king), but with characters at every level of the story.
Of course, we get to know best the main players in this novel - Lawrence and his queen Josephine, the sultry mercenary Elerde, the bards Shannon and Rory. Each of these characters is driven by motivations that seem to rise logically from his/her life experiences -- and by the end of the book, each of them has changed in some way. I have to admit that I didn't care for Josephine too much early on in the book; however, by the end, she had (IMO) matured enough that I could have at least a grudging respect for her.
Most books, however, will flesh out the main characters. I think one of the strengths of Hawthorne's book is that she has taken care to make the secondary characters and even the bit players reasonably well-rounded. There are a couple of villains who are motivated well enough to be truly creepy and not cartoonish (seeing them dispatched to their worthy ends is quite gratifying, ha ha). I really appreciate the way Hawthorne portrays the common people of the story - the barmaids, the healer, the rogue thieves. It gives a sense of the world in which the story takes place, a world Hawthorne has obviously studied.
My main caveat would be that this is not a "bedtime story" - there is far too much going on to think it will relax your mind before sleep (there were a couple of times I had strange dreams all night after reading the book!). The war scenes are also not for the squeamish (although they give a good idea of just what battles must have been like in that time).
I enjoyed the book, and I'm pleased to have King Lawrence, Rory, Shannon, and yes, even Queen Josephine now wandering about in my mind, mingling with other memorable characters in the "cocktail party" of my imagination.
A Royal Victory, November 1, 2008
By Tish Bailey (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England (Paperback)
An Involuntary King overcomes some daunting challenges: a distant period in history--England before the Norman conquest--with its unfamiliar customs and tongue-twisting names and vocabulary. It's a story about a king at a time when government meant rolling up your own sleeves to build and defend your land. There are some medieval conceits in the story, courtly love, knightly honor and all that, but what leaves the greatest impression is the caring relationship between the rulers and their people. To accomplish this, Hawthorne creates a vivid ensemble of supporting characters who blaze up in their little moments to illuminate what this story is really about.
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Review by: Alistair Forrest on Aug. 14, 2010 :
When I began reading Nan Hawthorne’s introduction to this lengthy and gripping tale of Anglo Saxon England, I thought I was in for a fairy tale. An Involuntary King is a story honed from childhood with a friend, a hero named after Peter O’Toole’s Lawrence of Arabia (no other connection apart from Hawthorne being a huge fan) and a princess-cum-queen nicknamed Sunshine. Throw in a dark and stormy suitor from across the sea and two fun-loving and slightly reckless Irish bards and you still might have your fairy tale.
But there are no dragons, no trolls and elves, certainly no good faeries.
If there is a question mark with An Involuntary King it would simply be in the names, Lawrence the reluctant king and his bride, Josephine. All others have typical Saxon, Gaelic or Celtic names. Their kingdom, bordering the North Sea, is a fictitious ‘Crislicland’ (I dared to pronounce this ‘Crelland’ for an easier read, an English trait don’t you know?) but the settlements and geography are real enough, located more or less in Lincolnshire and its surrounds. The name thing is a quirk that takes only as long as a few pages to discover that here is historical fiction that refuses to be constrained by pigeon holes - it is adventure, romance, intrigue, plotting, betrayal and war, the hint of fairy tale swiftly fading as we are engaged in realistic and exceptionally well researched eighth century Anglo Saxon England.
Lawrence is an involuntary king only as long as it takes to marry his perfect bride and get to grips with ruling a kingdom beset with threats from within and without. Josephine, the queen, is pretty handy with a bow and strong of will, though her spirited self belief does lead her to make the odd boo boo, but hey, it helps a plot to have a few imperfections in otherwise perfect specimens. She’s a very good mother, too, even when the chips are down.
Hawthorne is not afraid to take risks, particularly with the gay Irish mercenary O’Donnell who has a Scots lover but also has the hots for one of the bards, the dashingly handsome Rory. This, as well as battle and rape scenes, is handled sensitively. An Involuntary King is written by a woman but it is not just for women. Some men might want more cut and thrust, but Nan is not one for pandering to such demands. Death, mutilation, hanging and pillage are given just enough detail, so we move on. Characters are well formed, endearing or otherwise in appropriate measure.
There’s humour, too. For example, Hawthorne has the shorter bard, explaining Rory’s unusual height for a Celt, saying: “There was a Norseman in the woodpile.” That I found laugh out loud hilarious, one of a number of little gems scattered throughout.
There are shades of Robin Hood (the innocent unjustly treated but they still love the king and queen) and Richard the Lionheart (a bard singing outside King Lawrence’s cell to identify him and raise his hopes of rescue). This is a rich, enjoyable read, full of likely and unlikely heroes, nasty and/or crafty baddies, and some who fall in between, struggling with their motivation and usually fancying the lovely queen. And who can blame them?
Well done Nan. More stories like this please, especially if carefree Irish bards have a central role. Read it and escape to another land…
Review by: Brian York on Apr. 07, 2010 :
By any standards, this is a good book. For a first novel, it's excellent.
In many ways, this story is much more myth than historical fiction, set in a world of larger-than-life characters where love, danger, and betrayal are never more than seconds away. It manages wonderfully in giving the feel of 8th-century Britain, and combines it with an excellent plot and human characters. My biggest complaint is that some of the secondary characters really should have their own stories (Elerde in particular). There was just something fascinating about him as a character, and I would have liked (and would like) to see how his story ends.
Review by: Jack Graham on Nov. 29, 2009 :
For a first novel, this book is wonderful. Of course, anything forty years in the making should be wonderful. It has a flowing love story with side flirtations, but total loyalty up to the chivalrous standards and ideals associated with the high middle ages rather than Saxon England when this story is set. The supporting characters, especially Rory and Shannon the bards, are as well fleshed out as the protagonists and antagonists, and perhaps even more lovable. You do not want to miss lovable little Godgifu who is only two as she saves the king at his lowest point. This is not another from here to there and back again book, although much of the tale is about how Queen Josephine and King Lawrence follow entwining but separate paths back to their children and each other when the vile usurper holds the children hostage during a total war for two kingdoms. Will either of them get there in time to save the family and each other? You will enjoy reading to the end to find out.
Review by: James Tedford on Nov. 07, 2009 : (no rating)
An Involuntary King is a wonderful, involving tale of Anglo-Saxon England. Lawrence, who never thought of himself as a leader, is suddenly thrust into the role of King after the sudden battle death of his father and older brother. His life turned upside down, he has to divide himself between the threats from those who would usurp his crown, and to his own family from a rival warrior who has set his sights on Lawrence's queen.
Unique characters and epic battle scenes make this an unforgettable story. You'll also learn a lot about the Anglo Saxon era, and will be intrigued by the origins of the story as described in the Introduction. Buy this book!
The End? No Way!
See An Involuntary King: The Stories for the stories from the 1960s that went into the book's creation, many of the stories that made up the lengthy first draft, the "outtakes" and the continuing saga.
