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The Winter Warrior: A Novel of Medieval England

(Hereward #2)

James Wilde

3.97 · Rating details · 558 ratings · 59 reviews

Product Description

1067. The battle ofHastingshas been lost; Harold Godwinsson is dead. The iron fist of William the Bastard has begun to squeeze the life out ofEngland. Villages are torched and men, women and children put to the sword as the Norman king attempts to impose his cruel will upon this unruly nation.

But there is one who stands in the way of the invader’s sava ...more

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ebook, 400 pages

Published November 5th 2013 by Pegasus Books (first published July 1st 2012)

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Nov 08, 2017 Andy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hist-f-dark-ages, hist-f-feudalism

Second in the series & we’ve moved a year forward to 1067 & the aftermath of William the Bastards conquest of England.

Starts exactly where the last book left of, in the Fens of East Anglia where the majority of the story is set & the hero & his crew are swiftly reintroduced & we’re all caught up on whose who which is always good after a break in a series.

The story romps along & we find out what William The Bastard & his cronies have been upto along with Hereward, the pace is good, the historica ...more

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Dec 20, 2014 Sud666 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

A superbly written book about the effects of the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror. Well written and historically accurate, told from the English perspective. It sheds light on the historical figure of Hereward, a Mercian warrior who fought the Norman invasion. If this is a period of history that interests you and you want a good read that is a page turner this is the one for you. Look forward to reading all the books in this series. Highly recommend it.

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Nov 04, 2012 Speesh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1066

'Hereward', James Wilde's first book in the Hereward series was a stunning debut. The power and verve of the writing, the impact and strength of the hero the story revealed, gave 'Hereward' an edge and a pulsating wildness that I hadn't felt from a book in a long time. As if the story, the book, had reached up and punched me in the face!

From the very beginning, James Wilde formed Hereward into a thoroughly believable and compelling character from the forgotten mists of English history. An action ...more

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Apr 10, 2015 W.H. Cann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

What can I say other than: An excellent sequel to Hereward book 1.

This is by far better than the first, with more intrigue and scheming. The plot thickens and the pace remains quick and enticing. The story is rich and gripping, making it a good read that is hard to put down. An excellent addition to my bookshelf, which will certainly be read again.

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Jul 13, 2012 Milo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2012-releases-read, notable-2012-releases

Original Post: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/07/...

“Bigger, better and more awesome than its predecessor, Wilde manages to keep the reader hooked throughout the pages with his fantastic prose. A must for all historical fiction fans.” ~The Founding Fields

After reading and enjoying the first novel in the Hereward trilogy, Hereward, (review here), I was wondering if Wilde would be able to live up to the brilliant first novel. This is partly one of the reasons why although I had a copy of The De ...more

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Aug 24, 2014 Rebecca Cresswell rated it liked it · review of another edition

details are a bit off - William the Bastard was probably not as old as 50 in 1069, and to my knowledge although he was a big man, it was mainly muscle and not fat.

I liked this less than the first one for different reasons (hated his portrayal of Harold Godwinsson in that one), and failed to like any of the characters.

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Apr 28, 2018 P.E.R. Sprague rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 20, 2020 Dawn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I was thoroughly impressed with book 1 of this series, so I was excited (and worried) about reading book 2. Would the writing and plot be as good? Would the shine of the characters and story wear off? Would I get bored with more of the same? Yes (the writing is excellent and the plot possibly even better!), no (the characters grow even larger and closer to life and the story shines just as brightly), and no (I wasn't bored and it wasn't more of the same). James Wilde is firmly cementing himself ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Marc Sean rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

No spoilers. I'm not like that.

Well I went Into this head first and being a fan of the first book, I had expectations and I was not disappointed. The character development in this was exactly what I expected and liked. Each Character felt like they grew and it showed in the reading.
Hereward is a strong character with so many flaws and inner-demons that needs conquering and this story felt like he developed through out.

