Fiction inspired by history
The epic story of Coel Hen and his descendants who stepped forward to defend their homelands against the Saxons in brutal fifth century Britain. Beginning with The Genesis of Arthwys and continuing in The Rise of Arthwys, the series follows the making of a leader shaped not by myth, but by the real conflicts, landscapes and power struggles of fifth-century Britain.
Arthwys of the North
Book One
Coel Hen the mighty Northern war leader is dying and the fragile unity of his kingdom is collapsing.
Talhaearn, Coel’s adopted son, is forced into a role he was never meant to inherit. To survive, he must unite a divided family, command a fragile militia, and protect Coel’s great grandson, the young prince Arthwys, the boy who may become Britain’s greatest war leader.
Book Two
Arthwys, heir to the kingdom of Elfed, faces a brutal military campaign as the Saxon armies press inward led by Hengist. Surrounded by rival warlords and uneasy allies, he must prove he is worthy to lead. Facing betrayal even closer to home, what will Arthwys sacrifice in order to save his kingdom?
“a fire heaped up by impious easterners spread from sea to sea. It devastated town and country round about, and, once it was alight, it did not die down until it had burned almost the whole of the island and was licking the western ocean with its red and savage tongue.”
The Monk Gildas, De Excidio
The Real Arthur
In this detailed and meticulously researched book, Alistair Hall draws on decades of site visits and re-examinations of relevant historical texts to make a compelling case for the real Arthur. This is not the mythical Arthur with his knights and round tables, but a real person who led disparate armies to fight the Saxons at a time when Britain was in chaos and fighting for its very survival. Hall demonstrates how the destiny of Britain was closely intertwined with that of the declining Roman Empire.
“Alistair Hall's meticulously researched study of the 'real Arthur' is a breath of fresh air in a field in which history and myth are often confused.”
5 star reader review.