The audio version of LEADER OF BATTLES (IV): DRYSTAN is now available, narrated by Paul Jenkins. This tells the story of the doomed lovers, Drystan and Esyllt, as darkness falls over Free Britannia and Artorius, the High King.

“Britannia, 491 AD. Twelve years have passed since the British victory at Mount Badon. For the first time since the departure of the legions, Britannia is at peace. The Saxons are quiet in the east, towns and villages once again flourish, and Artorius reigns supreme as High King.

Yet the hard-won peace is fragile. Trouble flares in the north, inside the Kingdom of Rheged, where civil war threatens to break out over territory and the hand of a royal princess. Artorius once again rides out at the head of his famous Companions to restore order, but the war only exposes tension among his followers. The long peace has bred resentment, and a new generation of warriors grow to manhood who care little for the past.

While Artorius struggles to maintain order in Rheged, a new and far more deadly enemy rises in the far south-west. Drystan of Kernow, bastard son of King Marcus, slays a famous pirate in single combat. Having earned a glorious reputation, he is sent to Hibernia to fetch back a young bride for his father. The bride is Esyllt, daughter of King Niall. Drystan falls in love with the girl and abducts her, threatening to start a new war that will tear Britannia all to pieces.

Artorius is forced to move swiftly to save his kingdom. The ageing warlord soon discovers that no man is invincible, and suffers defeat, betrayal and personal loss in his fight against Drystan. Meanwhile, as the British kingdoms falter, the shadow in the east continues to gather strength.

Book Four of the Leader of Battles series follows the tale of Drystan and Esyllt, better-known as the doomed lovers Tristan and Isolde. This version sets their romance against the harsh, unforgiving backdrop of post-Roman Britannia, where treachery is rife, and darkness closes over the head of the High King.”

Leader of Battles IV (Drystan) on Audible

New release!

HARDWAY (I) SEA OF SOULS is now available on Kindle!

"Man was born of nature, and carries deep within him the will to survive…" 

Hardway stands on a lonely rock in the middle of raging seas. Once a prison colony, where the worst criminals were sent to live out their days, it is now a thriving city-state. The people of Hardway are survivors, and have carved out their own society in the grey waste of the ocean. This is a place of exile, a natural home for wanderers and outcasts.

One such is a blind old man, a great soldier in his youth, now condemned to live out his days on the island as a despised cripple. There are few alive who can remember General Dusek in his prime, and his own memories are fading. Another lost soul is Maximilian, an artist in thrall to the criminal gangs that run Hardway. Maximilian believes in fate, his own glorious destiny, but first he must find a way to keep body and soul together.

Yet Hardway is not totally forgotten. To the east lies the realm of the Dragon, King Vazul, whose ancestors once ruled over the vast continent of the Old Kingdom. Those days are far in the past now, and Vazul rules over a shrunken remnant of the once-mighty empire. He dreams of matching the deeds of his ancient forebears. His eyes turn east, to Hardway, a refuge for every outlaw and fugitive from his kingdom. The first step to rebuilding his empire is the conquest of Hardway.

Vazul has a rival. To the west, beyond the shores of the Girdle Sea, lies the realm of Calisse. This is a place of mystery and dark magic, founded on the blood of sacrificial victims. For centuries the witch-queens of Calisse have ruled from the Necropolis, city of tombs, and fought to extend their control over the mountains and plains. The latest Grey Queen has finally crushed her enemies, and the whole of Calisse fallen under her sway. She now turns west to face the growing threat of the Dragon.

Caught in the middle of these great powers, the people of Hardway must do what they have always done; find a way to survive. They have no army, no fleet, and no friends. Who will step forward to defend the helpless?

HARDWAY on Amazon US

...and on Amazon UK

Sea of Souls!

Hardway (I) Sea of Souls is now available on pre-order, released on 17 April. This is a departure from my usual historical fiction - it's a fantasy novella, co-written with my friend Martin Bolton. Some years ago, fuelled by beer and more beer, we created a fictional setting called The World Apparent, and to date have written three stories set in that world. More will follow, hopefully...

"Man was born of nature, and carries deep within him the will to survive…

Hardway stands on a lonely rock in the middle of raging seas. Once a prison colony, where the worst criminals were sent to live out their days, it is now a thriving city-state. The people of Hardway are survivors, and have carved out their own society in the grey waste of the ocean. This is a place of exile, a natural home for wanderers and outcasts.

One such is a blind old man, a great soldier in his youth, now condemned to live out his days on the island as a despised cripple. There are few alive who can remember General Dusek in his prime, and his own memories are fading. Another lost soul is Maximilian, an artist in thrall to the criminal gangs that run Hardway. Maximilian believes in fate, his own glorious destiny, but first he must find a way to keep body and soul together.

Yet Hardway is not totally forgotten. To the east lies the realm of the Dragon, King Vazul, whose ancestors once ruled over the vast continent of the Old Kingdom. Those days are far in the past now, and Vazul rules over a shrunken remnant of the once-mighty empire. He dreams of matching the deeds of his ancient forebears. His eyes turn east, to Hardway, a refuge for every outlaw and fugitive from his kingdom. The first step to rebuilding his empire is the conquest of Hardway.

Vazul has a rival. To the west, beyond the shores of the Girdle Sea, lies the realm of Calisse. This is a place of mystery and dark magic, founded on the blood of sacrificial victims. For centuries the witch-queens of Calisse have ruled from the Necropolis, city of tombs, and fought to extend their control over the mountains and plains. The latest Grey Queen has finally crushed her enemies, and the whole of Calisse fallen under her sway. She now turns west to face the growing threat of the Dragon.

Caught in the middle of these great powers, the people of Hardway must do what they have always done; find a way to survive. They have no army, no fleet, and no friends. Who will step forward to defend the helpless?"

Pre-order Hardway on Amazon US

...and Amazon UK!

 

Edward I and Wales

Today is the release of the Kindle version of my latest book, this time a non-fictional work on King Edward I and Wales. This is the first of a two-parter, and the first volume concentrates on Edward's complex relationship with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales. The second volume willl focus on Edward's later wars in Wales, his legal settlement of the country and massive castle-building programme. Updates on the release of the paperback to follow.

“And then all Wales was thrown to the ground…”

On a bleak winter’s day in December 1282 the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, was lured into an ambush and killed. His army was scattered and his severed head sent to Edward I, who had it displayed at the Tower of London. Llywelyn’s lifelong struggle to unify his country had come to a violent and tragic end. 

The death of Llywelyn, and the execution of his brother Dafydd in October 1283, resulted in the conquest of Gwynedd and the effective destruction of their dynasty. It also marked the end of over two hundred years of conflict, in which the native lords of Gwynedd had successfully resisted the power of the English crown. King Edward’s victory in 1283 was a landmark in Welsh history, and left a bitter legacy that endures to this day. 

This is the story of the conflict between Edward and Llywelyn, a long and convoluted struggle played out over several decades. Both men were ambitious, proud, stubborn and highly competent, neither prepared to give ground to the other. Theirs was as much a personal rivalry as a war between two competing states, but it need not have ended in blood. As this account will show, the king and the prince were not always enemies, and there was nothing inevitable about Llywelyn’s downfall.

This is the first of two volumes on the history of Edward I and Wales by David Pilling, author of The Wars of Edward I 1255-74 (I) The Leopard. He is also the author of fictional works such as the Longsword series, Reiver, Caesar’s Sword, The White Hawk, The Half-Hanged Man and many others.

Edward I and Wales on Amazon US

Edward I and Wales on Amazon UK