Very enjoyable read, the chapters are short which I love because you can get t ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 Bob Harris rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Norman invasion, 1066. Reading books like this, historical English novels often involves finding ancestors. In The Winter Warrior I encountered two ancestors: William de Warenne (Varennes), for whom there is documentation of him fighting with William the Conqueror, and Ivo Taillebois, nicknamed 'The Butcher,' for his ferocity in battle.
Wilde (pseudonym for Mark Chadbourn) overly romanticized his characters and dialog. Otherwise, an interesting read. ...more

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Mar 14, 2018 Linda Humberstone rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A really good follow up to 'Hereward', the first book in this series. There is a lot going on and Hereward proves how clever he is time after time. You get a good sense of what it was like at that time to live and hide in the Fens and how dangerous and frightening it could be, especially to the Normans. ...more

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Aug 20, 2020 Amy McElroy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having recently read the first in the series, I couldn't wait to read the next instalment. I was a little apprehensive that it wouldn't live up to the enjoyment of the first but I could not have been more wrong. For those looking for a thrilling read with incredible scenes and fantastic characters this is a must read. I will be reading the rest of the series!

Full review on endotheroad blog ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Louis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Second in the series about the English warrier Hereward standing against the Concorer in 1069. The author has a good set of characters to weave the story and recreate how the resistance on Elie might have lived and stood against the Normans.
I do find some of the characters a little irritating but they all play a necessary role in creating the story.

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Jul 25, 2020 Melissa Widmaier rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this novel. It was heartfelt and heart-wrenching! I have a pattern of accidentally grabbing the second book in a series. I loved this one so much, I've already ordered the first book Hereward/The Time of the Wolf. The third novel will be in my near future. ...more

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Jan 06, 2021 Ian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The second book in the series continues the story of a real English hero and his fight against Norman tyranny. The book is set in a turbulent time in English history as powerful men manipulate people to further there own ends. A great adventure told in an historical setting.

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Nov 12, 2016 Deb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another rousing tale

Invasion, betrayal, loss of home and hearth and the fight to regain it. Brutal, wrenching historical fiction. On to book 3

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Sep 08, 2017 Douglas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Better than the first one the story is now established and there is a lot of intrigue. The only thing i'd say is that the story gives a lot of notice before any of the twists. ...more

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Jul 02, 2019 Scott Gardner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historic

Another good yarn about England's forgotton hero ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Martin Murphy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Hard Times

The author depicts the period really well as a hard time, and takes you on a journey of many twists and turns throughout. Well worth the money and time spent reading

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Sep 06, 2020 Dave rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another very enjoyable historical adventure. Well written and with a storyline that keeps you interested all the way through. Part 3 here we come!

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Jul 07, 2018 Alan Conner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hereward 2

Another great story, looking forward to the next instalment The End of Days and whether Harald Redteeth gets his wish to fight Hereward.

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Jul 12, 2012 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

1067. The battle of Hastings has been lost; Harold Godwinsson is dead. The iron fist of William the Bastard has begun to squeeze the life out of England. Villages are torched and men, women and children put to the sword as the Norman king attempts to impose his cruel will upon this unruly nation.

But there is one who stands in the way of the invader’s savagery. He is called Hereward. He is a warrior and master tactician and as adept at slaughter as the imposter who sits upon the throne. And he is 1067. The battle of Hastings has been lost; Harold Godwinsson is dead. The iron fist of William the Bastard has begun to squeeze the life out of England. Villages are torched and men, women and children put to the sword as the Norman king attempts to impose his cruel will upon this unruly nation.

But there is one who stands in the way of the invader’s savagery. He is called Hereward. He is a warrior and master tactician and as adept at slaughter as the imposter who sits upon the throne. And he is England’s last hope.

In a Fenlands fortress of water and wild wood, Hereward’s resistance is simmering.

His army of outcasts grows by the day – a devil’s army that emerges out of the mists and the night, leaving death in its wake.

But William is not easily cowed. Under the command of his ruthless deputy, Ivo Taillebois – the man they call ‘the Butcher’ – the Norman forces will do whatever it takes to crush the rebels, even if it means razing England to the ground.

Here then is the tale of the bloodiest rebellion England has ever known – the beginning of an epic struggle that will echo down the years..

I read the first Hereward novel back in June 2011 and I hold the book solely responsible for re-igniting my interest in historical fiction. I knew that a sequel was due at some point this year, it made it on to my most anticipated list for 2012, and I’ve been looking forward to picking up the story from where book one left off.

