Tonyblack said:
If you liked that, you might enjoy the Saxon Chronicles series by Bernard Cornwell. The series covers much of the Viking occupation of Britain, including the life of Alfred the Great.
I like the
Vikings series because I've spent the last 15 years immersed in Viking culture, and writing a alternative-history story, set in the late 900s and culminating just after 1066.
My story presupposes two things:
1. England is
not Christianised in the 500s (so the aftermath of the Viking invasion means that England sees a fusion of Anglo-Saxon and Viking cultures and religions); and
2. William the Conq
loses 1066. He nearly did in fact, you know.
What would England have looked like then? That's my proposal.
It is a rags-to-riches story, featuring
thegns and
huscarls, hill forts and villages, Saxons and Caledonians, Romans and Byzantines, witch-hunters and priestesses, and a few dysfunctional Norse gods and goddesses. A veritable romp through history, with a Saxon peasant suddenly becoming a
thegn through forces beyond his control. Complete with illustrations, maps, Norse poetry, and a glossary.
Now I'm trying to find a publisher... wish me luck.
(Oh yes... and I've never actually been to England, but I did a hell of a lot of research!
I did my research about what people wore at the time, what they ate and drank, how they viewed the world, how they fought, the coins of the time, people's names etc.
After all, no one will want to read a book featuring Fred the Viking, would they?)
