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Hastings
The battle that changed everything -is the way that many people view the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The shock wave it sent through the medieval world rippled for centuries.
The story of a young illegitimate son of a Norman noble and the daughter of an English housecarl. Forced to be little more than a servant Robert fitz Malet shows the world and his half brothers that he has qualities that mark him as different. When he meets the famous troubadour, Taillefer, he becomes one of the most skilled swordsmen in Duke William’s army as they prepare to invade England and claim the crown promised to him by King Edward.
The story of a young illegitimate son of a Norman noble and the daughter of an English housecarl. Forced to be little more than a servant Robert fitz Malet shows the world and his half brothers that he has qualities that mark him as different. When he meets the famous troubadour, Taillefer, he becomes one of the most skilled swordsmen in Duke William’s army as they prepare to invade England and claim the crown promised to him by King Edward.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2023
100 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Griff Hosker
312 books434 followersI was born in 1950 in Lancashire and attended a boy’s grammar school. After qualifying as an English and Drama teacher in 1972, I worked in the North East of England for the next 35 years. During that time I did write, mainly plays, pantos and musicals for the students at the three schools in which I worked.
When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.
My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.
griff-signature-360x57
When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.
My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.
griff-signature-360x57
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 2, 2023
Like many other people, I have always perceived William the Conqueror and his Norman army as a menacing and relentless invading force that squashed the Saxons through overwhelming brute force rather than following up on a legal right to succession.
Griff Hosker’s novel Hastings, at first glance, may look like an interesting take on the traditional view of 1066. It is subtitled “Conquest: Book 1” with the cover message “The Battle That Changed Everything.” This is a book coming to 1066 from a Norman perspective.
I knew that with Hosker, I would get a deeply researched and authentic medieval-age story. He has written historical novels spanning the Roman era to World War II, with my favorite series being the Lord Edward’s Archer books set in 13th-century Wales and England.
What I wasn’t ready for in Hastings were the emotional stakes of the story, which soon captured me. The protagonist, Richard fitz Malet, is a man with a complicated family background living in a complicated time of constantly shifting alliances. His father was a Norman knight, Lord Robert Malet, but his mother was English. She was the young daughter of an English housecarl, a bodyguard who served Lord Robert when he came to England. Seduced and swiftly discarded, she gave birth to an illegitimate son that the Norman family reluctantly raises, but at a distance.
There are enormous tensions springing from the circumstances of Richard’s birth. His grandfather resents the seduction of his daughter, which ruined her for marriage and broke her health, leading to an early death. Richard learns conversational English from his grandfather, the only loving family he has, which will prove crucial in later chapters. As his grandfather is responsible for teaching warrior skills and weaponry handling to the boys of the large household, he pays special attention to the training of his grandson. As he tells Richard, the Normans see the English as inferior and Richard is intended to live as a bodyguard of his half-brothers, inherently disposable. He needs the finest warrior skills obtainable in order to stay alive.
“Thanks to my grandfather, I never felt myself a Norman,” Richard tells the reader. But throughout his childhood and young manhood, he absorbs Norman standards of manhood and strengths in warfare. He respects those strengths, which made the Normans a feared group throughout Europe. However, his emotional loyalty is to his grandfather and the friends he makes himself, and later to warriors who go out of their way to look out for him, as opposed to seeing him as nothing but a human shield.
There is a great deal of tense and absorbing drama in Richard’s changing position as he slowly transforms from ignored bastard son of an obscure English girl to a formidable warrior. The Malet family is not wholly proud of those skills, especially his nasty half-brother Durand. Because Richard is not one of the “important” legitimate brothers, and these knights, squires, and housecarls often plunge into deadly conflicts, it’s by no means a certainty to the reader that Richard will escape from any encounter unscathed.
