The Angel and the Sword

by Cecelia Holland

Overview

Guided and guarded by an angel, a young Spanish knight saves Paris from the Vikings during one of the darkest eras of Christendom-and turns out to be a girl.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888601891
Publisher:	Untreed Reads Publishing
Publication date:	11/30/2023
Pages:	282
Sales rank:	879,598
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Cecelia Holland has been writing since she was 12, and spends a good deal of every day writing. She chose to write historical fiction, because, being 12, she had precious few stories of her own, and history seemed to her then, as it still does, an endless fund of material.

She was encouraged to write by the poet William Meredith and the short story writer David Jackson. Her first novel was The Firedrake, and it was published by Atheneum in 1966. Since then, Cecelia has written a lot, read a lot, and raised three daughters. She lived in northern California, in the country. Once a week, she teaches creative writing at Pelican Baystate Prison in Crescent City, and, every day, she takes care of a small menagerie of little animals.

Editorial Reviews

The prolific Holland (Jerusalem; Valley of the Kings, etc.), a commanding voice in the historical fiction genre, succeeds once again in illuminating a darkly glorious piece of the past, in this epic tale of warrior princesses and avenging angels set in ninth-century medieval Europe. Fluidly written and energetically paced, the story opens on Queen Ingunn's deathbed. The monarch's final wish is for her only child, Ragny, as the last remaining descendant of the line of Roderick, to claim her rightful position and become the new queen of Spain. King Markold, the queen's estranged husband and Ragny's disreputable father, plans to marry his daughter and claim the throne. Strong-willed Ragny escapes Markold and is pursued by Markold's sergeant, Seffrid. She convinces Seffrid to become her ally, cuts off her hair and escapes to Francia. Disguised as a man, Ragny, now known as Roderick, possesses the strength of a true warrior. And she has a secret--she is protected by her guardian angel. With flashing sword, Ragny/Roderick saves a group of monks and the handsome Frankish knight, Leovild, from bandits; in return they take the fearless maiden and Seffrid to meet the king of Francia, Charles the Bald. A bloody medieval duel caps this tale of epic battles and heavenly light. Little distinguishes it from similar sagas, but Holland consistently satisfies her readers, and the book should prove a surefire, if fleeting, antidote to winter doldrums. (Dec.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Holland's 23rd novel is a fast-paced, action-driven, and highly satisfying saga about French folk legend Roderick the Beardless. Set in a vividly described ninth-century Paris, the novel centers on King Charles the Bald's fight to save the city when the continued demands of the Vikings can no longer be met. To his aid comes the young, intensely spiritual Lord Roderick. Roderick is in fact the Princess Ragny, who fled her native Spain and incestuous father by disguising herself as a man. As Roderick, Ragny struggles with her sin of deception, her personal identity, womanhood, and the privileges and restrictions of manhood. She also manages to become a hero in battle. This period of French/Viking history may not be a burning topic, but veteran historical novelist Holland (Jerusalem) turns this tidbit of folklore into a wonderful story of faith, love, hope, and justice. Highly recommended for all public libraries.--Jean Langlais, St. Charles P.L., IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The legend of Roderick the Beardless—the ninth-century hero who was in fact a heroine—is given fictional form in Holland's lively and entertaining 23rd novel. Protagonist Ragny, daughter of Spain's Queen Ingunn, flees following her mother's death from the heavy-breathing clutches of Ingunn's oafish consort Markold the Grim. Donning male garb and adopting the name Roderick, Ragny and her companion-in-arms Seffrid (Markold's former"sergeant") journey to the neighboring kingdom of Francia (ruled by Charlemagne's grandson, the"slipshod little King" Charles), and help defend it from marauding"Northmen." Having proven"himself" a mighty warrior, Roderick is given the hand of the king's unwilling daughter Alpaida—and the inevitable revelation of Ragny's true identity sends her to prison and a sentence of trial by fire to determine whether she is—as the suggestible Charles fears—a shape-shifting witch. The story's resolution, accomplished through the agency of what may indeed be supernatural means, fittingly crowns Ragny's adventures, and ends—as any legend worth its salt must—with a hard-won restoration of order. Holland (An Ordinary Woman, 1999, etc.) is a real master of historical fiction. She writes crisp, swift sentences, offers intensely sensory visualizations (e.g.,"The trail began to drop away under them, so that his horse leaned back and slid stiff-legged with each step on the hard rock"), constructs vivid action scenes, and judiciously mingles her characters' introspective moments with the surrounding drama—stumbling only by employing King Charles reminiscences a bit too overtly as exposition,andwith occasionallysupercharged rhetoric (as when Ragny and Leovild, the courageous knight who wins her, meet in a climactic embrace:"Her mouth was like the rose, and he the bee"). A rousing good read, nevertheless, and a welcome addition to a quite considerable (and really rather underrated) body of work.

Kirkus Reviews