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Longsword

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Longsword

By: David Pilling
Narrated by: Marston York
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England, 1266 AD. The kingdom lies in ruins after years of bitter civil war. Simon de Montfort is dead, slaughtered in battle, and his surviving followers fight on with the fury of despair. Known as the Disinherited, these landless men infest the forests and highways and prey on the common folk. Hugh Longsword, a common soldier, fights for the King against the rebels who threaten to destroy England. He is taken into the service of the Lord Edward, King Henry’s eldest son, and made to work as a spy. Edward sends him into the wild north country, home to the most dangerous rebel captains: men such as Sir John d’Eyvill and his savage cousin Nicholas, known as the Beast for his cruelty. While Hugh spies on these cut-throats, the King gathers all his forces to attack Kenilworth Castle, greatest of the rebel strongholds. Though hopelessly outnumbered, the defenders hurl defiance from the walls and refuse to surrender. One assault after another is repulsed, even as the north country slides into chaos and another band of Disinherited seize the Isle of Ely in the fens of Cambridgeshire. From their watery fastness they ride out to attack the Jews of Lincoln, burning deeds, slaughtering innocents and kidnapping the wealthiest for ransom. One of those taken captive by the rebels is Esther, a widowed Jewess. She is carried away to Ely, where the Jews are treated with inhuman cruelty. Esther is rescued by Hugh, and they are hunted through the marshes by teams of soldiers and wolfhounds. Together they must survive all the dangers of a war-torn land, where law and justice are fallen away and only the strongest can hope to prosper.©2017 D Pilling (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War & Military Survival Royalty War England Espionage Disappearance Solider
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I enjoyed it, but for some reason I didn't empathise or invest in the characters. I still have the second book though.

I don't know

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Good story and well narrated. Kept me interested from beginning to the end. Hope to find more stories with Hugh Longsword.

Excellent narration

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Really great series of books very enjoyable. Very clever stories based around real historical events.

long Sword series

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I came into it not knowing what to expect, and as the book progressed I would know a handful of characters by name only, but excitedly took in all the parts with the infamous Henry the 3rd and future controversial Edward the 1st. It had a good tempo, didn’t dip into boring parts, and the narrator did a fine job.
Fascinating, at some points very anti climatic, at others very sudden. History turned alive always have great potential.

A surprising gem.

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