The Hawk and the Cup: Book Two: The Matter of Britain

The Hawk and the Wolf #2

by Mark Adderley

The Island of the Mighty has been defeated. The shadow of the Eagle lies across the land. The Britons are a broken and defeated people. But hope lives in one man and one woman. The man is Merlin, Seer of the Island of the Mighty, whose quest for the ancient sword, Excalibur, kindles hope that the royal bloodline of Britain will one day be restored. The woman is the fiery-tempered red-haired beauty Boudicea, whose destiny it is to strike fear into the hearts of her Roman oppressors, and bring fire and blood to the cities raised by these foreign invaders. This sequel to The Hawk and the Wolf continues the tales of Merlin and Boudicea, but paints a vivid tapestry of a defeated land, torn by betrayal and deceit, by political and religious factions. It is a land of war, a land of passion, a land of savagery; but it is also a land where, beyond all hope, can be found the one miraculous treasure that can restore peace to the land and fulfill the purposes of the gods of old. The Grail.

346 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2010

About the author

Mark Adderley was born in the railway town of Crewe, England. Like many of his contemporaries, he grew up devouring the novels of C. S. Lewis and, later, Ian Fleming and J. R. R. Tolkien. It wasn’t until he was studying at Cartrefle College in Wales, however, that he discovered the passion for the Arthurian legend that has now lasted almost a quarter of a century.

During his studies in Wales, Mark also met an American woman, Adrianne, whom he married. Moving to America, he got, in not very rapid succession, four children and a PhD in medieval literature from the University of South Florida. He has lived in Florida, Georgia, Montana, Missouri, Wyoming and South Dakota. He now teaches in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been writing for most of his life, but The Hawk and the Wolf is his first published novel.

"I've been writing since I was about eight years old. In fourth grade, however, Mrs. Parker (who had started the years as Miss Waterson, and changed her name much to the chagrin of every male pupil in her class) wrote on my report card, 'He should go in for being an author.' Later on—it would be about sixth grade—I asked my parents for a typewriter for Christmas. In school, of course, we were asked to tell the class about our Christmas presents. When I revealed to my class that I had got a typewriter, they laughed, though they were rapidly stilled by another fine teacher, Mr. Brown. Later still, Mr. Beach (poor, suffering soul) read my manuscripts, and didn't tell me what rubbish I had written, but was very patient in his comments.

"It seems that a plethora of teachers have inspired me to write, among them Mrs. Parker, Mr. Brown, Mr. Morley, Mr. Beach, and Mrs. Roberts. I'd like to propose a toast to the lot of them, wherever they are."

Reviews

[Kate Harrison]

The Hawk and the Cup, the second installment in Mark Adderley’s Matter of Britain series, is darker and more desperate than The Hawk and the Wolf, as Merlin experiences the major conflict in his character to make him into the stuff of Legends. The battles are more desperate as the stakes are raised and Merlin has to decide between the right thing and the woman he loves. The tone of this book is similar to that of the Tolkien’s The Two Towers as everything is risked and much is lost. The romance is more mature and seen in the light of world history. The action takes on a new character as the characters become more noble. The battles become more terrible and the reader is taken on a journey of purgation of his own. The rocky events of this chapter of the Matter of Britain take one from an understanding of the natural glory of Britain to its supernatural significance just as Merlin is asked to chose between what he is and what he should be.

[Cloe]

In the second volume of the Matter of Britain series, the Island of the Mighty has been conquered by the Roman Empire, its people broken and subdued. But two people stand strong. They are Merlin, Seer of the Island of the Mighty, and Boudicea, the fiery, red-haired queen of the Eicenni. While Boudicea strikes fear into the hearts of the Romans, Merlin continues his quest to find the lost sword Excalibur and bring hope and peace back to his broken country, and discovers another ancient, renowned treasure. During his journey, he meets a man who will change his life forever, and fights a battle that will change his world. The story is as wonderfully refreshing as the first, giving a new perspective on the legends of King Arthur. Mark Adderley adds a twist to the end of the story, changing Merlin's life and his perspective on life. It is a book that can be read many times over, and a delightful sequel to the Hawk and the Wolf.

[Silvio Curtis]

It changed a good deal from place to place. The first part was almost all imprisonment and fights, dreary and to me not terribly interesting. Then, new questions were raised about the present and past of the druid goddesses. This mythological section was what made the book worth it for me, particularly a great Tolkienesque myth that gets told in the middle of it. But those questions suddenly get resolved in what feels to me like a big anticlimax. Finally, Merlin's quest for Excalibur resumes, but it engaged me much less now that it wasn't bound up with a search for more fundamental truths anymore.