Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick (Book Review)

Title: Pendragon's Banner (Book Two of The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy)
Author: Helen Hollick
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

First sentence: With an exhausted grunt of effort, Arthur, the Pendragon, raised his sword and with a deep intake of breath brought it down through the full force of weight and momentum into the skull of an Anglian thegn.



Once again, Helen Hollick gives us a wonderful addition to King Arthur's story. Arthur started in The Kingmaking as a teenager - not even knowing that he was the heir to the throne. In Pendragon's Banner, he is not only King, but husband and father - and battling to do justice to all those roles.

Arthur has married Gwenhwyfar and with their children they have traveled, eventually settling at Caer Cadan. The traveling and Arthur's "wandering" have taken a toll on his and Gwenhwyfar's marriage. Add to the fact that Gwenhwyfar was also very intelligent and was somewhat a warrior herself - coming from a long line of warriors - there was bound to be conflict between the two. Even though they were estranged, they manage to come back together. Arthur is also battling his first wife, Winifred, and Morgause who has cursed his children if Arthur should ever come after her.

This book covers about 6 years but it does not lack for political struggles, battles, infidelity, romance. What you will not find though is Merlin or Excalibur or the Knights of the Round Table. This is historical fiction without all the fantasy - a King Arthur we can believe might really have lived.

I enjoyed this second installment of Pendragon's Banner as much as I did the first - but I found it hard to try to sum up. Most of this information is new to me, as I was never a big fan of the King Arthur stories. I am, however, a big fan of Helen Hollick's books and am looking forward to the re-release of the third book in this series next year.

To read more about Pendragon's Banner and visit other blogs on the tour, please visit my earlier post telling about the tour. You will also find a synopsis of the book there.


***Special thanks to Paul at Sourcebooks for providing me with this review copy.***

Pendragon's Banner
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Landmark, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1889-7
496 pages

Blog Tour: Pendragon's Banner (Oct 12-Oct 31)

Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick
begins touring the blogosphere with Sourcebooks!

After claiming his throne on the blood-soaked fields of Rutupiae—striking fear into the hearts of his enemies—only Morgause “the witch” dared to challenge Arthur in this follow-up to Helen Hollick’s smash hit The Kingmaking. In a deadly game of politics and back-stabbing, Arthur must deal with the reality that taking a kingdom is far different from keeping one! Hollick’s new historical, Pendragon’s Banner (ISBN: 978-1402218897), spans six years, from 459-465 A.D., and details Arthur’s struggle to stay in power and keep his family alive.

Two enemies in particular threaten everything that is dear to him: Winifred, Arthur's vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North. Both have royal ambitions of their own.

This is not a fairy tale or fantasy. There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. This is a tale of battle, intrigue and an irate Morgause who delights in nurturing the belief that she is a witch—especially after her very public curse on Arthur’s sons… This is an account of Arthurian legend, based on historical evidence and meticulous research; a story of King Arthur as it may have actually unfolded.

Bernard Cornwell has said that “Helen Hollick has it all” and that she “tells a great story.” Sharon Kay Penman felt that the novel was “compelling, convincing and—ultimately—unforgettable.” In this story of harsh battles, treasonous plots, and the life-threatening politics of Britain's dark ages, author Helen Hollick boldly reintroduces King Arthur as you've never seen him before. This is the true story of King Arthur’s quest to keep all of Britain united under his legendary Pendragon’s Banner.

"Hollick juggles a cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill."

– Publishers Weekly

"Weaves together fact, legend, and inspired imagination to create a world so real we can breathe the smoke of its fires and revel in the Romano- British lust for life, love and honor."

– Historical Novel Review

"Camelot as it really was... a very talented writer."

– Sharon Kay Penman, bestselling author of The Devil's Brood

"Hellen Hollick has it all. She tells a great story, gets her history right, and writes consistently readable books.”

--Bernard Cornwell

Visit all these great blogs on the tour:

The Tome Traveller’s Weblog (10/12)

A Reader’s Respite (10/12)

Carla Nayland’s Historical Fiction (10/13)

Enchanted by Josephine (10/14)

Fumbling with Fiction (10/14)

Found Not Lost (10/15)

Nan Hawthorne’s Booking the Middle Ages (10/15)

Jenny Loves to Read (10/16)

The Review From Here (10/17)

The Courtier’s Book (10/18)

Chick Loves Lit (10/19)

Love Romance Passion (10/20)

He Followed Me Home… Can I Keep Him? (10/20)

The Impasse Strikes Back (10/21)

S. Krishna’s Books (10/22)

Books Like Breathing (10/23)

Passages to the Past (10/24)

Virginie Says (10/25)

Readaholic (10/25)

Reading with Monie (10/26)

Books & Needlepoint (10/27)

A Sea of Books (10/28)

Bloody Bad (10/28)

Devourer of Books (10/29)

Peeking Between the Pages (10/29)

Historical Tapestry (10/30)

Medieval Bookworm (10/30)

Book Soulmates (10/30)

Susan’s Art & Words (10/30)

Steven Till (10/31)

Café of Dreams (10/31)

Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 9-21-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!




