First published 2024
Penda rises from the edges of power to rule Mercia during the turbulent seventh century. Born in 605, he faces a Britain torn between old traditions and the advancing Christian faith. Climate upheavals shake the land while kingdoms wage constant war against each other. Penda holds firm to ancient Anglo-Saxon beliefs as Christianity threatens to erase older cultures entirely. With Queen Cynewise at his side, he transforms Mercia from a minor territory into Britain's most stable kingdom. His reign spans the era when Wales, Scotland, and England take their modern shapes. Penda defends cultural diversity against forces demanding conformity. He serves his family and honors ancestral ways while building the foundation for Mercian supremacy that will endure over two centuries. As the last great heathen warlord of the Anglo-Saxons, Penda challenges every assumption about progress and power in early medieval Britain.
Genres: historical, historical-fiction, fantasy, epic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: epic-fantasy, historical-fiction
Setting: Mercia, Britain, Wales, Scotland, England
Period: 7th Century
256 pages · Hardcover · Pen and Sword Military