The Abbot's Tale

February 1, 2018

Dunstan of Glastonbury, a bright but selfish young man, finds himself hanging from a cliff. Encouraged to fall by his tormentors, who are crushing his fingers as he dangles, Dunstan requests a priest for a final confession. Pulling this "man of the cloth" over the edge with him, he uses the cleric's body to break his impact. Such perceived miracles inform the course of his life until a childhood chum, a grandson of Alfred the Great, suddenly becomes King of England through an untimely death. Visions of a future united England come quickly once Dunstan has the king's ear. Now, a well-placed abbot, Dunstan can unleash his ambitions and raise the funds to build empires for God. However, perpetuated lies come with a consequential price. Best-selling historical novelist Iggulden ("War of the Roses" series) offers a well-paced, believable peek into the brutal and often outright cruel world of tenth-century Europe. His attention to detail is illuminating and never tedious. VERDICT This gripping saga will appeal to historical fiction buffs, fans of Bernard Cornwell's "Saxon Stories" series, as well as anyone who yearns for a compelling, well-told story.--Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 12, 2018
Having already taken on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and the War of the Roses, Iggulden (The Dangerous Book for Boys) successfully dramatizes the life of Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury and confidant of King Aethelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great. At Aethelstan’s side, Dunstan takes part in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937 CE to protect England from Viking and Scottish invaders and is rewarded with the Benedictine monastery at Glastonbury, to which he is named abbot. Over the years, Dunstan will serve several of Aethelstan’s descendants, be named treasurer of England, become involved in court intrigues, and undergo banishment to Ghent. Upon his recall from exile, he travels to Rome to meet Pope John XII, is named archbishop of Canterbury, and helps build a cathedral there. Purported by the author to be a “found” document, this tale is narrated by Dunstan in wittily modest fashion. There are more than enough holes
in the historical record for Iggulden to fill out Dunstan’s life story imaginatively. And though this is less dramatic than Iggulden’s novels about other historical figures, it nevertheless immerses the reader in 10th-century England.

Starred review from April 1, 2018
A 10th-century English abbot tells of his service to seven kings--a story of pride, vengeance, and blood--in a tale abounding with real historical characters.In 934 C.E., 15-year-old Dunstan of Glastonbury pulls his would-be killer down a cliff and lands on top of him. Only Dunstan survives. "It seems a man can fall a long, long way and live," he writes, "if he lands on a priest." His father had taken him and his brother, Wulfric, to an abbey to turn them into men. He's a highly intelligent lad who has a knack for making dangerous enemies and valuable friends. One day, he descends slowly from a tower scaffold using pulleys and counterweights. A witness believes Dunstan has been carried to safety by an angel. Dunstan confirms the lie and adds that he'd had a vision of a grand cathedral. King Æthelstan believes the miracle of Dunstan and the angel and later makes him Abbot of Glastonbury. Lady Elflaed promises to finance the abbey of Dunstan's vision. Meanwhile he wants to marry a girl, but he's persuaded instead to take an oath as a Benedictine monk. The girl had given him a venereal disease, anyway. Dunstan eventually becomes a "humble abbot" whose head is stuffed with pride and ambition. After King Æthelstan dies, Dunstan writes he "was a great man, but he failed to see the worth in me. It follows that he was not without flaw then." Dunstan tells a grand, lifetime-spanning tale filled with treachery and the deaths of kings--"no man lives forever," he writes, "not even a king. Especially a king." And it's about war, "the great engine of storytelling." Dunstan admits vile acts to the reader, such as ripping off a blackmailer's nose with red-hot tongs and letting people believe he'd done it to the devil, a legend still ascribed to him.Fans of the genre will love this masterpiece of historical fiction.

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