gilda_elise

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king's beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John's attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales---and Llewelyn---Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.

The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies. The book that began the trilogy that includes Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning, Here Be Dragons brings thirteenth-century England, France, and Wales to tangled, tempestuous life.

Only her second book (the first being the quintessential Ricardian novel, The Sunne in Splendour,) the reader would be hard pressed to know that. The writing is superb as she brings the characters to life, many of which I knew next to nothing about.

The book covers both Joanna’s and Llewelyn’s lives, from childhood until almost the end. And though it comes in at slightly over 700 pages, the story never drags as the reader is swept into their world of divided loyalties and betrayals. Not once did I feel the need to skip ahead. There isn’t a dull moment.

And while Joanna and Llewelyn take center stage, there are plenty of other characters who become just as real. Joanna’s father, John, especially, is written here as I’ve never read before. While there is a cruel, almost evil, side to the man, he’s also shown to be a loving father, and, usually not noted, a man who had more concern for the people of England than his brother, Richard (the so-called Lionheart,) ever did.

There are also those who were friend, or foe, to the couple, as well as the children they had together and those Llewelyn had with other women. His oldest son, especially, will be a thorn in the couple’s side. While these characters are based on actual people, a few aren’t. But they add so much to the story, that one can understand why they were created. They fill an area left empty by the capriciousness of historical records. One event I was certain the author had made up; she hadn’t.

The book is historical fiction at its finest, and I highly recommend any of Penman’s books. We lost her much too early.