Over the intervening years, between books one and two, Hereward has become a leader of men. His guerrilla campaign against the Normans continues to slowly gain ground, but certain aspects of this leadership weigh heavily on his shoulders. He comes to appreciate more and more that the responsibility of command comes with its own burdens. Desperate times call for desperate measures and he is forced to make some truly difficult decisions. As the line between good and bad starts to blur, Hereward gets insight into the tough choices that a leader has to make. The right decision is not always the popular one.

In direct contrast to the thoughtful, introspective qualities that leadership has taught him Hereward still sometimes displays maniacal aspects to his character (they tend to appear when he is forced into a corner). He can be a man of extremes, and at times exhibits an almost gleeful blood lust that borders on the psychopathic. His family and friends just about manage to keep this berserker rage in check but some of my favourite moments are when he gives into his inner demons and the red mist descends. It strikes me that Hereward’s quest for peace in England is mirrored by his journey to find some sort of inner peace for himself.

Though his power and influence are in evidence throughout the novel, King William remains on the periphery for much of the story. He appears on a number of occasions but it his lords and lieutenants who are tasked with bringing Hereward to justice. A particular favourite is Harald Redteeth, a viking mercenary ,who is obsessed with besting Hereward in combat. Redteeth is haunted by the spirits of his fallen comrades and I think it’s fair to say his grasp on reality is tenuous at best. Though Hereward is loath to admit it, he and Redteeth are cut from the same cloth in many ways. They share a similar code of honour the results in some unexpected twists in the story.

Events build toward a satisfyingly bloody climax and the final few chapters contain a number of jaw dropping moments that will set things up nicely for the last book in the series. This is a gripping read that blends historical elements with fast paced action and has the odd betrayal thrown in for good measure to create a top notch adventure. The Devil’s Army succeeds in making that trickiest of jobs, being the second part of a trilogy, look effortless. I’m already looking forward to the final pay off. The only question I need answering – how long do I have to wait until I can read it?
...more

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Nov 04, 2012 CuteBadger rated it did not like it · review of another edition

In 1067, following his victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Norman king is determined to impose his rule on the English natives. One man, however, rises to lead a rebellion and based in the impenetrable Fenland gathers a motley army. Hereward is determined that the English should stand to the last man to defend their country, but finds that there is much more to being a leader than fighting. The leader of the Norman army, nicknamed The Butcher, is equally determined to overcome, and with spies In 1067, following his victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Norman king is determined to impose his rule on the English natives. One man, however, rises to lead a rebellion and based in the impenetrable Fenland gathers a motley army. Hereward is determined that the English should stand to the last man to defend their country, but finds that there is much more to being a leader than fighting. The leader of the Norman army, nicknamed The Butcher, is equally determined to overcome, and with spies and double-dealing springing up on both sides, the war for England will be long and bloody.

I enjoy historical fiction, but my preference tends to be for something less violent than this novel. I totally understand that this era was brutal and that any writer portraying it must show his reader what went on, but this book felt to me like 80% violence, 10% plot and 10% characterisation. The violence in the book is graphic and frequent, but I didn’t find it as shocking as I expected to as I had no connection to the characters and didn’t really care what happened to them. This may largely be due to the fact that I haven’t read the author’s previous book on Hereward, or it may be due to what I felt was the lack of characterisation in the book. The characters seemed very black and white to me, and I didn’t think that they developed during the course of the novel.

I also didn’t feel that there was all that much plot. There are lots of battles and lots of milling about in the Fens, but though there are lots of incidents throughout the book, I didn’t think that the plot had really moved forward by the end. I got a bit fed up of chapters opening with bloated corpses floating in the Fens – it probably only happened a couple of times, but it felt like more.

I get the impression that this book is the second in a trilogy and it felt a bit like a placeholder in which the author didn’t want to use up too much plot in case he didn’t have enough left for the last volume in his set. I have an antipathy to historical trilogy novels at the moment as I’ve read a few recently where enough material for perhaps two books is being stretched to make three, and where the first and second books don’t feel finished, simply because the plot has to be left fluid enough for a sequel. After reading this book I didn’t feel like anything had really happened in it as everyone and everything was pretty much the same at the end as it was at the beginning. The end of the book felt like it just stopped, rather than finished in a satisfying way.

