Oswiu: King of Kings

By Edoardo Albert

Oswald's head is on a spike. Can Oswiu avoid the same fate? The great pagan king Penda set a trap, and when the brothers Oswiu and Oswald walked in, only one came back alive. Rumours abound that the place where Oswald's body is strung up has become sacred ground - a site of healing for those who seek it. Oswald's mother believes he will protect those he loves, even beyond the grave. So she asks the impossible of Oswiu: to journey to the heart of Penda's kingdom and rescue the body that was stolen from them. Will this fateful task allow Oswiu to prove himself worthy of uniting the kingdoms under him as the King of Kings, or will it set him on a path to destruction? Oswiu: King of Kings is the masterful conclusion to The Northumbrian Thrones trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lion Fiction
• Release date: May 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781782641193

Edoardo Albert

Edoardo Albert is a copywriter, editor and writer of short stories, features and books. His stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction and Ancient Paths, and he has written features for Time Out, TGO and History today. He was the editor of the Time Out Cycle London Guide. He is the author of Northumbria: a lost Kingdom (History Press), The Northumbrian Thrones series (Lion Fiction), and London: A Spiritual History (Lion Books).

Reviews for Oswiu

[al6vick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oswiu is the final chapter in the Northumbrian kings trilogy. Oswiu is full of adventure and intrigue; a real game of thrones. There are 4 sections. The first cover Oswiu's unlikely recovering of his brother's body, and the second covers his marriage to Eanflaed. The real action and intrigue unfolds in the last two sections as Mercia and Bernicia come into conflict. The historical note at the end is excellent, explaining what we know, and from where. There isn't much to go on, but many of the events in the novel are taken from the historical record.

[liz1564 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The final volume of The Northumbrian Thrones trilogy is the story of King Oswiu of Bernicia as recounted in books three and four of Bede’s A History of the English Church and People. Albert divides his novel into four sections roughly corresponding to four major events in Oswiu’s reign.Part One: King Oswiu of Bernicia is having a difficult time uniting the kingdoms that had wholly supported his brother Oswald. When Oswine of Deria refuses to acknowledge his authority, Oswiu has little recourse. His mother suggests that he mount an expedition to bring the body of his brother Oswald, murdered by Penda, back to Bernicia. Since there have been many miracles reported at the site of Oswald’s murder and more where his bones have been nailed to a tree sacred to Woden it would be a real achievement for Oswiu if he succeeds. The recovery of the bones of his brother, a king and a likely saint, would hopefully unite the kingdoms and prove Oswiu’s worthiness to sit on the Northumbrian throne.Part Two: To strengthen his position in the seemingly endless war against Penda of Mercia, Oswiu puts aside his first wife and the mother of his two children to marry the Christian daughter of the king of Kent. The section covers mainly the journey of Eanflaed and her entourage from Kent to Northumbria, with miracles enroute.Part Three: Penda escalates the war against Oswiu with the help of allies including King Oswine of Daria. The siege of Bamburgh Castle and the lifting of the siege with the help of a prayer by Bishop Aiden is the highlight of the section.Part Four: Finally meeting in battle, Oswiu and Penda fight to the death. Only one can prevail.In the first book of the trilogy Edwin High King of Britain, Albert adhered primarily to Bede with very little deviation from Bede’s storyline. Only a few scenes were fiction, but very plausible interpretations of the actions of the characters. The dialogue was very like a literal translation of the Latin. In the second book Oswald Return of the King, again Albert depends heavily on Bede’s account but humanizes the characters and makes the language more contemporary.By book three Albert uses Oswiu’s entire story from Bede, but greatly changes parts of it and adds a lot of imagined scenes. The language is very contemporary. (The children call Oswiu “Daddy”, for example). These are not bad choices, necessarily. But Oswiu reads much more like a modern historical novel and less like the source material. When I was reading Edwin I was so impressed with it that I could see it being used in a history class as an example of how to use a primary source to make the period come alive. With Oswiu I felt that it was a great piece of writing but there was so much license taken with the source material that the story was not as true to the spirit of Bede. They are very different books by the same author in the same series.I did enjoy Oswiu for different reasons. The imagery is wonderful, especially in scenes like the description of Woden’s tree where Oswald’s body parts are displayed and the final confrontation with Penda. (Oh, I do hope it happened that way, but there is not a word in Bede. It is all Albert). Albert was right on target about the tidal wave of change caused by the acceptance of the Christian religion. No longer is dying in battle the only acceptable way for a king to die. Oswiu remarks at the end of the book that it would be quite appropriate if he were to die peacefully in bed. Good works by the king to atone for his sins are replacing the giving of gold to insure a loyal following.I hope Albert continues to write in the period. Whether he is sticking closely to his source or filling in blanks with his wonderful narrative he is an asset to his chosen field.

[janerawoof · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quality fictional biography of Oswiu, Dark Ages king of Bernicia. Amazing what the author has done with a mention in Bede--a fully-fleshed novel, with the same excitement of battles and court intrigue, and sometimes wry humor that marked the author's earlier books in the trilogy. The novel brought that whole period to life. I'm glad Bran, Oswald's pet raven, made appearances here; each marked a turning point in the story.Most highly recommended.