‘Kings Shadow’ Has Realistic Flavor Of Medieval England

“The King’s Shadow” by Elizabeth Adler is an enjoyable historical fiction novel that takes place in the last few years of Anglo-Saxon England.

Evyn is a young Welsh serf with dreams of becoming a storiawr - a traveling story teller. His dreams are cut short when he encounters ruffians who leave him mute and orphaned.

His uncle betrays him and sells him into slavery. Unable to tell anyone his name, he is called Shadow. Through good fortune he learns to read and write.

After a series of events, Evyn finds himself serving Harold Godwinson, a charismatic leader who becomes the King of England.

Evyn comes to love Harold as a father and he stands by his side through treachery and betrayal.

There are many things that make this book enjoyable. The battle scenes are described well and it almost feels as though you are part of the battle. At times, you can really feel the frustration that Evyn goes through trying to communicate with people surrounding him.

For the reader, it is easy to understand Evyn and sympathize with his problems. The characters are easy to understand and Adler doesn’t clutter the book with too many of them. The few main characters that she has in her book are easy to understand and well developed. Her simple plot makes the story easy to understand.

Although the writing is not at a very high level, and the story could have been explained and drawn out a little more, this book is a quick and enjoyable read.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Sudha Nandagopal Northwood Junior High