It also seems like it’s a boys’ book. There are some women in it, but they are portrayed largely as overtly sexual beings or as witch-like with supernatural powers. There is also a male wish-fulfilment sub-plot with two beautiful and powerful women competing for Hereward’s attention. I know that women did have a subservient role during the historical era portrayed in the book, but the novel’s sketches of these female characters seemed old-fashioned to me and not something written in the 21st century.

There was one very small part of the book that I enjoyed – a bit of an aha! moment – but I can’t go into that as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Unfortunately that was the only part I did enjoy. I felt quite exasperated while reading it and so was glad when it was over. I won’t be rushing to read the first or last books in the trilogy.

So, in short, very much not the novel for me, but other opinions are available and will probably be very different from mine. .

I received this book as part of the Transworld Historical Fiction Challenge.

...more

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Jul 28, 2012 S.J.A. Turney rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Boy was I happy.

I’d read Hereward by James Wilde recently and, while I had a couple of issues with the book, on the whole I’d thoroughly enjoyed it. So now that the sequel (Hereward: The Devil’s Army) is out, I was intrigued to see how the story went on and whether the writer’s tack or style had changed since the first book.

I read it in four days, despite this week being a ruthlessly busy time with few free moments. In short, Devil’s Army is everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to Herew Boy was I happy.

I’d read Hereward by James Wilde recently and, while I had a couple of issues with the book, on the whole I’d thoroughly enjoyed it. So now that the sequel (Hereward: The Devil’s Army) is out, I was intrigued to see how the story went on and whether the writer’s tack or style had changed since the first book.

I read it in four days, despite this week being a ruthlessly busy time with few free moments. In short, Devil’s Army is everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to Hereward. My two main issues with the first book were the somewhat stereotypical nature of the hero and the sparse treatment of the two great battles the book deals with. It may be that the sequel has escaped this problem by not dealing with world-famous battles and having an already-established hero, but I don’t believe that is the case. I think James has taken his treatment of the main character and deepened and broadened his perspective. Hereward had changed throughout the first book, in sometimes jarring ways, and in the sequel his nature changes again several times, but subtly and with finesse, for which I think applause is due. And, while there are no famous historic battles in this one, there are two ways this book wins out. I have (since the first book) read something about the events in Hereward’s period of activity and can say that Wilde seems to have really done his homework, using the accepted history, but also making intuitive leaps in gaps in the knowledge. Also, though there may be no great battles in this book, there are plenty of non-famous ones, and they are treated with an in-depth and exciting narrative.

As with the first book, Wilde’s narrative style is so enthusing and visual that he could have written a phone book and made it riveting. His descriptions make you feel cold with the icy claws of winter, or terrified in a hut of desperate and dangerous peasants. While I’m giving Devil’s Army 5 stars, I can’t see anything he ever writes being worthy of less than 4, just because of the way it’s written.

From the devastation of the north under the conqueror’s army, to the fortress in the swamps at Ely, to the numerous betrayals of the loyal and doomed English, to the amazing Harald Redteeth (who I think I want to be), to the almost Martin-Sheen-rising-from-the-river-in-Apocalypse-Now ambushes that devastate the cold Normans, every step is a win. The plot is well-written and well-rounded and ties up beautifully from beginning to end, with more hooks, twists, surprises and stunning scenes than the first, and more than most novels in the genre.

I would recommend people read these books. Hopefully you will love Hereward and its sequel. Hereward was a gripping read, but the Devil’s Army is a tour-de-force and a welcome addition to my shelf of great Historical Fiction. ...more