In these encounters, Hosker’s ability to describe battles--both the “big picture” and the reality of up-close fighting between men grimly trying to kill each other—really shines. He knows every detail of the weapons and armory. Those curious about William the Conqueror will find fascinating descriptions of his court and his trips to England with Richard in his retinue. These trips were diplomatic for the most part, and I was surprised by how close he was to the childless King Edward. Duke William’s claim to succeed to the English throne is outlined well.
Richard fitz Malet is more than a proficient warrior and a feared athletic combatant in a time of fierce war. He is someone of deep loyalty. While he has a good heart, there is a simmering bitterness inside Richard. I am eager to see where the next novels in Hosker’s series take this engaging protagonist.
Griff Hosker’s novel Hastings, at first glance, may look like an interesting take on the traditional view of 1066. It is subtitled “Conquest: Book 1” with the cover message “The Battle That Changed Everything.” This is a book coming to 1066 from a Norman perspective.
I knew that with Hosker, I would get a deeply researched and authentic medieval-age story. He has written historical novels spanning the Roman era to World War II, with my favorite series being the Lord Edward’s Archer books set in 13th-century Wales and England.
What I wasn’t ready for in Hastings were the emotional stakes of the story, which soon captured me. The protagonist, Richard fitz Malet, is a man with a complicated family background living in a complicated time of constantly shifting alliances. His father was a Norman knight, Lord Robert Malet, but his mother was English. She was the young daughter of an English housecarl, a bodyguard who served Lord Robert when he came to England. Seduced and swiftly discarded, she gave birth to an illegitimate son that the Norman family reluctantly raises, but at a distance.
There are enormous tensions springing from the circumstances of Richard’s birth. His grandfather resents the seduction of his daughter, which ruined her for marriage and broke her health, leading to an early death. Richard learns conversational English from his grandfather, the only loving family he has, which will prove crucial in later chapters. As his grandfather is responsible for teaching warrior skills and weaponry handling to the boys of the large household, he pays special attention to the training of his grandson. As he tells Richard, the Normans see the English as inferior and Richard is intended to live as a bodyguard of his half-brothers, inherently disposable. He needs the finest warrior skills obtainable in order to stay alive.
“Thanks to my grandfather, I never felt myself a Norman,” Richard tells the reader. But throughout his childhood and young manhood, he absorbs Norman standards of manhood and strengths in warfare. He respects those strengths, which made the Normans a feared group throughout Europe. However, his emotional loyalty is to his grandfather and the friends he makes himself, and later to warriors who go out of their way to look out for him, as opposed to seeing him as nothing but a human shield.
There is a great deal of tense and absorbing drama in Richard’s changing position as he slowly transforms from ignored bastard son of an obscure English girl to a formidable warrior. The Malet family is not wholly proud of those skills, especially his nasty half-brother Durand. Because Richard is not one of the “important” legitimate brothers, and these knights, squires, and housecarls often plunge into deadly conflicts, it’s by no means a certainty to the reader that Richard will escape from any encounter unscathed.
In these encounters, Hosker’s ability to describe battles--both the “big picture” and the reality of up-close fighting between men grimly trying to kill each other—really shines. He knows every detail of the weapons and armory. Those curious about William the Conqueror will find fascinating descriptions of his court and his trips to England with Richard in his retinue. These trips were diplomatic for the most part, and I was surprised by how close he was to the childless King Edward. Duke William’s claim to succeed to the English throne is outlined well.
Richard fitz Malet is more than a proficient warrior and a feared athletic combatant in a time of fierce war. He is someone of deep loyalty. While he has a good heart, there is a simmering bitterness inside Richard. I am eager to see where the next novels in Hosker’s series take this engaging protagonist.
April 8, 2025
Griff Hosker är aldrig dålig, och i just detta falll är det en mer stillsam och genomtänkt roman än de flesta andra. Det finns en återkommande tendens i hans böcker, ett recept, som han följer också här. Detta sagt, är det en tydligt bra bok och ett recept som fungerar.
June 14, 2023
A great Tale of Life, Death, Honor and Dishonor.
