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Holland melds medieval history and myth into a feminist revision of the British folklore surrounding the tales of King Herla and the Fairy King. This captivating fable of politics, religion, treachery, betrayal, longing, and commitment alternates between the viewpoints of three conflicted individuals. Herla, female war chief and lover of famed Queen Boudica, lost everything when she was tricked into becoming Lord of the Wild Hunt. Æthelburg, queen and co-ruler of Wessex, is respected for her skills as a warrior and although estranged from her husband, has become aware of a condescending attitude growing among the king’s councilors. Ine, the king of Wessex, is a lawmaker who wishes to end the long-standing discord between the Christian Saxons and the native Britons, who follow the old ways. But opposition from his brother and the church, possibly influenced by an otherworldly emissary, threatens the peace process. References to characters from Sistersong (2021), the author’s debut novel, link the two stories for her fans, and the intersection between magic, love, and peaceful coexistence will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fantasy.

Publishers Weekly
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Holland (Sistersong) dives into the myth of the Wild Hunt in this powerful and evocative historical fantasy. In 60 CE Britain, the Saxons, led by their king, Ine, and his warrior queen, Æthelburg, spread Christianity across the land, rooting out the remaining pagans, most of whom are Britons. Despite this ongoing conflict, Geraint, the king of Dumnonia and the Britons, reaches out to warn them of a greater supernatural threat. At the same time, Æthel is attacked by an unknown band of riders, an encounter that leaves numerous men, both Saxon and Briton, dead. As more mysterious attacks follow, the pagan legends that the Saxons have dismissed as folklore come to life around Ine and Æthel. Chief among the mythic figures the Saxons must contend with is the immortal Herla, once a pagan peasant who bargained with the dangerous Otherworld in hopes of saving her people. Now she’s cursed to ride out once a month with her huntsmen and cut down all in their path. Herla and Æthel form an unlikely alliance and, together, they must stop forces from the Otherworld from taking over Britain, free Herla from her curse, and thwart a more mundane yet no less consequential threat that comes from much closer to home. Lyrical and captivating, with an ending that will leave readers devastated, the narrative hits just the right balance of action, romance, and character development. In Holland’s skilled hands, this stands out from the crowded field of legends retold. Agent: David Higham, David Higham Assoc. (Mar.)