J. Boyce Gleason

A very intricate story of betrayal and kinship, paganism and early Christianity in France (ad 741). I liked this book because it told the story often from a woman’s perspective. So many of the historical fiction for this time period tell from a male perspective and much of the human intricacies get lost for the war details! This book included much of the intrigue as well as the thinking that went into the workings that lead up to a massive war between 2 brothers.
I thought it was a very good book. Character development was good (best for the 2 female characters). I liked that it included some of the details of being female (treated as a bartering chip to gain power/build alliances) and male (struggling to take leadership of an army, family betrayals). Many authors either emphasize or ignore the sex aspect of life, but Boyce Gleason does not (but those aspects are pretty PG).
I liked the story line. This book dealt with the succession after the death of the father of 4 children.
I took a while to get into the book because it was hard for me to pair the characters to the different nuances in the narrator’s voice. The narration was ok, however, the variation in voices of the characters was difficult to pick up for me until about chapter 7.
The story got quite interesting and ends with a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next book in the series.
This book is one you should read if you enjoyed the classics, Ivanhoe or Tristan and Isolde. Good historical fiction that puts you right in the middle of things during the Dark Ages in France.
I imagine that the written book would have a map of France from around 740, and I would have found this helpful as I was not at all familiar with the history of France.… (altro)

Wow, just a flat out wow! This is a sweeping novel of historical fiction that I thoroughly enjoyed and could not put down. The year is 741 and the church is out to end paganism at any cost. The church is sly and scheming, a political hornets nest and they will stop at nothing to win ALL the souls of humanity. Charles Martel the current leader is dying and wants to break his kingdom into equal shares for his three sons, Carloman, Pippin, and Gripho and also marry off his daughter Trudi to a nobleman to hold and strengthen his borders. Unfortunately best laid plans go awry and the sons soon turn to fighting, bloodshed and war to hold on to power. The personalities of the sons are all completely different. Carloman is a devout christian yet easily manipulated by the elders of the church, he makes many mistakes due to the churches self interest interference. Pippin is a solid good son and just wants everyone to get along. Gripho is a hothead with a temper and a lust for power. One can see where problems might arise. Trudi in the mean time has been raised more like a son than a daughter and is a force to be reckoned with. There is no way she's going to have an arranged marriage and she strikes out on her own. This was just such a fun novel to read, so much battle action, and a love story to boot. I highly recommend this novel. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. A solid 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to LibraryThing for a chance to listen/ read this ARC audio book.… (altro)

I was so glad to be offered this book for review because I have not read any historical fiction surrounding the Carolingian dynasty. I am pleased to say that Anvil of God was a terrific introduction to the era. Gleason's impeccably researched novel takes us into the heart of the time period and tells us an exciting and interesting tale of a time when Christianity was striving to quash Paganism and warfare was a constant.

Struck with the reality that he is dying, Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) devises a plan for his sons to rule the kingdom and to make an advantageous marriage for his daughter to achieve political stability. However, his offspring are not so ready to cooperate. Having different views on religion and wanting to choose marriage for love over political advantage, his sons and daughter have designs on choosing their own paths in life. What we are left with is a story of the bonds of family and what factors can cause those bonds to break.

Gleason has written a fantastic historical novel. This being the first book in The Carolingian Chronicles, I am looking forward to the next book.

… (altro)