As a Retired Soldier who fought in Vietnam, I can’t imagine what it took to fight in those days. All battle was fought hand to hand. Sometimes it was hard to say whether you won or lost. I would hope I would fight and survive but you never knew until it was over. True, we had battles similar to this in Vietnam, but I don’t think anything was as horrible as this. As usual, another great read by Griff Hosker. I think you’ll enjoy it.
As a Retired Soldier who fought in Vietnam, I can’t imagine what it took to fight in those days. All battle was fought hand to hand. Sometimes it was hard to say whether you won or lost. I would hope I would fight and survive but you never knew until it was over. True, we had battles similar to this in Vietnam, but I don’t think anything was as horrible as this. As usual, another great read by Griff Hosker. I think you’ll enjoy it.
May 20, 2024
Hastings was a decent read. Unfortunately, it was a repeat of "Pistol and Gun" in that the protagonist was a lowly orphan who clawed his way up to become someone substantial. The protagonist doesn't have time for women and possesses excellent martial skills. Wash, rinse, repeat.
The book was misnamed, as the Battle of Hastings took up less than 10% of it. The preceding 90% involved the decades leading up to 1066. It was quite interesting and provided some historical accuracy if you wanted a completely Norman slant.
The book was misnamed, as the Battle of Hastings took up less than 10% of it. The preceding 90% involved the decades leading up to 1066. It was quite interesting and provided some historical accuracy if you wanted a completely Norman slant.
January 26, 2024
Another great story from the master storyteller that is Griff Hosker.
Never did I expect to be so willingly and wholeheartedly rooting for anybody to be conquering England! You just can’t help but root for Dick and his friends. Such strong characters who draw you in to their world and bring you along for the ride.
It’s such a good thing that Griff is as prolific as he is, for when you just want more, you know it’s coming, and soon.
Never did I expect to be so willingly and wholeheartedly rooting for anybody to be conquering England! You just can’t help but root for Dick and his friends. Such strong characters who draw you in to their world and bring you along for the ride.
It’s such a good thing that Griff is as prolific as he is, for when you just want more, you know it’s coming, and soon.
July 1, 2023
Another excellent Grif Hosker special
Hastings from a Norman perspective a young Norman warrior with English blood rises to be rewarded after the Battle of Hastings.
His story as a bastard son, half brother to the Duke of Normandy among a slew of bastard sons surviving and striving to be warriors with spurs to yearn for.
Hastings from a Norman perspective a young Norman warrior with English blood rises to be rewarded after the Battle of Hastings.
His story as a bastard son, half brother to the Duke of Normandy among a slew of bastard sons surviving and striving to be warriors with spurs to yearn for.
May 28, 2023
Cannot wait for the next book!
I cannot wait for book 2 of the Hastings series. I have read Griff's books for years and every book gets better. Take a chance. You will not regret it!
I cannot wait for book 2 of the Hastings series. I have read Griff's books for years and every book gets better. Take a chance. You will not regret it!
June 2, 2023
Yorker outdid himself
I especially liked this book as the villains all received their just rewards, The leading character and his close group are all strong in their own ways. The battle details were great as usual. This is a series that I am anxious to follow.
I especially liked this book as the villains all received their just rewards, The leading character and his close group are all strong in their own ways. The battle details were great as usual. This is a series that I am anxious to follow.
June 11, 2023
Well done
Wow is all I can say Griff Hosker is an amazing writer, there's not a single book that he has written that I've not liked. This telling of William the Conqueror has been totally fascinating. Thank you
Wow is all I can say Griff Hosker is an amazing writer, there's not a single book that he has written that I've not liked. This telling of William the Conqueror has been totally fascinating. Thank you
June 28, 2023
What a Fun and Exciting way to learn!!!!
This story was thoroughly entertaining and rich with history. I Eagerly await for the next book to be set into print!!!!!!
