History can become a bit of a bore when it’s just names and dates and battles. Not all of us are fans of Time Team (hard to believe, but true). All that alliterative naming – “Eomer son of Eomund”, the great poetic war speeches of Theoden, have their roots deep in Anglo-Saxon culture. If you are a fan of Tolkien’s Rohrirrim (The Rider’s of Rohan) this period is more or less the fertile soil from which they grew. The book is set in that period of English history between Alfred the Great and the coming of William the Conqueror. Shieldwall was, however, one of those unexpected gems that you get as a reviewer, a pleasant surprise that tapped into my love of history in general and fired my imagination. That’s not to say that I don’t like Historical fiction, indeed I have an educational background in history(mostly North Australian and South East Asian).

Shieldwall is a bit of a departure away from my normal reading(ie Speculative Fiction). Godwin was the father of King Harold Godwinson or Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, who fought against the Normans at the battle of Hastings and lost. There’s a couple of movies that feature him, one made in the 50’s and one due out this year – 1066,but that’s about it. Indeed the villain of the piece embodies the exact opposite,conniving, self serving and liable to change allegiance as soon as it’s in his interest.ĭespite this era holding a great deal of interest, particularly for historians, popular culture depictions of Godwin are rather scarce.

The books strongest themes appear to be honour and honouring your word. We follow Godwin from his boyhood, we see him build friendships, alliances and enemies. Hill takes what scant historical information exists of the period - those fixed points in time, and using knowledge of Anglo-Saxon culture crafts a poetic and engaging story around them. History has recorded facts about Godwin but not his story. It’s a story of battles, bravery and betrayals. Shieldwall is set roughly 50 years before the Battle of Hastings, and is the story of Godwin Wulfnothson’s rise to power from hostage son of an Anglo-Saxon Thegn to the Jarl or Earl of Wessex. Hill is an established and award winning writer, but this is his first foray into English historical fiction. Shieldwall by Justin Hill is the first book in a planned trilogy encapsulating the historical events that surround the Battle of Hastings and the fall of Anglo-Saxon England.