Customer Reviews

Shieldwall

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm only halfway through Shieldwall but have been driven to write a review because of the extraordinary quality of this book.

After reading Julian Rathbone's The Last English King, I became very interested in historical fiction and have enjoyed many fine novels (Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden etc.)

Unfortunately, I have found some diminishing returns in recent years and, all too often, have failed to finish books due to clunky writing, poor story-telling and other perceived faults (maybe I'm just getting fussy in middle-age).

However, Shieldwall has had a similar impact to The Last English King. The writing is beautiful and the characters are entirely believable. I've just got to the first battle scene and it was as exciting (and upsetting) a depiction of combat as I've ever read. Somebody died (I won't say who) and it felt like it hit me as hard as the arrow hit the character.

I understand there will be a sequel. Thank goodness as I don't want this book to end.

When I ordered this book, my expectations were somewhat low. It seemed that this one would be yet another book on the Vikings battling and raiding the Anglo-Saxons. Yet this one stands out in several respects.

The main character is somewhat original. Instead of the "usual" novels on the Great Army or King Alfred, on the one hand, and all the stuff on Harold Godwinson, 1066 and all that, this book is about the younger years of his father - Godwin Wulfnothson, under King Ethelread and Edmund "Ironside".

It is also very well researched and well documented with the author "sticking" to historical facts as much as he can and telling a plausible story where there are no facts - such as the role of Wulfnoth and his exile in Dublin, of which we know next to nothing.

One disappointment, however, was that Justin Hill seemed less interested in telling the story of Godwin's service to Knut. A pity because this is itself could have made a good story. Perhaps he is saving it for his second tome which I will most certainly buy.

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this one at the start, it seemed a bit lacklustre and slow.
How wrong can you be?
Once into its stride this became a gripping tale of some of history's less well known, but in their time, major players. Justin Hill's novel is well researched and shines a welcome and erudite light on 'The Dark Ages' pre 1066.
Those interested in history will be familiar with Harold Godwinson etc. but I'm willing to bet few will be aware of his father's doings let alone his grandfather's. This then is the setting for 'Shieldwall' and while the events portrayed played out a thousand years ago Mr Hill puts a very creditable, if difficult to prove, interpretation on them. The result is an excellent novel, Mr Hill has the story telling gift, no doubt of it.
If you like Conn Iggulden or Harry sidebottom try Justin Hill I don't think you will be disappointed, I'm certainly eager for the next instalment.

I found many of the things here that some other positive reviewers had said ( and I am lifelong student of history and of warfare ancient to modern ) but what thrilled me most was the language - the use of anglo saxon idioms and alliterative cadence - it is used sparingly but well and has the feel of Beowulf and of norse saga at times. Like Tolkien did, the origins of the language could be seen and common conclusions had been drawn. There is little or no use of inapropriate modernisms and mid atlanticisms that can so often grate ( cf the recent Camelot on TV which was dire!) Its greatest strengtha are that it is understated and it is on a human level. And I felt a connection with our land and the history of our peoples - living as I do in one of the oldest settled places in the country. I look greatly forward to future works by this author

Good story, usual blood and guts stuff but some good historical facts in it that lend itself to the interest factor. will definitely be reading more of Mr Hill's work.

Well written, interesting twist on the years prior to 1066, good battle sequences and a believable plot that fits the history

I was a little anxious about reading Shieldwall - it was on the Amazon Vine Review list, so out of curiosity I selected it. My concern - I too write Historical Fiction and two of my novels are exactly of this period.

As historical fiction novelists, it is up to us to do the research, get the facts as right as we can, breath life into people who lived several hundred years ago - and invent the rest as plausibly as we can and make the narrative as believable as possible.

Justin Hill has done this superbly.

I am a huge Godwin and Harold Godwinsson supporter (Harold is my hero) and my own interpretation of their story - and Emma and Cnut's - is very dear to me.

Shieldwall did not disappoint - in fact the opposite. And Huzzah for more about Edmund Ironside - what a fantastic King he would have made. I admire and respect that guy - he deserves his own book!

There were some things I didn't agree with - but all history is a matter of interpretation and opinion. We all have our own views and argue like mad over which one of us is right. At the end of the day, though, this is a novel written for entertainment, it is not meant to be a history book.... so its a damn fine read!

(I'm now anxious to see what the author does with 1066..... no Norman propaganda I hope? Duke William had no right to the English throne....)

Justin Hill is one of many to have just begun a historical series set around 1066. However, he has made a better start than most. Hill has a similar academic background to James Aitcheson, who is covering much of the same ground, but from the Norman point of view. They have both cribbed the Saxon place names from the same sources and have read the same original chronicles. Hill has chosen a key protagonist. Aitcheson has invented an unknown.

Hill has the trickier job. He is following the Conn Igguldsen route. Take the key character in a turbulent period of history, start with his youth and character formation, and hang the whole tale on that: eg. Caesar and Genghis Khan. Napier does the same with Attila the Hun. The alternative, I would call the Cornwell/CS Forester school - make up an individual then plonk them into every major event of that period. the great benefit of the first scholl is that the story, if good enough in itself will propel the whole thing along quite nicely, which is what happens here. The book clatters along, makes no mistakes, informs and interests. The drawback is that it rarely gets the pulse racing. The worst proponents of this style in the 70s and 80s were first Nigel Tranter (Scottish History) and then Sharon Penman (Wars of the Roses). The other style is usually much more exciting, but is very unforgiving of poor characterisation and loose plotting. That's why bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow sell so well, and usually the other kind doesnt. This is the better end of the other kind.

So what do we have? A clear well told story, but VERY limited excitement. Much blood is spilled but there is nothing very gutsy here. If you want the exciting school of historical fiction don't go for this. If you are interested in history for itself, it's a good primer on the period without having to read REALLY boring books.

By sheer good fortune I came across this wonderful book in my local library and I'm so very glad I did. It simply sucked me in and I read it more-or-less in one sitting. It's just a fabulously well-written and compulsive page-turner. The characters, settings and sense of period are magnificently well-drawn and for any fan of historical fiction interested in this period of history, I find it hard to believe that any reader will be disappointed. Amazingly, reading the reviews, there are some who didn't enjoy it - but, one can't please everyone. If I had one criticism to make it's the author's constant use of Anglo-Saxon place names which I found distracting, not a little irritating, and, perhaps, a little pointless. But I'm sure he had his reasons and the book is so faultless otherwise I will just have to find it in my heart to forgive him. There may well be historical inaccuracies also - but any writer of fiction has to do just that: write fiction. It's just a great read and if Justin Hill is really writing a sequel - as the afterword suggests - then I look forward to that!

I bought this book for my husband as a present,as he is a big fan of this whole Norse,"Viking"/Saxon/Norman genre.
He said after reading Helen Horricks review- Spot on!
The main characters have depth,warmth and likeability. Smaller characters join in, adding some more flavour, combined with historical education on certain points, and describing intricately the world the characters lived in,whether by sight,sound, or ideas?
Godwin,his son Harold,and Edmund Ironside are mentioned, which is good, as old Ironsides is often sadly forgotten by history and authors?
A cracking good read that if you like Justins style of writing, and the groundwork and subject matter/characters part mentioned herein? Will leave you chomping at the bit to read the next book in the series,as this book, builds the tension nicely for greater things to come,in the harsh days ahead for the Saxon struggle.
10/10 for especially his 1st work... which promises to be a cracking good read in the next anticipated book?