The King's Shadow

by Elizabeth Alder

Overview

Evyn, a young Welsh serf, has dreamed all his life of becoming a storyteller. But in a cruel twist of fate, Evyn and his father suffer a brutal attack by a group of murderous ruffians. Evyn's tongue is cut off and his father is killed. Orphaned and unable to speak, Evyn assumes he is destined to a life of slavery. But Evyn is resilient and teaches himself to read and write. He is then appointed the personal companion to Earl Harold of Wessex, who later becomes the King of England. The two travel the countryside together, forming a close father-son bond. Evyn chronicles all of their exciting journeys, which culminate at the Battle of Hastings, where the future of the country is decided.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780440220114
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/07/1997
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	456,632
Product dimensions:	4.19(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.69(d)
Lexile:	940L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

Alder's clunky debut charts the rise and fall of King Harold, as seen by the fictional Evyn, the king's loyal Welsh servant and foster son. A regular Horatio Alger hero of Saxon England, Evyn finds his promising career as a storiawr (wandering storyteller) stopped short when his tongue is cut out by the high-born ruffians who killed his father. A few days later, Evyn's uncle sells the mute boy into slavery on the vast estates of Lady Ealdgyth Swan Neck, who, for some reason, arranges for the boy to be taught to read and write. Later, Evyn leaves Ealdgyth's household to serve her lover, Harold, Earl of Wessex. At this point the narrative really bogs down, becoming essentially a star-struck account of Harold's ascent (``It seemed to Evyn that all the power of the Saxon people was concentrated behind the muscle and bones of the Earl of Wessex'') and his defeat at the hands of William the Conqueror. Characterizations are wooden and oddly distant: it's hard to get a sense of Harold's repeatedly emphasized charisma from Alder's cliched phrases. A wealth of potentially fascinating historical details indicates thorough research; unfortunately, these snippets are poorly integrated into the story. Ages 12-up. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 6-9A Welsh orphan is mutilated and sold into slavery before finding a place for himself beside England's last Saxon king. Fully fleshed out characterizations and nonstop action. (July 1995)

School Library Journal

Eleventh-century Britain is the background for Alder's finely written account of a slave who becomes the chronicler of Harold, last of the Saxon kings. When Evyn is brutally attacked and rendered mute, his hopes of becoming a storyteller and escaping his life as a serf are shattered. Sold into slavery, he joins the household of Lady Ealdgyth, the common-law wife of Earl Harold of Wessex. Illiterate, mutilated, and feared by the thralls, Evyn becomes known as Shadow. When he is sent to a monastery to be educated, his future is altered forever. After his return, he saves the life of Earl Harold and follows Harold, as his squire and later as his foster son, from Wessex to London and eventually to the Battle of Hastings, where he witnesses Harold's death. On the journey, Evyn learns about loyalty, honor, and bravery, and he comes to realize that by chronicling the fate of his king, he has actually become a storyteller. Alder's vivid descriptions of the harsh conditions and customs of medieval life make the story come alive, and her brisk pacing never wavers. Evyn is an observant, sympathetic narrator, an apt recorder of the perilous times.

Chris Sherman

Draw your chair to the fireside as the story of Evyn unfolds in Ron Keith’s magnificent English accent. History is revealed through the story of Evyn, an adolescent Welsh serf whose dream of becoming a storyteller is dashed when his tongue is severed by his father’s murderer. As Harold Godwinson ascends to the throne of England, the damaged Evyn comes to be his trusted friend, his foster son, his greatest champion. Each character speaks in a distinctly rendered and carefully accented voice. From the musical lilt of Evyn’s words and subsequent thoughts to the lordly intonations of King Harold, Keith brings to life the gripping story of tragedy, war and death in the years from 1063 to 1066 for audiences aged 11 to 100. T.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

MAY 98 - AudioFile