Alfgifu the Orphan

Lost Tales of Mercia #5

by Jayden Woods

“The Lost Tales of Mercia” are ten short stories set in England near the end of the Viking Age. These swashbuckling tales, based heavily on true events, educate and entertain simultaneously. The Fifth Tale is the wildest yet. Meet a spited orphan named Alfgifu and the young Viking King, Canute. Together, they may be strong enough to defeat the crafty Eadric Streona.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Historical

ebook

First published July 12, 2010

About the author

Jayden Woods grew up on a farm in rural Tennessee, then pursued her dreams of film-making in Los Angeles. After receiving a BFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California and working on a primetime TV show, she decided to return to her original passion of writing novels. Since then she has lived in St. Louis with her wonderful husband and three beautiful pets, throwing all her will and energy into becoming a successful writer.

Jayden Woods has published a lush array of books from historical fiction to fantasy. Her novel Eadric the Grasper received a starred review from Kirkus Discoveries and was selected as one of the best books of 2010 (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/i...).

Reviews

[NRH]

Consistently high story telling. Brilliant.

[Sam]

The fifth tale in the Mercia series takes place in the Spring of 1014 and follows Alfgifu, an orphan on the orders of King Ethelred, as she gains favour with the Viking king Canute, establishing herself as his mistress and mother to be of his son and heir. This tale is more violent than the previous tales as Ethelred attacks the Viking stronghold of Gainsborough resulting in many deaths on both sides. The climax of the story hints at the bloodlust that Alfgifu has for anyone remotely linked with Eadric and the power she has over Canute despite their own arguements and fights.

[Gill]

Another gripping story from Jayden. This one brings together the young Canute I met in an earlier-dated story (the first of hers I read) with the history of England and its peoples. Violent times and violent emotions.

[Amanda Dorsey]

The fifthe Lost Take of Mercia takes us away from Mercia proper and into the holdings of the Vikings. In this tale, the reader connects with Alfgifu and feels her rage over the murder of her family -- and her determination to have her revenge.

[Chris The Story Reading Ape]

See my review for the 'Lost Tales of Mercia (Lost Tales of Mercia #1-10 omnibus)'