Author:James Aitcheson
January 1069. Less than three years have passed since Hastings and the death of the usurper, Harold Godwineson. In the depths of winter, two thousand Normans march to subdue the troublesome province of Northumbria. Tancred a Dinant, an ambitious and oath-sworn knight and a proud leader of men, is among them, hungry for battle, for silver and for land.
But at Durham the Normans are ambushed in the streets by English rebels. In the battle that ensues, their army is slaughtered almost to a man. Badly wounded, Tancred barely escapes with his life. His lord is among those slain.
Soon the enemy are on the march, led by the dispossessed prince Eadgar, the last of the ancient Saxon line, who is determined to seize the realm he believes is his. Yet even as Tancred seeks vengeance for his lord's murder, he finds himself caught up in secret dealings between a powerful Norman magnate and a shadow from the past.
As the Norman and English armies prepare to clash, Tancred begins to uncover a plot which harks back to the day of Hastings itself. A plot which, if allowed to succeed, threatens to undermine the entire Conquest. The fate of the Kingdom hangs in the balance ...
Vibrant and authentic. Rarely have I been so transported into the world of the medieval knight, and his environs. In short, Sworn Sword is an excellent read, full of intrigue and vivid, realistic battles. For new writers of historical fiction, this accomplished debut novel sets a high standard indeed.
—— Ben Kane, author of the bestselling Forgotten Legion ChroniclesFans of the sword-swinging drama still mourning the end of HBO's epic Game of Thrones will find plenty to love in this uncompromising slice of historical fiction ... Breathlessly paced and packed with action, it's a mightily accomplished debut in a major new series
—— ShortListA fantastic novel ... utterly convincing ... The plot is superb, clever and as true to the sources as is possible ... a brilliant achievement
—— Dr Elisabeth van Houts, Emmauel College, CambridgeThe setting and historical detail are superb and there is more than enough excitement to keep you hooked to the final page
—— New BooksAction packed, this is the first in a promising series, set in a fascinating period
—— Mail on SundayFinely concise, tender and most painful
—— Sunday TimesI think if I had to agitate for one under-mentioned title it would probably be Reunion... Maybe readers think they have read the story before. But I urge you to give it a try; it is short, and moving. I know that’s not the same as stumbling across it somewhere in the stacks...but perhaps it can qualify as a treasure all the same
—— Paris ReviewFrom the first tingle-making line...I was mesmerised by Uhlman’s heart-breaking story
—— Daily MailAn exquisite novella such as Fred Uhlman's Reunion...is clearly worth much more than its weight or cover price and certainly more than the latest prize-winning bit of puff
—— GuardianMelancholy and elegiac with a very effective final twist of the plot
—— The TimesThe interesting question now is what is the “greatest book we’ve never heard of” (Stoner’s tag)? Fred Uhlman’s Reunion (1971), to be published in July, might follow in Stoner’s footsteps... Watch this space
—— IndependentA minor masterpiece. Uhlman succeeds in lending his narrative a musical quality which is both haunting and lyrical
—— Arthur KoestlerA profound meditation upon the nature of friendship. The first line alone is enough to send a tingle up your spine: 'He came into my life in February 1932 and never left it again'
—— GuardianA book that changed me? Reunion by Fred Uhlman. I read it 20 years ago. It changed my view on Judaism
—— Jeffrey ArcherOriginally published in 1971, apparently, Reunion passed me by then but reading it now it certainly packs a punch
—— Guy Pringle , NudgeA little masterpiece
—— Val Hennessy , Daily MailI loved the mood of the book — it’s nostalgic and wistful without being sentimental — and it’s written in a perfectly matter-of-fact way but is done so eloquently the sentences feel as if they’ve been spun from silk. It’s a quick read, too, but it’s the kind of story that stays with you
—— Reading MattersDevastating
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesNever hits a false note
—— i (The paper for today)It’s a good novel, a short novel, quickly and easily read, but it’s a novel that demonstrates Uhlman’s great skill because when you arrive at the last sentence (the very last sentence of the novel), you see you’ve actually missed a different arc entirely. It is this twist in the tail that has you both retreating back through the book but also (curse them) recommending it to others as well
—— Book MunchExtraordinary…one of literature’s most shattering final sentences
—— New York TimesUhlman writes with a painter’s eye for the significant detail, and with the precision of someone who has learned a second language in adulthood. Every word is exactly what it must, and could only, be. Every sentence is characterized by delicacy, concision, and finesse
—— Church TimesShimmers above so much of the new fiction… Brings a lump to the throat in its final line
—— Arifa Akbar , IndependentA daring miracle of narrative simplicity, its end comes at you like a torch in a long tunnel.
—— Rachel Cooke , ObserverAs perfect as it is powerful
—— Irish TimesReunion resembles that other small masterpiece, Death in Venice, by Uhlman’s compatriot Thomas Mann. Its setting may be drastically different but, in a classic, what prevails is strength of spirit over the will to power.
—— Amanda Hopkinson , Jewish Chronicle[A] touching novel.
—— David Nicholls , Observer, Book of the YearA beautiful story
—— Jeffrey Archer , Daily Express