Northanhymbre Saga: The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria

by John Marsden

Between the end of Roman Britain and the earliest onslaught of the Viking age, a warrior dynasty claiming descent from Woden forged the first military superpower of the Anglo-Saxon world. For 200 years the kings of Northumbria reigned supreme. This history of Northumbria, from the "Battles of Kites and Crows" in the shadow of the Roman wall to the "golden age" of the Lindisfarne Gospels, draws on the earliest surviving sources. John Marsden is the author of "The Illustrated Bede", "The Illustrated Border Ballads" and "The Illustrated Columcille".

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anglo Saxon

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 1992

About the author

John Marsden is the author of a number of books on the early history of Scotland and Northumbria, including Somerled and Galloglas. In recent years he has made his home in the Western Isles of Scotland.

Reviews

[Phil Syphe · Rating 2 out of 5]

After an interesting opening, my attention began to diminish, and from about halfway I began skim-reading for much of the time. Certain sections droned on about the same subject and I couldn't concentrate on it.

It's a book with almost as many lengthy quotes from other writers as there is of the author's own work. Many of these quotes are testimonies from different sources, which are compared. Some readers might find this interesting, but for me it gets boring after a while. I've never been a fan of reading a quoted passage, only to learn afterwards that it's unreliable or simply not true.

Overall, I found this too bland and couldn't get into it.

[Jerry]

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[Dee Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dry. More of a tribute to Bede than anything else!