This Enchanted Land: The Saga of Dane Wulfdin

by William P. Robertson, Fiona Ingram, David Cox (Illustrator)

Wales was the only land to totally repulse the invasions of the fierce Vikings. Dane Wulfdin finds out why when he and his crew attack Rhodri Mawr's shire to seek revenge on the Welsh leader for humiliating them in Anglesey. Rhodri's soldiers promptly ambush the Norsemen, and Dane becomes stranded in a foreboding realm filled with monsters, mayhem, and magic. The warrior makes a narrow escape from his human pursuers only to be bewitched by wicked Queen Shera. During his strange odyssey, Wulfdin also battles a dragon, a kraken, and giants straight from one's worst nightmare. After witnessing a harrowing Druid ceremony, Dane finally cries in frustration, "Doesn't anyone live in this enchanted land that isn't huge, evil, or bellicose?" The answer is a resounding "No!" in the first collaboration between authors William P. Robertson of the United States and Fiona Ingram of South Africa. What THIS ENCHANTED LAND does provide is plenty of sorcery, seduction, and intense action. David Cox's detailed period art and Robertson's stark, image-laden poetry add another aesthetic dimension to an already riveting adventure of the Dark Ages.

110 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Betty]

This book is aptly named. Wales is unique country, full of enchantment and legend. This is particularly true in the time period of the book — the Dark Ages. A land so well defended that the Vikings are not able to conquer it.

Reminiscent of tales from the Brothers Grimm as well as the epic legend of Beowulf, this saga is full of giants, trolls, sorcery, and monsters. Dane, the only Viking survivor of a landing party in southern Wales, cannot gain ground no matter where he turns.

He is stranded in this awesome land where he must battle warrior tribes, trolls and giants, but that is not the worst of his exceptional adventure. Oh, most definitely not! When he first meets Queen Shera, he thinks he is safe. He soon discovers the error in his thinking. Shera is a sorceress, a witch of seduction and mystery. He is so overcome with her wiles that he wishes to remain with her forever, and to do so means he must battle the kraken, a dragon, and still she wants more. She is a taker of the highest order and a giver of misery. The castle is full of wasted, almost corpse-like men, fed constantly with white “poppy powder.” Dane knows the drug for what it is and somehow is able to avoid this nightmare.

This book, a collaboration between Robertson of the US, and Ingram of South Africa, is a fantastical horror story, a saga of intense drama and action, and a jolly good yet brutal legend. The authors’ previous works have certainly provided fodder for this genre, and the illustrations are well suited to the era. The writing is populated with bits of poetry and unique artwork. The book is relatively short, but totally packed with adventure.