Warrior King
by Sue Purkiss
'Warrior King' is based on the life of King Alfred the Great. We have all heard of King Arthur and yet probably have no idea about the only English monarch to be called 'Great'. This is not normally the kind of book I am interested in, however, Purkiss managed to keep me interested in the journey of the man by planting clues of his nature in the early chapters and setting up an obvious course of events.
The book could have been longer; Alfred's early childhood was skimmed over and it was clear that it needed to be told, as his later behaviour had been predetermined by his childhood. That said, when Purkiss moved the plot forward the paragraph summaries were too brief, giving a sense of what has happened historically, but not any depth of Alfred's feelings. This is strikingly different from other places where great pains are taken to show every character's feelings and thoughts.
The story itself is fairly gruesome in parts, but in others the violence is glossed over and instead the reader is told by the survivors what has happened, which is a technique that clearly safeguards the younger readers, but leaves everyone else to imagine the destruction that the Danes leave behind.
There seems to be an element of magic with the character of Cerys; however, this is kept fairly mysterious and not explained which adds to the magical quality of the setting in Somerset. Fleda is a thoroughly rounded character; it is very entertaining when the foolhardy princess throws herself into the path of the onslaught of the Danes.
The idea that Britain was split into separate countries would have been helped by a map at the front, to enable younger readers to understand that the country was very different from how it is now.
Purkiss does an excellent job of showing the reader a man who is divided between his country and his family, his duty and his own desires. The final battle which the book leads towards throughout is over in a matter of pages and Alfred's confrontation with Guthrum ends in a failrly peaceful truce. Again, a little more description of events would have been welcome; instead the reader shares the frustration of Fleda as she watches from afar.
First time readers of historically based books will find 'Warrior King' easy to engage with, Alfred is a good character to follow and his actions are understandable. Cerys and Math however, are as mysterious as the land they come from. Clearly a lot of research has gone into the book; however, the skimming over of some characters and events leaves the reader feeling as if they know only half the story. The half that they are told has a mix of murder, battle, love and magic.