What do You think about The Summer Of The Danes (1992)?
Cadfael and his old assistant Mark, now a deacon, are called in to deliver messages to bishops in Wales. Cadfael has to go to translate the Welsh. At their first stop they find that the great house already has guests, Owain Gwynedd, the ruler of Gwynedd and his entire retinue is there to keep an eye on things. Historically he had an endless fight with Thomas Beckett about the appointment of bishops in Wales so he’d be interested in the Church’s doings.This probably should have been an Edith Pargeter novel, not an Ellis Peters one (Peters was her penname) because these men are the forebears of her Brothers Gwynedd series. Here it is 1144 and in those books it’s 1275 or so. So, if I have my Welsh genealogy right, Owain is the grandfather of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the main character in that series.Another visitor arrives, Bledri ap Rhys, a man of Cadwalader’s, the impetuous brother of Owain. They all assume he is there to spy, but he gives his word not to escape and he has guest rights that custom dictates he will not break.The men of the church are asked to accompany the canon’s daughter, Heledd. She is an obvious reminder of a period when priests were allowed to marry and her father has arranged a match for her, without her consent, as was standard for the time. Out of sight etcetera.They all travel together on the road to their next stop. Bledri flirts with Heledd the whole way. It works for them both; he annoyes everyone and she annoys her father.At the next stop, Bledri is found murdered in his room. News also arrives of a Danish fleet offshore and in the fuss Heledd grabs the opportunity to run away. They don’t get a chance to investigate the murder before Mark and Cadfael are on the road after her.Cadwalader has hired some Danish mercs to attack his brother and the first people they stumble upon, while they are out raiding for food, is Cadfael and Heledd. They are held to ransom.****The story deals with love, betrayal, loyalty (however poorly earned) and the conflict between brothers.So it is less of a normal Cadfael mystery. There is only one death and a lot of action happens outside of Cadfael’s pov but it is beautifully written as her stories always are.And I was so pleased for Heledd who took her destiny into her own hands.
—A.M.
I purchased this book back in September of 2010, but never got around to actually reading it until January of 2013. #shameonmeThe Story.When Brother Mark requests Brother Cadfael’s service as translator for an important ecclesiastical envoy which is journeying to Saint Asaph to honor the new Bishop there, Brother Cadfael joyfully accepts. He is relieved to have a change of scenery – the Benedictine Abbey at Shrewbury, while excellent for holy living, is not exciting. Not that Brother Cadfael expects anything cataclysmic to happen on his journey, but it will at least provide some variety to his retired lifestyle.Brother Cadfael may not have anticipated a catastrophe, but a catastrophe is what he gets! While still engaged in his official duties, Cadfael receives word that a band of marauding Danes have arrived on the Welsh coast. A day later, he is kidnapped by them!What’s a priest to do? Pray for peace and fight for freedom!Discussion.The Summer of the Danes was fun. Although dubbed a ‘Medieval Whodunnit’, I found that it read more like a historical novel. True, a person is murdered. True, nobody knows who did it. But the search for the murderer only occupies a score of pages. The real action involves the interaction between Danish and Welsh forces.Because I entered The Summer of the Danes expecting a mystery, I wasn’t really prepared for the path that the story took and did not feel as engaged by it as I might have, had I known the mystery was not the main focus.Conclusion. The Summer of the Danes was not as engaging as most of the mystery novels that I have read, but it was interesting enough to cause me to purchase several other books in the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series. I look forward to reading and reviewing them soon!Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
—Laura Verret
This is one of my three most appreciated of the incredible Brother Cadfael series. The characterization of the young girl, wary of her father's forcing her into an arranged marriage, set in an era of invading Danes is fascinating. This is true both from the historical standpoint and the interactions of the various characters. The Welsh royalty comes into focus here as well, and characterizes two well-known princes of the time. The weaving of the different story lines into one, and the humane yet stark treatment of the ways of warfare of the time are amazing.
—Louise G
