Bøker av Christopher Webster

It is 20 years since the Hengest and his followers were driven out of Britannia by Aurelius Ambrosius, and Childric, his kinsman, wants revenge and the reconquest of what he calls "Angleland", but he realises that it will be impossible while Merlin, lives, so he asks Angle wise woman, Morwei, to create an illusion of the Holy Grail to bring about the death of Merlin and lure Arthur's marchogion to their destruction - but will it fool the sagacious wizard? English Dawn, the book to which this is a sequel, contained a core of history. By contrast, there is very little historical basis for this sequel, though there is a huge amount of legend, told and retold in different ways over many centuries. After reviewing all this, the author made the important decision to see Arthur as a post-Roman Brythonic king, not a medieval "knight in shining armour", and to retell the story from the point of view of the Saxones. The result is a truly original account of the grail legend.

Vortigern commits a terrible crime to become High King of Britannia - a crime which is he is urged to commit by his ambitious wife, Severa. This Macbethian tale is set in 5th century Britannia - featuring a proud tyrant, a death-dealing druidess, a seduced monk, two pitiless Picts, two Angle invaders, a voluptuous Valkyrie, two battling dragons, the Rightful King, and a parade of the most beautiful women in history - all written in a special kind of poetic prose. - (blank verse formatted as prose and written with due attention to both the rhythm of the pentameter and the shape of the prose paragraph.) The author has taken a more sympathetic view of Vortigern than the old chroniclers, and presented him as a man who was manipulated by the women in his life and eventually driven mad. The latter proved to be a useful device for writing about Merlin, magic, shapeshifters and dragons without straining the credulity of the modern reader. The Vortigern Mini-Trilogy consists of the following books: - Vortigern and the Dancing Girl- Vortigern and the Valkyrie- Vortigern and the Druidess

Britannia is overrun by migrants who speak a strange language and worship heathen gods, and Bishop Brice is given the job of trying to persuade the Romans to send a legion to drive them out. But the Romans have their own problems and are reluctant to spare any of their dwindling forces. However, a bishop called Germanus, eager to suppress the Pelagian heresy, manages to put together a small force to help the Britons. His religious zeal leads to a great victory at Maes Garmon - but can it protect him from the wiles of the Angle angel, Rowena? This is the fourth part of the English Dawn pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

"Who are you men, armoured in mail, who come sailing upon the sliding sea-road to the land of Britannia? Long have I held the sea-watch in season as the king's coast-warden, that no pirates might pillage the people of Vortigern. Never have I seen a noble more mighty or more haughty!" This is how the British coast-warden greets Hengest, the first named Anglo-Saxon to come to Britain. After the failure of the Finnesburh mission, King Hoc exiled Hengest, and he set sail with three ships and three hundred men in the hope of serving King Vortigern as a mercenary. The story that follows is as exciting as the story of Beowulf. It includes several battles, a femme fatale (Hengest's daughter, Rowena), and characters from the Arthurian legend, including Merlin and Uther. It also includes a battle between dragons, a contest between wizards, and a clash of faiths. This reconstruction of the lost Saga of Hengest is told in a modern version of the Anglo-Saxon alliterative line and is closely based on original sources, extracts from which are given at the end of the book along with detailed notes and a bibliography.

An Aeneid for England! English Morn tells the story of two brothers, Hengest and Horsa, exiled from Angeln, who take service with the "Proud Tyrant", Vortigern, in Britannia. They act as mercenaries against the "Painted People", the Picts, and Vortigern rewards them with land. But a new threat arises - the "Rightful King", Aurelius, has built up a Roman-style legion to reconquer the country. Vortigern urges Hengest to bring many more of his people to serve as mercenaries - but the Britons don't take kindly to having so many foreigners in their midst and rebel. Hengest and Horsa are caught up in the chaos that ensues.

Britannia is overrun by migrants who speak a strange language and worship heathen gods, and Bishop Brice is given the job of trying to persuade the Romans to send a legion to drive them out. But the Romans have their own problems and are reluctant to spare any of their dwindling forces. However, a bishop called Germanus, eager to suppress the Pelagian heresy, manages to put together a small force to help the Britons. His religious zeal leads to a great victory at Maes Garmon - but can it protect him from the wiles of the Angle angel, Rowena?This is the fourth part of the English Dawn Pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

It is 20 years since the Hengest and his followers were driven out of Britannia by Aurelius Ambrosius and Childric, his kinsman, wants revenge and the reconquest of what he calls "Angleland", but he realises that it will be impossible while Merlin lives, so he asks Angle wise woman, Morwei, to create an illusion of the Holy Grail to bring about the death of Merlin and lure Arthur's marchogion to their destruction - but will it fool the sagacious wizard?

1146 - Edessa falls to the forces of Zengi. In response, Pope Eugene III preaches the Second Crusade. His call to arms is heard all over Europe, even in the remote town of Coningsburgh where William de Warenne is inspired to take the cloth cross. However, he soon finds that religious zeal is one thing, but the harsh realities of fighting a jihad driven enemy in a torrid climate are quite another.

