My brother-in-law (one Benjamin Merkle) spent the last three years in Oxford (with my sister and their young brood) working on an Mst in Oriental Studies and a doctorate on Reformation Germany. At the same time, he decided to take advantage of his location and write a biography of King Alfred. He’d previously spent some time studying Alfred for a stateside MA in Renaissance Literature (translating some of King Alfred’s Anglo Saxon translation of Augustine’s Soliloquies, among other things). He is wicked smart (deceptively so–and that’s a good thing), and he writes quite well.
Alfred’s story is as unbelievable as it is important. As the fifth son of the king of Wessex, he never expected to see the throne. But with Viking invasions, a dead father, and four dead elder brothers, he ended up seeing a great deal more. With England’s kingdoms completely sacked, he refused to flee (even though capture meant a grisly human sacrifice to Odin), gathered faithful followers, and slowly retook the entire isle–uniting England as England for the first time.
It’s such a good story, Hollywood is bound to ruin it sometime.
My family and I got to tag around England and get some authorial tours of some of the chief Alfred sites, along with oral versions of the some the big stories. Terrific. Go forth and buy it.
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October 27, 2009 at 9:10 am
Hannah L.
Ooh, I’m excited about that!!! Maybe I’ll get it for Christmas.
I believe King Alfred was a great-great-etc. uncle of mine.
God bless!
~Hannah
October 27, 2009 at 10:00 am
Hannah
We’re learning about Vikings in history (history this semester, writing next semester
), and I shall buy it if possible. Mom says, “Okay. humph. Just for the record, little missy, that’s the book I, your mother, told you about last week, goosey. How it’s neat when N.D. Wilson recommends, but not neat when I recommend it?” Well, you know more about writing/books than she does, so I trust you more than I trust her as far as books are concerened. But, I will buy it. *nods emphaticly*
October 27, 2009 at 10:09 am
womanofthehouse
I saw this book on your mother’s blog last week and showed it to my 12yo daughter. She wasn’t interested, even though we are studying the Vikings this year, including their raids on the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the Danelaw, etc. In fact, she was quite ho-hum. But *you* recommend it, my dear Mr. Wilson, and now she’s all agog to get it! LOL Thank you! Any other books you want to recommend?
October 27, 2009 at 10:10 am
womanofthehouse
LOL! “Hannah” above is said daughter.
June 11, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Christopher
Just thought I’d add my praise for the book. I got it for my birthday and am currently in love with King Alfred. It was a great book and I’ll definently be re-visiting it again. Thank you Mr. Merkle.
P. S. If I spelled things wrong in there I’m sorry.