The Flame of Resistance (The Lost King Book 1)

This is the first novel in a series covering the life of Edgar the Atheling, last surviving male member of the Saxon royal house, who was briefly declared king of England by the royal council, the Witan, after King Harold was killed at Hastings. After briefly resisting William's advance on London, he and other leading figures capitulated when William circled London and attacked from the north. Edgar was a boy of only 13 and, in this novel, quite immature at this time, so it is not too surprising he was unable to garner much support, but over the next two to three years he escapes from William and flees north, settling at the court of the Scottish king, Malcolm Canmore (the vanquisher of the historical King Macbeth). The Danish King Svein Estrithson also attempts an invasion. These were of course turbulent times, when William's control over his country outside the south east was very shaky and, given slightly different circumstances, history might have turned out differently for young Edgar. But William was an utterly determined and ruthless ruler, and skilled in battle. As this novel ends, Edgar, now showing much greater maturity and judgement, has reached an uneasy truce with the Danes so they can all turn on William. It's an exciting read, with short chapters ending on a cliffhanger, and I downloaded book 2 immediately after finishing this. ( )