Only You by Deborah Grace Staley

I won this book from J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog.

A charming romance about the lives and loves of people in a small Tennessee town. In the tradition of Debbie Macomber. "Hey, ya'll. Dixie Ferguson here. I run Ferguson's Diner in Angel Ridge, Tennessee. Population three hundred forty-five. It's a picturesque town in the valley of the Little Tennessee River, established in 1785. In the early days, its first families--the McKays, the Wallaces, the Houstons, the Joneses, and, of course, the Craigs--staked their claims on hundreds of acres of the richest bottom land anyone had ever seen. After all the years I've spent behind the counter at Ferguson's, I could probably tell ya'll a story about near everyone in town. But we only have so much time, so I'll narrow it down to just two for now. This is a story about coming home. It's also a story about acceptin' folks for who they are. You could say it's a story about Josie Allen, a librarian, and Cole Craig, a handyman, but I say it's a story about finding love where you'd least expect to." (Amazon)

Only You (Book 1, The Angel Ridge Series)
Publisher/Publication Date: Bell Bridge Books, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9821756-3-7
208 pages

The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

I received this for a book Random House book tour in October - There will also be a giveaway!

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store and serves as a contact between Amish craftsmen and Englischer retailers. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart every day, and she still wears dark dresses to indicate her mourning of her fiance. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow in an Englischer store, something deep inside bet's soul responds, and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after meeting Jonah, the artist, she is determined that Beth come to know this man whose hands create healing art. But it's not that simple--Beth has cut herself off from any possibility of romance. Will Lizzy's elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth new hope and a second chance at real love--or just more heartbreak? (book jacket)

The Sound of Sleigh Bells
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, October 2009
ISBN: 978-0-307-44653-4
208 pages

Last Breath by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins

I received this for a First Wild Card Tour in October.

With his last breath, a dying man whispered four stunning words into Shaley O'Connor's ear.


The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor, on tour with her mother's popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limo. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing. . . except the one thing she can't have.


Shaley is reeling after two murders on the Rayne concert tour. But she has no time to rest. If the dying man's claim is right, the danger is far from over.


Shaley's quest for the truth leads to the mysterious and wrenching past of her mother and father. Could what happened to them so many years ago threaten Shaley's life now? (back cover)

Last Breath
Publisher/Publication Date: Zondervan, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-310-71540-5
240 pages

Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II
by Douglas W. Jacobson

I received this for an October book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

What price would you pay to keep your soul?

In 1939 the Germans invade Poland, setting off a rising storm of violence and destruction. For Anna and Ian Kopernik the loss is unimaginable. Anna's father is deported to a death camp, and Anna must flee to Belgium where she joins the Resistance. Meanwhile, Jan escapes with the battered remnants of the Polish army to Britain. When British intelligence asks him to return to Poland in an undercover mission to contact the Resistance, he seizes the chance to search for his missing wife. (back cover)

Night of Flames
Publisher/Publication Date: McBooks Press, Oct 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59013-166-4
384 pages

Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick

I received this book from Sourcebooks.

Three years have passed since the mists cleared to reveal the Pendragon Banner triumphant. Arthur is king. But the crown, once won, must be defended.

He is a man about whom legends will be told. With his loyal and fiercely valiant wife Gwenhwyfar by his side, and three sons to his name, twenty-four-year-old King Arthur takes on the burden of a country battling for its very soul.

But before the harpers sing of glory, before the tales of brave daring and skill, a young man must win his place as the greatest warrior of all Britain. . .and the greatest king of all time. (back cover)

Pendragon's Banner (Book 2, The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy)
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Landmark, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1889-7
496 pages

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
by Allison Hoover Bartlett

I received this through the Library Thing Early Reviewer program.

John Charles Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett befriended both eccentric characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes and how Sanders ultimately caught him, but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love. (back cover)

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
Publisher/Publication Date: Riverhead Hardcover, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59448-891-7
288 pages

What books found a new home with you this week?