Sworn Sword by James Aitcheson FIC Ait

Three years after the Battle of Hastings (where William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy defeated Harold Godwineson, English King, for control of England), the Normans are defeated in a rout by the rebel English at Durham.  Killed there is Robert de Commines, the sword lord of Tancred a Dinant.  Bereft at the loss of his lord and father-figure, Tancred flees to York.  While recovering from a battle wound he attracts the attention of the Earl of York.  When the rebels threaten York, the Earl asks Tancred to escort his wife and daughter to the safety of London - and from there his priest on a further mission to Wilton to deliver a message.  Even as Tancred and his fellow knights flee the city with their charges in tow, York is under siege and the fate of the Earl is unknown.

In the days and weeks that follow Tancred becomes increasingly suspicious of the reasons for his journey beyond London.  Whom can he trust?  What is the real reason behind his trip?  And, most of all, will he and his fellow knights be able to complete their charge and make it back to London in time to join King William and his troops as they begin their relief of York to rescue the Earl?

This is an action-packed novel filled with details of life in 1069.  Battles are realistically described - and there are many battles!  Tancred, while an experienced knight, isn't necessarily a good leader but his growth is apparent throughout the novel.  Women, though few in what is essentially a war novel, are present and their role seems accurate to the times - relegated to the background but necessary.  Even the English people are seen as what they were - a conquered people living in fear and distrust of their conquerors.

I have only a few complaints:

1.      Harold Godwineson (whom my family claims, without proof, as a distant relative) is always referred to as a "usurper and betrayer".

2.      In order to be historically accurate, the author uses old English names for current cities.  Eoferwic, for example, instead of York.  Frequent references to the index in the front were necessary.

3.      The author is only 28-years-old.

This is the first of a trilogy and I look forward to reading the sequels - and many other books by this author.