J. K. Swift

Intriguing characters

This is a fairly well written story which guides the reader through medieval Austria. The characters are quite charming and the descriptions are just as detailed as they should be without taking away from the story.

The only thing which I could complain about is that the ending feels far too abrupt for me. I understand the difficulty of breaking a story into several books, and I hope the tale continues in the next, but the last few pages simply didn't satisfy like they show more could have. show less

Set in 14th century (I think) Switzerland, then still part of the Habsburg empire, the story is an odd mix of returning crusaders meets important historical figure (Leopold) meets local revolutionary meets druidic tribal mythology meets with hunts -- a rather wild mix that does not always work but makes for some rather graphic medieval violence.

The story is based on the Hapsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire (c1300) and their attempted conquest of the area eventually called Switzerland. Both pagan and Christian characters are involved and the exploits of overlords leads to rebellion. Well written.