Shield Maiden

by Stuart Hill

No enemy may find this place; we hide it in mist and shadow... When King Alfred's great hall is destroyed by the Vikings, the king must flee with his family. But his daughter Aethelflaed knows that hiding in the marshes, far away from the battlefield, is the last thing she wants to do; can she fulfill her destiny and become a warrior princess, a shield maiden? Flashbacks offer dramatic stories set at key moments in history, perfect for introducing children to historical topics.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2016

About the author

Stuart Hill was born in Leicester, in the East Midlands of England, where he still lives today. His family heritage includes English, Irish, Romany and Jewish blood. As a student his grades were average at best, but he was fortunate to have a teacher who inspired in him a lifelong love of reading. Since leaving school, he has worked as a teacher and an archaeologist, and now balances life as both a bookseller and a writer.

The Cry of the Icemark is his first novel. When he was a teenager, Stuart lost "the real Thirrin," his red-haired sister Kathleen, to leukemia. The story of the brave young warrior-queen who faces impossible dangers is dedicated to her. The Cry of the Icemark won the Ottakars Prize for the best new children’s novel - Ottakars is one of the UK's leading book chains. Foreign rights have been sold to over 14 countries, and Fox have bought the movie rights.

Blade of Fire, the second in the Icemark Chronicles series was published in the UK in September 2006 and in the USA in February 2007.

Stuart says that his influences include H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Margaret Abbey—his former grade school teacher who is also a writer of historical novels.

Reviews

[lucy martin]

I'm reading it in class it's good 👍

[Bathsheba]

It was a bit like reading the next Season of Vikings but from the Saxons viewpoint and set about 100 years later