Griff Hosker is a Master Storyteller!!!!!!!!!!!!
This story was thoroughly entertaining and rich with history. I Eagerly await for the next book to be set into print!!!!!!
Griff Hosker is a Master Storyteller!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 10, 2023
Excellent new series of the Norman conquest
This is another triumph for Griff Hosker! It's also a tease for the second Installment is not available. I will be anxiously waiting to see the further adventures of Richard Fitz Malet.
This is another triumph for Griff Hosker! It's also a tease for the second Installment is not available. I will be anxiously waiting to see the further adventures of Richard Fitz Malet.
August 15, 2023
Daring and tantalising
Enjoyed the flow of this interesting book . Enjoyed the story line of a young boy growing into manhood in these difficult times and striving to retain his honor.
Enjoyed the flow of this interesting book . Enjoyed the story line of a young boy growing into manhood in these difficult times and striving to retain his honor.
October 21, 2023
History Made Real
This is another marvelous novel by Griff Hosker.
Hosker not only brings history to life, he simultaneously makes it captivating and fun. There are too few authors capable of crafting such artistry.
Thank you, Griff!
This is another marvelous novel by Griff Hosker.
Hosker not only brings history to life, he simultaneously makes it captivating and fun. There are too few authors capable of crafting such artistry.
Thank you, Griff!
November 23, 2023
History with a twist
History as told by Hosker is interesting not boring. The times ,places and people are right and the dialog makes it interesting. Now i just wonder what the world would be like if the battle had gone the other way.
History as told by Hosker is interesting not boring. The times ,places and people are right and the dialog makes it interesting. Now i just wonder what the world would be like if the battle had gone the other way.
May 28, 2023
Hastings 1.
This is a great start to this series. Really excited to see this from a more Norman point of view. Nice idea and work Mr. Hosker,
This is a great start to this series. Really excited to see this from a more Norman point of view. Nice idea and work Mr. Hosker,
May 28, 2023
as always
A great cracking story as always, thoroughly enjoyed this latest yarn
Great main character brought to life
Well done griff
But
Write faster
A great cracking story as always, thoroughly enjoyed this latest yarn
Great main character brought to life
Well done griff
But
Write faster
July 3, 2023
Another excellent read. As the series is called " conquest " it about the Normans invading Britain from the Norman point of view. This book deals with period 1050 and 1066.
July 5, 2023
Kudos to Hosker
I have read many of Mr Hosker’s books but this in my opinion is one of his very best. It was a great read am I recommend it to all readers of Historical Fiction.
I have read many of Mr Hosker’s books but this in my opinion is one of his very best. It was a great read am I recommend it to all readers of Historical Fiction.
July 15, 2023
Review
A very readable book, almost page turner. Seemed to follow the history correctly and left you looking for the next in the series
A very readable book, almost page turner. Seemed to follow the history correctly and left you looking for the next in the series
August 20, 2023
A well told tome
Well done Griff - you hold the tale and build to a crescendo without overdoing the suspense. The story is that much better for the balance.
Well done Griff - you hold the tale and build to a crescendo without overdoing the suspense. The story is that much better for the balance.
March 17, 2024
Bloody good read!!
The title pretty much says it all. Well done characters and battles. Thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction. Author is excellent and never disappoints.
The title pretty much says it all. Well done characters and battles. Thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction. Author is excellent and never disappoints.
June 4, 2024
Another Good Series
Although all battles are different, in many ways all battles are the same. The sad notion is that many good warriors die. Hosker tells the stories well.
Although all battles are different, in many ways all battles are the same. The sad notion is that many good warriors die. Hosker tells the stories well.
August 28, 2024
For me, this book was just okay.
November 1, 2024
a Great read
The build up to the battle of Hastings, a great story and a great read. Twisted lies and deception that lead to the Norman invasion.
The build up to the battle of Hastings, a great story and a great read. Twisted lies and deception that lead to the Norman invasion.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews