Conn Iggulden has the unique ability to bring history to life. He doesn't sacrifice historical accuracy, but his pace and plotting are still utterly engaging. I'd wager there are few who know much about the historical Dunstan, but that doesn't matter in the least because Iggulden has written a fascinating and engaging character. It's timely (I'm sure it will appeal to fans of the TV show Vikings) and his historical notes at the end were brilliant. It's not a period of time I knew much about, but Iggulden managed to teach me something new while keeping me incredibly entertained. Bravo!

Conn Iggulden is at his usual best with this story of the rise and rise of Dunstan, Abbot, Bishop and grand designer. A fascinating tale that has an increased level of interest for all of the careful research into the subject.

Iggulden's writing style is so easy it becomes almost impossible to stop turning the pages. Each character is carefully drawn and we know both their glories and their flaws; no 2D personas here, each is wholly human, with all the good and bad within us all.

For lovers of historical novels, this is a dream. Those periods of history between the great battles and societal upheavals are often overlooked, and yet, as Iggulden shows us here, even these quieter times are populated by extraordinary people whose efforts, actions and, indeed, genius, should never be forgotten and should still be celebrated.

enjoyed this historical fiction novel about an important person in the early days of the creation of England and how the author makes you believe that you are there in Saxon England amongst the monks at Glastonbury or the Royal court at Winchester. As we follow the trials and life of Dunstan as well of those of the emerging nation of England and battles with the Danes. Felt the only downside was more the novel was based in his early years rather than the important middle part of the story.

Dunstan is the true story of a man who was a central figure in the development of the English church after the death of King Alfred. He was a central figure at the court of the kings of Wessex. A man with a grasp of politics, masonry, silversmith and blacksmith. Banished to Belgium after upsetting the kings mistress he finally returns back to England to eventually become Archbishop of Canterbury.
Conn Iggulden has written a fascinating story and brought to life Anglo Saxon England. If history was taught like this in schools no one would ever say it was dry or boring.
A wonderful book made all the more enthralling knowing its a true story, the authors historical notes at the end of this book are brilliant as well.
Thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Another cracking historical fiction novel from Iggledon. One of the author's selling points is his ability to bring history to life. Another is the way he takes lesser know historical figures and builds a storybaround them. Dunstan is a case in point. With a sound grasp of the suprisingly complex and ever shifting grounds of Anglo-Saxon politics, Iggledon has given us something special here. Most people have only the sketchiest knowledge of the time period or how much law and rule changed between 700 ACE and 1066 ACE. And one thing that often gets over looked is the Church in Britain was predominently Celtic Rite not the Latin Church, and it was a path to power and political ambition for many, both male and female, even at comparitively low levels so far from Rome. This is captured very well here with Dunstan, an ambitious monk who is trying to affect the tides of power. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

“I have always forgiven my enemies, but only when they have been punished.” These are the thoughts of Dunstan, Abbot of Canterbury. A biting wit colors his world, and though the book makes readers wish to cheer for good to happen to him, we also see the stain of darkness that colors his soul. When one dabbles in the political world of the 10th century, it seems it is impossible not to become tangled in the webs of intrigue.

Author Conn Iggulden has fashioned a fine blend of history with the liberty taken when one composes a historical novel. Saint Dunstan is viewed as a remarkable person, a man of many talents who contributed much during his time. Mr. Iggulden presents Dunstan as a complex character, someone tempered by his wits yet driven by his soul to accomplish great things. He uses finesse when necessary, force when it is required, and the brutal straightforwardness a man exhibits when he believes he is in the right.

The novel traces Dunstan’s early life in Glastonbury, which inspired his desire to build an abbey and cathedral there. He served under seven English kings during his lifetime, and the story describes in great detail his relationship with each one. The book is written in first person, treated as if Dunstan had set down his history in words to share with people who might come upon them centuries in the future.

The author’s writing style is wonderful. It flows well, and the dialogue never skips a beat and maintains an authenticity throughout. While any story of a person who had an effect on history would be interesting, the intrigue and deception aspects drive this tale. I hated each time I had to stop reading and set the book aside. I never felt the story drag, although the ending seemed to rush to a climax. Whether that was the author or just my inclination to not see a good book come to an end, I cannot say. Very highly recommended. Five stars.

Set in the days ofAnglo-Saxon England in the year 937. England is a nation that's divided. It's ruled bu minor Kings and Viking Lords.

Conn Igguiden was an English teacher before he started writing full-time. He has a talent in writing history that make you feel you are living through the parts he is writing about. This is a beautifully written history book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Conn Igguiden for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It seemed to give me a real feel for the era - the 10th century. I am still not sure that I liked the main character, Dunstan, but I liked reading about him. I realise that he is a real character in the history of that time which was a big part of the appeal for me. It gave an authentic feel of the time, the difficulties in communicating, the weeks/ months waiting for a response to a message for example and the minimal opportunities available. It is quite a long book but very much worth reading.

As as great fan of Conn Iggulden's books I was extremely disappointed in his War of the Roses trilogy, particularly the final Bloodline so I was a little apprehensive as I began Dunstan. Firstly, am hoping that there will be an introduction to this character when the book is published as I had not heard of Dunstan and knew nothing of this historic age. I found the book a slow burn and certainly didn't initially take to the character of Dunstan himself. At times I felt the book was rushed and that the author was trying to cram too much information into his chapters. However, as always with Mr Iggulden's books, he leaves me with the urge to know more and to visit these places for myself. The book, when published, will be bought and join all his others on my bookshelf.

Another superb title from a master of his craft. Cleverly interweaving known fact with fictional ideas that meld seamlessly one can smell the brutality of the time. Our hero is portrayed as both saint and sinner which is probably true with a glorious cast of characters throughout this is highly recommended.

I loved Conn Iggulden's Ghengis Khan stories so knew I'd appreciate this historical novel about a period of England with which I'm unfamiliar. The scope is wide ranging and well researched with a central figure who displays all the complexity and moral division of a real, flawed human, rather than an airbrushed hero from the history books. I liked Dunstan (man and book) though only the former is flawed. Iggulden's writing, as ever, feels effortless.

I enjoyed the narrative, and being told in the 1st person worked well. Dunstan is not very self-aware, his 'miracle' are shown to be lies and manipulation, and he isn't as important as he, and his hagiographers, would like history to think. The other characters are sympathetic and interesting. The pace is good, and the book is a real page-turner - I 'had' to get to the end and find out what happened.

I had one or two niggling problems with the book though.
Firstly, names. Stop messing with them. The author tried to prevent confusion in choosing Elflaed's name but only caused me more confusion.
Secondly, Chapter 34: 'a superb broth of chicken and potatoes, and also tomatoes stuffed with grey shrimp'. For an author considered to be one of the best at writing historical fiction, this is an egregious error. It's tenth century Ghent, not 18th century London.

Set in AD 937, when England is not a unified country. It is ruled by minor kings and is under attack.
It is a period of unrest, war, power struggles and rebellions. I was aware of variuos names of the period but not much other detail.
The author states that there are sections that he has filled in to make it work as a piece of historical fiction. Effectively using artistic license to create a story of what "could have happened". To balance this out he also includes "Historical Notes" section at the end of the book explaining why and where he has changed things. There are actual accounts of Dunstan that appear in The Anglo Saxon Chronicles and other documents.

This story follows the life of Dunstan, who lived close by Glastonbury Tor. Run by monks who take in both himself and his brother Wulfric. It charts the life of Dunstan from boy to man, then from man to Archbishop. Dunstan is quick witted and ambitious. He becomes a friend of Kings and an enemy to some, a builder of Abbeys and creator of items. He becomes a man of God, though at times he regrets some of his actions. He is focused on building Glastonbury an Abbey that will be seen as an architectural wonder. He is manipulative, a plotter and a schemer and uses his position to make this achievement possible. He claims it is for the Church and the will of God, but it is also for his pride. At times his pride blinds him to become a guilty man.

This aside, he was around when England became unified. One country, one king. He was witness to several kings during his lifetime, and also used his influence for good.

I really enjoyed this story, yes it was simplified, but that was helpful. It made the reading experience smoother and more enjoyable. I enjoyed every page from start to finish and really liked the inclusion of the historical notes at the end, giving me reference points for my own further reading of this period of English history. I would definitley recommend this book to other readers.

Before I read this book,I knew three things about Dunstan. Firstly, he was involved in raising monies and designing Glastonbury Cathedral . The second and third things came from my father who was a blacksmith and farrier, namely that Dunstan was the patron saint of blacksmiths and Dunstan caught the Devil by the nose with a pair of red hot pincers, and having seen this last item straight from the forge, could almost sympathise with the unlucky Devil!!
However, men can be Devils too and the author has given us a different interpretation of this legend that makes perfect sense. Dunstan was different and if only 10% of this book is true, then I still love the speculation of the remaining 90%, it is such a good read!
Dunstan was a man of God who knew a woman in the biblical sense, he was full of pride of his achievements, full of forgiveness only when he had got his own way, and impatient with his fellow men. He knew poverty and cruelty against himself , he was betrayed by Kings and his church, exiled from his home and country, yet, fought in battles despite being a man of peace.
This is not a dry historical novel, but an enjoyable romp through Saxon England, full of details about skirmishes against Vikings, war preparations and a wealth of detail about his work at the forges and his time as master of the Royal mint. Due to this time period, names and titles were often repeated and the author has helped by simplifying family names, titles and the Royal line of succession .
I rate this book very highly, but I would have expected nothing less from the author of The War of the Roses books. Simply marvellous !
Thank you for my advance copy in return for my honest review, that I have posted to Goodreads.

Having been born in Plymouth where there was an abbey to Saint Dunstan I have long wondered why he was revered as a saint. I have also had the modern historical writers recommended to me, especially Conn Iggulden, as being interesting authors I would probably enjoy reading. To find the two in one volume was a definite pleasure for me to discover.
I did enjoy the novel and would be pleased to read more by the author and on this topic in the future. What a fascinating life Dunstan lived and it is amazing to think how much he achieved in that era.

First things first, I was so excited when I saw this book on Netgalley - because Conn Igguldon is a very popular writer, and this period in time is one of my periods - I've written a trilogy that begins with Brunanburh, a short story regarding the split of England in the reign of King Eadwig and a novel about Queen Elfrida - or Audrey, as the author insists on call her, not to mention my 'main' series charting the final century of Anglo-Saxon rule..

I can barely express my abject disappointment with this novel. I stopped reading it on two occasions but forced myself to get to the end because if I was going to provide feedback, I felt I should do the author the honour of at least reading all of the book - I was, hopeful, that the novel would improve. I was disappointed.

While I have absolutely no problem with the Dunstan being portrayed as a devious bastard, prepared to take any steps necessary to get what he wanted (I think this is a fair assessment of the spread of Christianity in this period and the powerful politicians/ecclesiastics that populated the landscape - although Dunstan has been made to be particuarly evil and self-centred), and while I understand that this is historical fiction, I would have at, the least, expected the author to be historically accurate where possible, and if not, to provide details of this in his notes at the end of the novel. I am left feeling that instead of making people keen to read more about this period, the author has actually irreovocably damaged it, and perhaps worse, held himself up to some ridicule by relying on the Life of St Dunstan and failing to follow the information provided in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. (The Lives of Saints are inherently difficult to use as any source material - they tell more about the time period they were written in than the person they write about), and sagas. Sagas, again have some historical basis but they were written so long after events they have to be used sparingly and with extreme caution. The best way to use either source is to cross reference it with other information.

If this novel is supposed to be akin to the Vikings TV series, which is based on sagas and not history, then this needs to be made clear from the get-go.

Those people who enjoy historical fiction of this time period will not appreciate being 'dumbed' down to. They are used to such words as ealdormen (earls is a title that was introduced by King Cnut during his reign from 1016-1035 - a century later), and the names that people had - there is no need to change names such as Aethelflaeda to Faeltha or Aelfthryth (or Elfrida) to Audrey, or use names such as Beatrice, John Wyatt, or substituting Allwold for Aethelwald, or Godfreyson instead of Gothfrithson.

Then there is the matter of historical inaccuracy - again I have no problem with messing around with a few facts - but to ignore so many known facts smacks of a lack of intent study - there was no cavalry at Brunanburh (why else would historians have made such a big deal about the Norman Cavalry of the Battle of 1066?) - the Anglo-Saxons were known for riding to battle and fighting on foot (if you Google this it quickly becomes apparant that the idea of cavalry has been much discussed and dismissed for Brunanburh). King Edmund was not an orphan - his mother was still alive until the 960's. King Edmund was married two times, not once, and his second wife didn't die but was still powerful during the reign of her step-sons. King Eadwig and King Edgar did not divide the kingdom until 957 (two years into Eadwig's reign - why else would Eadwig have been crowned King of the English at Kingston - it's because at that time he was). King Edgar married, probably three times, and not twice, and in missing out one of the marriages, the author also misses out one of his children - the Lady Edith of Wilton. It was, as far as I know, King Edgar who brought about the revolution in terms of currency, something brought to a head under King Aethelred II who was able to recall and reissue his coinage every 6 years. People know this stuff - they will know that information has either been missed out or that the author has not studied the period well.

As to the idea of the English kings as High Kings of England or rather Great Britain - this again is a misinterpretation - there were many petty kingdoms in Wales - and where is the wonderful Hywel Dda and great friend of King Athelstan in this story? The Kingdom of the Scots was independent - mostly, although the campaign of 934 against them is ignored as is the treaty of Eamont in 927 - when there was (allegedly) a peace between all the kingdoms within Great Britiainl. There was war, mostly in the north, - Edmund lost the Danelaw and York on his accession. Edmund gained back some of it, and Eadred the rest, and sometimes there were Welsh kings attending upon the English kings but it wasn't a 'done deal'. The kings of the English were not High Kings, even if they wanted to be.

As to Dunstan himself - he is a despicable character and I have no problem with that but by the time you've stomached murder, STI's, murder again and again, and again and again and his own superior attitude to everyone he meets, its difficult to even want to read about him. By the end I simply didn't care what he'd been up to anymore - and this is a terrible shame. After all, he is credited with the sweeping changes, along with Bishop Aethelwold and Bishop Oswald, that the Benedictine Reformation brought about - and yet these characters are missing, entirely from the story. The author even appears to respect Dunstan and yet anyone reading the novel will go away thinking only of his corruption, his murders and the gullability of everyone he meets and manages to hoodwink.

This book, about Dunstan, should have been a wonderful opportunity to illuminate a little known time period in English history, by a very well known author - and to do it through the eyes of one of its churchmen as opposed to through the eyes of warriors - as Bernard Cornwell does - instead it's a turgid read, even without the historical inaccuracies that infuriate me. If I read this with no idea of the time period, I would think Anglo-Saxon England was the mud splaterred, corrupt, violent and filthy place that is all anyone ever seems to make of it, and more, I would wonder why on earth anyone would want to waste their time writing and researching the period, and then inflicting it on readers who are expecting something much, much, much, much better.

Sadly, I can't recommend this book to anyone, but neither will I post this review anywhere but on Netgalley. I must reiterate that I was extremely excited and pleased to be offered a review copy of the book (thank you) - I desperately wanted it to be good - really good - and to illuminate the time period for those who have their heads stuck in the Tudor or Roman period - but this is not that book. I shall wait and hope that one day there will be a book worthy of that hope.

Another riveting read from Conn Iggulden, not that you'd expect anything else from him.

Great to see such dark, unexplored period of British history being given the full historical fiction treatment. There's a great cast of historical characters here that must make an authors life so easy.

However, unlike previous Iggulden books, which are all part of series, this new one felt rushed. It didnt need to be part of a 4/5 book series, however it could have benefited from adding another book. The story needed more depth, the timeline felt rushed. The characterisation wasn't as involved as i've come to expect from the author. I just couldn't get to grips with Dunstan as a character. Didn't really like him, yet couldnt hate him. As a character, he just felt too hollow.

Still, a fun, enjoyable, quick read.