Aurelius Ambrosius is the rightful king of Britannia. He has built up an army like the Roman legions of old, but he knows it is not enough. If he is to win the support of his fellow Britons he must find the Sword of Albion to prove his right to the kingship. But others are looking for that sword, among them, the "proud tyrant", Vortigern. Aurelius goes on a perilous quest through crumbling Roman cities, the rugged Pennines and Angle-occupied territory, while Vortigern tries everything to stop him, including making a fake sword, but while these two Britons are battling for supremacy, the Angles and Saxons, led by Hengest, are invading from the North Sea.

A tomboyish girl, fond of stories of shieldmaidens and waelcyries, gets involved a viking raid led by her older brother. The raid goes wrong, and her stepmother tries to teach her that her 'womanly weapons' have more power. She goes on to seduce one king of Britannia and kill another, thus playing as large a part in the conquest of that country as her father, Hengest - but can she ever find true love? This is the third part of the English Dawn pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

Aurelius' legion is ready to make the attempt to reconquer Britannia, but powerful forces are ranged against him; the tyrant Vortigern and his Pictish mercenaries, and the vast forces of Angles, Saxons and Geats who are beginning to take over the country. To succeed he needs a symbol to rally every Briton to his banner - The Sword of Albion. But it has been well hidden, and all he has to help him to find it is a cryptic clue. This is the final part of the English Dawn pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

A tomboyish girl, fond of stories of shieldmaidens and waelcyries, gets involved a viking raid led by her older brother. The raid goes wrong, and her stepmother tries to teach her that her 'womanly weapons' have more power. She goes on to seduce one king of Britannia and kill another, thus playing as large a part in the conquest of that country as her father, Hengest - but can she ever find true love? This is the third part of the English Dawn Pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

Attila explodes on the world, threatening to bring down the Roman Empire, and few can stand against him. Waldere is one, who, after escaping from Attila, and fighting single-handed, dispatches eleven of his attackers. Another is Aurelius, Britannia's rightful king, but in exile in Armorica. These heroes, and many others, join forces with Aetius, who has put together a shambolic army of allies, auxiliaries and and foederati, the last that Rome will ever field - but is it enough to protect the Empire from the fury of Attila? This is the second part of the English Dawn Pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

A nithing - an outcast - is set upon by robbers and nearly killed, but he fights back, joins their band, and eventually finds a new bench-place with King Hoc of the Half-Danes. That nithing's name is Hengest, the hero of the Battle of Sonderburh, and he rises to become king's thegn, but things start to go badly for him when he is drawn into King Hoc's bitter feud with the Frisians. This is the first part of the English Dawn Pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

Aurelius' legion is ready to make the attempt to reconquer Britannia, but powerful forces are ranged against him; the tyrant Vortigern and his Pictish mercenaries, and the vast forces of Angles, Saxons and Geats who are beginning to take over the country. To succeed he needs a symbol to rally every Briton to his banner - The Sword of Albion. But it has been well hidden, and all he has to help him to find it is a cryptic clue. This is the final part of the English Dawn Pentalogy, which tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

Dahn t' Pit tells the story of a Yorkshire miner and his sweetheart in the years before the First World War. In Book 1, Bag Muck, young Tom Brocklesby starts work at the age of 12 as a trapper in Cadeby Colliery. He overcomes his terror of the pit and makes plans to get a better job by going to Night School. His self-improvement is noticed by Gertie Holdsworth, a Sunday School teacher, and soon they are walking out together - but their plans are set back by the Bag Muck strike and its appalling consequences. In Book 2, Big Smoke, Tom goes to London to train as an inspector of mines and his eyes are opened to a wider world. Gertie has troubles of her own when a friend of her employer tries to seduce her. In Book 3, Firedamp! Tom, a newly-qualified inspector of mines, is involved in the Cadeby Colliery disaster of 1912. Although the main characters in this trilogy are fictional, the events of the Bag Muck strike of 1902-3, and the Cadeby Colliery Disaster of 1912, which form the background to the story, are historical and are based on oral history passed down through the author's family, backed up by careful research.

Here is the complete English Dawn pentalogy under one cover. It tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. Anglo-Saxon culture is presented in all its richness, including the history and the legends, the arms and armour, and the songs and sagas. Celtic legends about the Sword of Albion and the dragons of Dinas Emrys are also included, along with an original interpretation of the character of Merlin. Set gainst this rich background is the story of one man: Hengest, the founding father of the English nation, telling how he rose from nithing to Bretwalda of Angleland, before losing it all to a resurgent Britannia under the leadership of Aurelius Ambrosius. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.

Vortigern commits a terrible crime to become High King of Britannia - a crime which is he led to commit by his ambitious wife, Severa. This is a Macbethian tale set in 5th century Britannia - featuring a death-dealing druidess, a proud tyrant, a seduced monk, two pitiless Picts, two Angle invaders, a voluptuous Valkyrie, two battling dragons, a Rightful King, and a parade of the most beautiful women in history - all written in a special kind of poetic prose.