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Jan 30, 2018 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was an odd girl. I didn't like rom-com but I loved Robert E. Howard. I never went so far as to fashion a leather bikini for myself, but I did like his adrenalin-driven stories of daring robberies and fights to the death against impossible odds. The vigour of his prose, the broad sweep of his imagination. Give me Conan rather than Mr Darcy any day (although the true love of my life is Fritz Leiber's The Gray Mouser).
All that comes by way of preamble, because when I picked this up, I was strongl I was an odd girl. I didn't like rom-com but I loved Robert E. Howard. I never went so far as to fashion a leather bikini for myself, but I did like his adrenalin-driven stories of daring robberies and fights to the death against impossible odds. The vigour of his prose, the broad sweep of his imagination. Give me Conan rather than Mr Darcy any day (although the true love of my life is Fritz Leiber's The Gray Mouser).
All that comes by way of preamble, because when I picked this up, I was strongly reminded of the long-lost REH. Wilde's depiction of Hereward and his fellow 'English' (though being 'English' then was almost as complicated as it is nowadays) is filled with wolf-like men who grimace and let their swords and axes do the talking. Rugged warriors of few words, they hear in the wind the voices of their coming days, the clash of weapons, the smell of burning towns. They can turn on a sixpence, always land 'like cats' after a jump, and disregard their personal safety in the best traditions of 'Nay, Olaf, 'tis but a scratch.' As this suggests, characterisation isn't especially deep (oddly, the minor characters are more fully realised that the hero), but the story moves at a brisk pace and greatly benefits from a determined attempt to evoke the otherness of the fenland region before so much of it was drained and enclosed. Landscapes and places are often effectively evoked, and there's always the right sense of brooding danger and menace from the elements and the wolves as well as the Norman army. The Christians haven't yet banished paganism from England, and Wilde dramatizes their collision rather well.
Wilde has also done the right thing in making this a vigorous sword-and-sorcery tale (though sword-and-occasional-references-to-witchcraft is more accurate) rather than a heavy-duty historical novel. It is convincing in its detail, but it's not 'Wolf Hall' Neither is it Julian Rathbone's 'The Last English King', the novel which provided almost my entire knowledge of this historical epoch. Rathbone can do character, psychological insight and period detail very well, but he moves at a stately pace. Wilde however gallops along - you can forgive the clichés and stock characters, even the stock situations (the blood feud that won't end until the author requires a dramatic moment in a later book), because of his wholehearted commitment to his milieu. I sensed he enjoyed writing those short, sharp chapters, and I also enjoyed his author blurb as a 'Man of Mercia'. ...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Rebecca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites

If readers think that the first Hereward novel was blood fueled and action packed well the sequel Hereward: The Devil's Army completely tops it. There are not just more epic battles to be fought, lost or won but also the private battle within the characters comes to the fore as Hereward struggles with his new found leadership with a people who are as tempted to follow him for the right reasons as betray him for all the wrong reasons. He has to either demonstrate mercy or fear if he wishes to rul ...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Robin Carter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Review:

When i first started Hereward: Devils Army it was looking forward to what should be a great read. Book one Hereward was a fantastic book (see review http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hereward-eboo... )

So it was very worrying to start the book and struggle to get into it.

So I took a step back remembering that I know you have to be in the right frame of mind for every author and every book you read. Its why my TBR pile is so fluid. On reflection I think I pushed myself into this one and wasn’t rea ...more

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Jun 17, 2016 David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I messed up and read this book ahead of the first one (it is the second of three in the series), but that didn't do much to dampen my enjoyment of it. It reads a lot like Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Series (Hereward and Uhtred are similar characters) although set in a later period than Saxon. The Hereward series is set during the Norman invasion of the 11th Century. Hereward is the leader of a group of rebels fighting to keep William's Normans from taking over the whole of England. To be sure, ther ...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Lisa Redmond rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is an intriguing, fast paced historical adventure featuring a period which I have rarely seen depicted in fiction. The novel covers a short time period after the Norman Conquest when the legendary Hereward rallied the English troops in the Fenlands of East Anglia. William may have taken the crown but Hereward and his army are growing and they feel that victory may be within reach, however the prospect of danger and betrayal are present at every turn. The story is told from multiple viewpoin ...more

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Sep 14, 2015 Melinda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Tragic and Determined Warrior

This is the second novel that follows the warrior Hereward. He is now in Ely surrounded by the fen country as a natural defense. Alaric the monk and Redwald, his foster brother are with him along with a growing English army. They fight the Normans. William is a brutal King who will kill every person in England if he has to, to achieve peace.

Unlike the first book, which alternated between Hereward and Redwald for POV, this one primarily stayed with Hereward and the F ...more

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About James Wilde

James Wilde

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James Wilde is a Man of Mercia. Raised in a world of books, the author studied economic history at university before travelling the world in search of adventure. Unable to forget a childhood encounter - in the pages of a comic - with the great English warrior, Hereward, Wilde returned to the haunted fenlands of Eastern England, Hereward’s ancestral home, where he became convinced that this legenda ...more