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Alfred Duggan

Ash
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Post by Ash » Sun March 29th, 2009, 3:24 pm

Both of your lists are very helpful, thanks Keny!

annis
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Post by annis » Sun March 29th, 2009, 6:06 pm

Posted by Keny
most hastings era fiction is far too imbued with apochraphyl nationalism for my tastes.
You might find that aspect annoying in "Lord of Sunset" as well, only in this case it is Harold Godwinson who is the patriot. The concept of Angelcynn is central to Harold and informs all his actions. Angelcynn is a bit difficult to describe - it means both the English people and the land they occupy.

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Mon March 30th, 2009, 2:38 am

Our own concept of nationalism is so tied to land and government, it's hard for us to conceive of the earlier concept under which nationalism was based on what was essentially a widely extended kinship group. Harold Godwinson was probably still at the cusp of the old concept as it evolved into the new. When people were still largely nomadic (and the Celtic and Germanic people held onto nomadic customs and concepts fairly late among European peoples, because they had not been part of the Roman Empire during its classical period), it made no sense to attach the idea of rulership and nationality to the people who lived in a particular land.
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

annis
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Post by annis » Mon March 30th, 2009, 3:25 am

Interestingly, given his Saxon ethnic background, King Alfred can probably be credited with the promotion of the term Angelcynn and the invention of the English as a political community, so the concept of Angelcynn actually dates back well before Harold's time, to Alfred and the tenth century West Saxon kings who followed him.
Last edited by annis on Mon March 30th, 2009, 3:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Wed April 8th, 2009, 11:37 am

Hi Annis
Many thanks for your thoughts on The Forgotten Legion. However I can definitely tell you that The Silver Eagle has not yet been published - it still hasn't had its last copy edit! It's being released in the UK on June 4th. If you buy a copy, I hope you enjoy it.

[/QUOTE] It's the first in a series and the second book has just been released, though I haven't read it yet- "Silver Eagle".[/QUOTE]

I have to confess that I hadn't read Alfred Duggan's Winter Quarters, or even heard of it, until recently. When told about it by someone on a HF thread on Amazon.com though, I dutifully went and bought a copy (which has a truly awful jacket picture). I'm thoroughly enjoying Winter Quarters, and am about halfway through it. Excellent historical fiction.

May I pass on my compliments about this website too, which I only discovered this morning. It's excellent, and I look forward to participating in good threads in the future.

Best wishes
Last edited by parthianbow on Wed April 8th, 2009, 11:41 am, edited 4 times in total.
Ben Kane
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Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

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annis
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Post by annis » Wed April 8th, 2009, 10:02 pm

Good to hear from you, Ben. Apologies for misleading people about "Silver Eagle" I'm not sure where I picked up the idea that it was already out-- I just checked Book Depository and see that it's listed as being on pre-order for June this year. Does that sound right? It's definitely on my list of titles to keep on eye on.

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sweetpotatoboy
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Post by sweetpotatoboy » Tue May 12th, 2009, 3:55 pm

I'm currently reading my first Duggan: Three's Company.

I found it a bit... stodgy to begin with. Even though I know the period and have read novels on it recently, I still found it a little difficult to get into. But about a third of the way in, it settled down and I'm enjoying it.

Interesting to read about Rome's Second Triumvirate from the viewpoint of Lepidus, rather than Octavian or Mark Anthony, for once.

I'm sure I will read other Duggan novels after this one.

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Kveto from Prague
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Post by Kveto from Prague » Sat June 20th, 2009, 8:56 pm

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]I'm currently reading my first Duggan: Three's Company.

I found it a bit... stodgy to begin with. Even though I know the period and have read novels on it recently, I still found it a little difficult to get into. But about a third of the way in, it settled down and I'm enjoying it.

Interesting to read about Rome's Second Triumvirate from the viewpoint of Lepidus, rather than Octavian or Mark Anthony, for once.

I'm sure I will read other Duggan novels after this one.[/quote]

Just got "winters quarters" and "leopards and lilies" in the post. will make for some good summer reading.

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Kveto from Prague
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Post by Kveto from Prague » Sat February 13th, 2010, 10:25 am

just bumping this thread up for Chris

Chris Little
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Winter Quarters

Post by Chris Little » Sat February 13th, 2010, 6:34 pm

is one of my Duggan favorites -- thanks Keny for bringing the Duggan stream to my attention. This site continues to get richer daily for me.

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