The Sword of Albion (Sword of Albion Trilogy 1)
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"A sumptuous feast of fairytale, magic, dark gothic horror and romance."
--"The Times
"
--"The Times
"
Book Description
Will Swyfte, Elizabethan England's greatest spy, takes on the fiendish forces of Faerie, in a fantastical, swashbuckling and fun-filled historical adventure...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Thoroughly enjoyable swashbuckling thriller set against the backdrop of the Spanish Armada attempting to invade England. Will Swyfte has to try and recapture a dangerous weapon from the Otherworld that has fallen into the hands of the Spanish. The book has all the ingredients of a top spy thriller but with a slightly different slant. The Otherworld element really adds to the tension and scare factor, nothing can be relied upon to be just what it seems.
It has very good pace especially the latter third. Enough scene setting to paint the picture but not so much as to dull the story.
I really liked the attention to detail on the historical and nautical facts, plus I liked the language. It's not posh english (not all "what ho my good man") but they all speak correctly, no slang. They speak like gentlemen which aided the feel of the book for me. Chadbourn has put his own spin on history to great effect, involving the stuff of nightmares and making you wonder about what does go bump in the night.
Will Swyfte appears in another unrelated Chadbourn book, Jack of Ravens, and it is great to see him have his own tales to tell. This is his story and I hope the first of many adventures of a very likeable if troubled character.
It has very good pace especially the latter third. Enough scene setting to paint the picture but not so much as to dull the story.
I really liked the attention to detail on the historical and nautical facts, plus I liked the language. It's not posh english (not all "what ho my good man") but they all speak correctly, no slang. They speak like gentlemen which aided the feel of the book for me. Chadbourn has put his own spin on history to great effect, involving the stuff of nightmares and making you wonder about what does go bump in the night.
Will Swyfte appears in another unrelated Chadbourn book, Jack of Ravens, and it is great to see him have his own tales to tell. This is his story and I hope the first of many adventures of a very likeable if troubled character.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although I am an avid fan of Mark's modern-day based fantasy (Age of Misrule etc), I had my doubts about a book based in historical times. Probably due to my failure to engage with the historical fiction of Philippa Gregory etc. And at first, you could well be reading one of those novels. Expect much better written; the detail is absolutely brilliant, I swear Chadbourn must have a time machine - it really feels like you're a part of 1500s. I feel like I know the characters as if they were old friends, and the world they inhabit as if it were my own back garden. And then, of course, something happens, and you remember you picked up this book in the fantasy section, and all is not in line with the history you learnt at school.
Chadbourn weaves a perfect blend of fantasy and reality, blurring the borders between the two. Swyfte is a likeable hero, and you find yourself strongly rooting for him from the get-go.
The ending to the main plot is somewhat predictable (we all know that the Spanish Armada failed, for example), however Chadbourn always likes to leave a curveball at the end, and this one leaves you reeling, and will have you gagging for the next book in the timeline as soon as possible.
Thoroughly recommended, even if you've never read any of Chadbourn's other works, or indeed any historical fantasy before; here, it works, and it will have you hooked.
Chadbourn weaves a perfect blend of fantasy and reality, blurring the borders between the two. Swyfte is a likeable hero, and you find yourself strongly rooting for him from the get-go.
The ending to the main plot is somewhat predictable (we all know that the Spanish Armada failed, for example), however Chadbourn always likes to leave a curveball at the end, and this one leaves you reeling, and will have you gagging for the next book in the timeline as soon as possible.
Thoroughly recommended, even if you've never read any of Chadbourn's other works, or indeed any historical fantasy before; here, it works, and it will have you hooked.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a swashbuckling, supernatural Elizabethan spy story. Will Swyfte is England's greatest spy. He and his fellows work for Walsingham, supposedly fighting the Spanish, but in fact set against the shadowy Enemy. A malevolent force that has been terrorising the country for centuries.
The story is full of danger and intrigue, there's plenty of excitement and decent twists and turns along the way. Initially I thought it was a straightforward historical adventure with a sinisiter supernatural element - which I'm all for, historical fantasy is a favourite subgenre of mine. Towards the end I felt as though the story was going deeper, exploring the morality of what initially seemed to be a black and white conflict, and also examining how even monsters can be useful allies.
As well as the usual period touchstones (Dee the magician, the Spanish Armada, Christopher Marlowe, and of course Elizabeth herself) the story travels outside England to neighbouring Scotland and antagonistic Spain. I was pleased to see that we meet James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) before Elizabeth I ever appears - but I'm a sucker for Stuart history.
The alternative title is 'The Silver Skull', which makes sense as that's the central mcguffin. Then again if you are going to use 'Sword of Albion' - the rarely-used name for Walsingham's spies- you would use it for the British version.
The story is full of danger and intrigue, there's plenty of excitement and decent twists and turns along the way. Initially I thought it was a straightforward historical adventure with a sinisiter supernatural element - which I'm all for, historical fantasy is a favourite subgenre of mine. Towards the end I felt as though the story was going deeper, exploring the morality of what initially seemed to be a black and white conflict, and also examining how even monsters can be useful allies.
As well as the usual period touchstones (Dee the magician, the Spanish Armada, Christopher Marlowe, and of course Elizabeth herself) the story travels outside England to neighbouring Scotland and antagonistic Spain. I was pleased to see that we meet James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) before Elizabeth I ever appears - but I'm a sucker for Stuart history.
The alternative title is 'The Silver Skull', which makes sense as that's the central mcguffin. Then again if you are going to use 'Sword of Albion' - the rarely-used name for Walsingham's spies- you would use it for the British version.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The best book i have ever read
This book is truly epic, i couldnt put it down and was completely hooked by it. if Amazon had 6 stars i would rate it 6 out of 6! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Oliver Bush
Good in Parts - but not original
The Age of Misrule triology are a hard act to follow (as shown by the author's subsequent poorer trilogies), and now Mark Chadbourn has set off on a different track - an alternate... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. R. N. Shackelford
Swashbuckling fun with a serious heart
The Sword of Albion is the tale of Will Swyfte: swordsman, adventurer, rake, and England's greatest spy. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Anne Lyle
Super Swyfte
A fine novel where the unrealities of the spy trade, if you like, are not overshadowed by the fantasy. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Blue Tyson
A good read!!
This is an interesting alternative view on Elizabethan times dealing with elves (and not the nice ones). Read more
Published 15 months ago by D. R. DREW
Disapointing
I loved the age of misrule books - thought they were brilliant and so I was really looking forward to this. It is not a patch on the age of misrule books. Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. Simons
Sword of Albion - an excellent read
The author, Mr CHADBOURNE, has entered the world of the Elizabethan age more completely than any other author I have read. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Paul Jeffels
As excellent as expected
This book follows in the style and universe of the Age of Misrule etc. It truly is one of those books which is hard to put down, and leaves you wanting more. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Tom
Stiff and plodding
Having read the Age of Misrule etc, I was hoping for more of the same fast-paced drama, with well-rounded characters, conversation that wasn't just filler, etc etc, but it didn't... Read more
Published 21 months ago by N. Scott
The 007 of Elizabethan times
Mark is one of the stable British Writers of Fantasy today, you can virtually guarantee a reasonable novel that will not only win the reader over but of a level that will please... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
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