Shadow on the Crown

December 3, 2012
Striking a quivering bull’s eye with the first book of a planned trilogy, Bracewell’s enthralling debut begins with Emma of Normandy crossing the “Narrow Sea” in 1002 C.E. to marry the much older King Aethelred. Emma is ill-prepared for the trials that come with her new position; not yet knowing the heart of the old king she makes the mistake of demanding the title of queen. The king, regretting the hasty decision of “taking a Norman slut to wife,” quickly tires of his demanding new bride; jealous rivals vie for Emma’s crown; and the threat of a Viking invasion constantly looms. But Emma’s role in the English court and her only chance of survival come down to heeding her mother’s words: “our first and most important task,” she instructed Emma before her departure, “is to bear a son.” Only then will her crown be secure. In time, Emma wins the hearts of her subjects as well as the affection of a young man in her husband’s court. Determined and savvy, Emma is a strong character that refuses to be cowed by her circumstances. With a light touch, Bracewell delivers a highly entertaining addition to the historical fiction genre. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, the Gernert Company.

December 15, 2012
Middling debut novel of the Middle Ages. A sort of wrinkle on Tristan and Iseulte and based on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bracewell's yarn centers on a 15-year-old noblewoman named Emma of Normandy who is married off to King aethelred of England to cement various bonds across the Narrow Sea. (The year is 1001, so we still have a couple of generations to go before the Normans come a-calling in number.) England is a Beowulf-y place full of Angles and Saxons and Jutes and Vikings, the last of whom are causing an awful fuss, what with their looting and pillaging; to complicate matters, Emma finds herself instantly at odds with tough-nut Lady Elgiva, who considers the crown her destiny and has no end to her schemes. Isolated in court, paid no mind by her putative husband, Emma does what any self-respecting Norman would do--suffice it to say, this involves disrupting the line of succession. There are some nice moments in the narrative, and Bracewell does a good job of capturing the tenor of a medieval court and its endless intrigues. But the overall feel is musty, the writing ranging from stately to stale, as with this too-typical passage: "Now, though, Athelstan found it worrisome that Ealdorman aelfhelm and the other great lords of the land remained with the king in Winchester while the eldest aethelings had not been summoned." A serviceable bit of historical fiction, but for all its twists and ligatures, it's no Once and Future King.

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September 1, 2012

In 1002, 15-year-old Emma of Normandy is married to King Aethelred of England and immediately finds herself surrounded by conniving courtiers and neglected by the king. Then she falls dangerously in love, even as the Vikings threaten. The sales reps are raving.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
The first volume of a trilogy, Shadow on the Crown is the story of Emma, queen consort to the eleventh-century English king Aethelred II. A Norman in a loveless marriage of alliance, Emma is a spirited, clever 15-year-old who earns the love of her new subjects as well as that of Athelstan, eldest son of Aethelred. Emma returns that love, but will her sworn duty to her odious husband destroy the forbidden romance between queen and aetheling (prince)? And does love really belong to some other world, as Emma muses? In addition to the fraught love story, the novel examines the ongoing conflict between Aethelred's forces and those of Swein Forkbeard, the canny, self-styled king of the Danes. Based in part on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bracewell's sweeping first novel is richly researched and creates a fully realized eleventh-century world of violence, power, intrigue, and superstition. Lovers of historical romance will be pleased.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)