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William I (the Conqueror)...

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Nefret
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William I (the Conqueror)...

Post by Nefret » Mon June 10th, 2013, 1:31 am

I know there are non- fiction (and maybe some fiction) about 1066. And I was looking for other novels about him (that aren't just the Battle of Hastings.) Is there such thing?

The only one I can think of (set in that area) is Elizabeth Chadwick's The Conquest.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Amanda
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Post by Amanda » Mon June 10th, 2013, 5:49 am

I read William the Conqueror by John Wingate some years ago and thought it was quite good. Its an older book (1983) but there are some cheap copies on amazon.

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Post by annis » Mon June 10th, 2013, 7:23 am

Wingate's is definitely the best fictional take on old Will as far as I'm concerned. Mary Lide's Fortune's Knave is just "meh" and Georgette Heyer's The Conqueror is okay but quite old-fashioned in style. It's one of the better of Heyer's straight historical fiction - most of it is almost unreadable IMO, stilted and full of "gadzookery". Luckily she needed the money her charming Regencies brought in, so we were spared too many of the horror "serious" historicals which she believed were her true calling.

William I is a major character in The Paladin by George Shipway. This novel is the first part of the story of Walter Tirel, assassin of William II of England. The tale is then continued in Wolf Time. The novels take place in Normandy and features the ageing William the Conqueror's battles with rebellious Norman vassals led by his estranged son, Robert Curthose; also the king's death and the struggle between his three sons for domination of England and Normandy. William's sons, Robert Curthose, William II, and Henry I of England, also feature prominently.

William I is also a significant character in Valerie Anand's Gildenford trilogy.
Last edited by annis on Mon June 10th, 2013, 7:02 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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Amanda
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Post by Amanda » Mon June 10th, 2013, 8:06 am

I remember the cover of the Wingate book looking quite masculine and military, and I thought I would read it and then get rid of it at a second hand dealer. However, it is a really well rounded book with quite a bit about his wife Mathilda, and I have since passed it on to both my mother and my brother and it has reached Keeper status.

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Post by Mythica » Mon June 10th, 2013, 10:26 am

Is Chadwick's "The Conquest" actually about William? The description doesn't mention him. I thought The Winter Mantle was about William.

Wife to the Bastard by Hilda Lewis is obviously about his wife Matilda so I imagine William himself plays a large role in it.

Needle in the Blood is about William's brother and therefore may strongly feature him.

There's some that are out of print and therefore might be hard to find:

Rite of Conquest by Judith Tarr

The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy - though it's out of print, it is available in the UK as an ebook.

I think Maureen Peter's Dragon and the Rose is about William.

The Disputed Crown by Valerie Anand

There's also a couple self published novels:
The Bastard's Crown
Motive's Mirror

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Post by Misfit » Mon June 10th, 2013, 2:52 pm

[quote=""annis""]Wingate's is definitely the best fictional take on old Will as far as I'm concerned. Mary Lide's Fortune's Knave is just "meh" and Georgette Heyer's The Conqueror is okay but quite old-fashioned in style. It's one of the better of Heyer's straight historical fiction - most of it is almost unreadable IMO, stilted and full of "gadzookery". Luckily she needed the money her charming Regencies brought in, so we were spared too many of the horror "serious" historicals which she believed were her true calling.

William I is a major character in The Paladin by George Shipway. This novel is the first part of the story of Walter Tirel, assassin of William II of England. The tale is then continued in Wolf Time. The novels take place in Normandy and features the ageing William the Conqueror's battles with rebellious Norman vassals led by his estranged son, Robert Curthose; also the king's death and the struggle between his three sons for domination of England and Normandy. William's sons, Robert Curthose, William II, and Henry I of England, also feature prominently.

William I is also a significant character in Valerie Ananad's Gildenford trilogy.[/quote]

I second the meh on the Lide book, as well as Heyer's. I bailed around 100 pages, it was too painful. Plaidy has at least one book on him, it was just buddy read at the JP group at GR. I'll see what I can hunt down.
Is Chadwick's "The Conquest" actually about William? The description doesn't mention him. I thought The Winter Mantle was about William.
Not about William, just begins right after the battle at Hastings IIRC.
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Post by Misfit » Mon June 10th, 2013, 3:23 pm

Found it. The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy. Amazon.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Post by princess garnet » Mon June 10th, 2013, 8:56 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]Found it. The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy. Amazon.[/quote]
I've read a library copy of it last year. It was the 1st in a trilogy about William and his family.

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Post by Nefret » Mon June 10th, 2013, 9:29 pm

[quote=""princess garnet""]I've read a library copy of it last year. It was the 1st in a trilogy about William and his family.[/quote]

Is that the Norman trilogy? Prequel to the Plantagenet series?
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Post by princess » Mon June 10th, 2013, 10:43 pm

"Wife to the Bastard" by Hilda Lewis - actually a pretty decent read, although I'm not sure he comes across all that favourably in it.
Currently reading: The Poisoned Pilgrim: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch

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