1991; 269 pages. Book 18 (out of 20) in the “Chronicles of Brother Cadfael” series. New Author? : No. Genres : Historical Fiction; Historical
Mystery; Cozy. Overall Rating: 8½*/10.
It’s the summer of 1144 CE and the Church in
England needs a favor from Brother Cadfael. Two bishops have recently been appointed to
Sees in Wales, and the Archbishop of Canterbury has decided to send
gifts to both of them.
Brother Mark has been
dispatched by Canterbury to deliver the presents, but there’s one slight
problem: he’s journeying to Wales but doesn’t speak a word of Welsh. Would Brother Cadfael be so kind as to
accompany Brother Mark and serve as his translator?
Cadfael is delighted
to accept! He was born and raised in
Wales, but now is stationed nearby at the Shrewsbury Abbey and rarely gets to visit
his old homeland despite its proximity.
This trip will mean he’ll get to travel in Wales for more than a week, while doing the church’s business, and enjoying the local hospitality. What could possibly go wrong?!
Well, there’s a reason why the
book is titled The Summer of the Danes.
What’s To Like...
The Summer of the
Danes is the eighteenth book the Ellis Peters’ Brother
Cadfael series. I’ve read twelve
of the completed 20-book series so far, and not reading them in any
particular order.
This book is unique to the
series in several ways. First of all, it
predominantly takes place in Wales, which I don’t recall being done before. Secondly, this is not a murder-mystery, which
is what all the other books I’ve read in this series were. Yes, a murder takes place, but not until more
than a quarter of the way through the tale, and Brother Cadfael isn’t involved
in the sleuthing at all. Indeed, Brother
Cadfael is mostly relegated to being an observer of events here, dispensing
sage advice and making keen observations.
The book is primarily a work
of Historical Fiction, and what a fine job Ellis Peters does in presenting it! Owain, prince of Gwynedd, is engaged in an
internecine struggle with his estranged brother, Cadwaladr, who has hired a
company of Danish mercenary seamen (hence the
title) to help him procure the throne. Cadfael and his companions become involved in
the dispute when they are captured by the Danes and held for ransom.
The main theme of the story is
the role that Honor played in medieval conflicts. There are leaders and fighters in both the
Welsh and Danish forces who strictly abide by their pledges. That’s true of captives as well; they can be
released for pressing reasons if they promise return to their incarceration in
an agreed-upon amount of time, and which most of them faithfully do. There is also some Romance, which is a component of all the books in this series, but it's a secondary plot thread and male readers shouldn't be scared off by this.
Edith Pargeter (“Ellis Peters” is a pen name) was an English
author, so the book is written in English, not American, but this wasn’t
distracting at all. There’s a Glossary
of Terms in the back, which was helpful, although it ought to be expanded a bit for us Yankee readers.
The ending is pleasant; all
ends well for most of the characters.
Love and Honor both emerge triumphant, and the aforementioned murder is
solved without any investigation needed.
The conflict between the two brothers is resolved, albeit not in the way
I expected. The Romance resolution will
probably surprise some, but veteran Cadfael readers will correctly guess its
outcome long before it plays out.
Kewlest New Word ...
Tref (n.) : in medieval times, a hamlet in Britain.
Ratings…
Amazon: 4.5*/5, based on 1,380 ratings
and 169 reviews.
Goodreads: 4.08*/5,
based on 5,087
ratings and 324 reviews.
Excerpts...
“I had a younger brother, better content to
sit on one strip of land lifelong. I was
for off, as far as the road would take me, and it took me half across the world
before I understood. Life goes not in a
straight line, lad, but in a circle. The
first half we spend venturing as far as the world’s end from home and kin and
stillness, and the latter half brings us back by roundabout ways but surely, to
that state from which we set out.” (loc. 898)
“I am Turcaill, son of Turcaill, kinsman to
Otir, who leads this venture.”
“And you know what’s in dispute here? Between two Welsh princes? Why put your own breast between the blades?”
Cadfael reasoned mildly.
“For pay,” said Turcaill cheerfully. “But even unpaid I would not stay behind when
Otir puts to sea. It grows dull
ashore. I’m no landsman, to squat on a
farm year after year, and be content to watch crops grow.” (loc. 1854)
Kindle Details…
The
Summer of the Danes sells for $12.99 right now at Amazon. The other e-books in the series range in
price from $9.99 to $14.99. Ellis Peters is the pen name used by Edith
Pargeter for the Brother Cadfael series, you can search under her real name for
additional Historical Fiction books she wrote.
“There is no one
who cannot be hated, against whatever odds.
Nor anyone who cannot be loved, against all reason. (loc. 985)
There’s not a trace of profanity in The Summer of the Danes, and I’m
always in awe of any author who can do this while still writing a page-turner. Neither are there any rolls-in-the-hay or
other adult situations. The closest we
come to such things is some contemplation on the institution of arranged
marriages and a bit of shed blood when someone gets stabbed with a dagger.
I only spotted two typos: a
capitalization (He/he) and though/through. Kudos to the editor for a job well done. There were a couple of “extras” in the back
of the e-book that I didn't utilize.
One was a preview (the Prologue plus the
first two chapters) of Book 19 in the series, The Holy Thief, which I already have on my Kindle. The other was a “Guide to Welsh Pronunciation”, which might come
in handy for anyone who opts for the audiobook version.
As with all the books I've read so far in this series, I enjoyed The Summer of the Danes. Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books tend to be formulaic, but it's a great formula, particularly since it involves well-researched 12th-century medieval historical fiction.
8½ Stars. One last thing. Knowing that Edith Pargeter was a meticulous historian, I was skeptical when I read that the base for the Danish seagoing raiding parties was Dublin, Ireland. Really, Norsemen used to control of a portion of Ireland?! But Wikipedia confirms this, even making the statement “The Vikings, or Ostmen (East-men) as they called themselves, ruled Dublin for almost three centuries”). See the “History of Dublin” entry in Wikipedia.
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