The White Hawk Book One David Pilling 9781480268128 Books
Download As PDF : The White Hawk Book One David Pilling 9781480268128 Books
"God for Lancaster! God for King Henry!” England, 1459 the rival factions of Lancaster and York have plunged the kingdom into civil war. The meek and feeble King Henry VI presides over the chaos, unable to prevent his ambitious, bloodthirsty nobles from tearing each other to pieces. Book One of The White Hawk follows the fortunes of one family, the Boltons, as they attempt to survive and prosper in this world of brutal warfare and shifting alliances. From the pitiless massacre of Blore Heath to the blood-soaked hell of Towton, they must fight like wild beasts to protect their lands and their King. “A Bolton! A Bolton! The White Hawk!”
The White Hawk Book One David Pilling 9781480268128 Books
I have been looking for a book like "The White Hawk" for some time. Trudging my way through endless volumes of Wars of the Roses books which include beautiful women, love matches, supernatural powers, and god-like York men, I had begun to wonder if books of substance existed. If you have been looking for a novel with more scenes of battle than bedroom, you will find it in David Pilling's story.I was shocked at first to realize that this novel is written from a staunchly Lancastrian point of view. Richard Bolton (yes, the main character is unfortunately another Richard to keep track of) watches the Lancastrian army that he and his father are a part of get crushed at Blore Heath in the opening of the book. This leads to a vicious circle of revenge as neighbors chose their sides.
In this realistic look at the Wars of the Roses, not all men are noble and brave, and the women are not all complacent beauties lucky enough to marry for love. Life is gritty and harsh. Richard, Duke of York, is not portrayed as the man saving England from a daft, if pious, King. He is a grasping, arrogant nobleman who, along with Warwick, lead the country into devastating civil war. Edward, Earl of March, is still the giant, blonde soldier, but also a man of only 18, not the savior of England.
Not to say that the Lancastrians are shown as all good compared to the evil of York. Our hero(?), Richard Bolton, makes some horrible decisions that he justifies because of his father's battlefield death that he inwardly considers murder. He puts his family and himself in danger through these impetuous actions. His brother, James, starts out as an eye-roll inspiring version of the stereotypical lusty, drunk priest, but war does change some men for the better.
This book, which I received as a free Kindle download, did have some typos which I hope do not find their way into print versions. Besides that the style of writing is beautiful, not the overly-simplistic style that I find too many novels make use of.
Overall, "The White Hawk" was a well-written reminder that supporters of Lancaster were not simply murderous mercenaries, but everyday Englishmen who were defending their King. Pilling ends with the dramatic Battle of Towton, but as this is listed as Revenge #1, I hope to read more from him.
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Tags : The White Hawk: Book One [David Pilling] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. God for Lancaster! God for King Henry!” England, 1459: the rival factions of Lancaster and York have plunged the kingdom into civil war. The meek and feeble King Henry VI presides over the chaos,David Pilling,The White Hawk: Book One,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1480268127,Historical - General,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical
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The White Hawk Book One David Pilling 9781480268128 Books Reviews
This book is just short of excellent. The setting, research and writing are all superior. I would recommend David Pilling to anyone who likes intelligently written novels in any genre. I am a fan.
Started a bit slow as the story line built but was very hard to put down after the half way point. Wi
i enjoyed this book, it could have developed better in some of the scenes but generally delivered a good story in a time of english history i did not know a lot of...always nice to learn some new things
Richard Bolton is probably the hero in this book, but very much a flawed character; at times noble, resourceful and brave, at others pompous, cruel and unthinking. We follow his fortunes, equally counter-balanced by folly and failure, through the blood-soaked catastrophe that was the 15th. century War of the Roses. His friends and enemies are also given equal time "on-stage" and at a certain point I wondered who in fact, was the intended main character. This multiple character development does make for a more interesting read.
I would guess there are few authors who could write a more realistic and gritty account of life and death in medieval England. The description of the action and battle scenes are staggeringly brutal. Poleaxes, maces and swords bludgeon, crush and slice the bodies of the opposing soldiers and there is enough gore to satisfy the truly bloodthirsty, but I felt it was not overdone. It simply shows the terrifyingly savage nature of those knights in battle, juxtaposed against their rigid code of honour and courtly behaviour shown when these same men were at leisure. Fascinating!
Perhaps Pilling's strongest asset is his ability to put words into the mouths of the characters that always place them resoundingly in the 15th. Century. This narrative is so pleasing to read, with its complete absence of some of those annoying modernisms that creep into other similar historical novels. I would say that no one does it better.
I deduct one point for the atrociously abrupt ending of this book. I know there is a sequel on the way, but this account seems to end in mid sword-swipe, so to speak, virtually ensuring purchase of the next volume for any sort of closure. I would have liked a more rounded last chapter, inviting me to follow along with the further adventures of Sir Richard Bolton, rather than being dragged screaming into the same.
Having said that, I wouldn't miss the next book for the world.
I have been looking for a book like "The White Hawk" for some time. Trudging my way through endless volumes of Wars of the Roses books which include beautiful women, love matches, supernatural powers, and god-like York men, I had begun to wonder if books of substance existed. If you have been looking for a novel with more scenes of battle than bedroom, you will find it in David Pilling's story.
I was shocked at first to realize that this novel is written from a staunchly Lancastrian point of view. Richard Bolton (yes, the main character is unfortunately another Richard to keep track of) watches the Lancastrian army that he and his father are a part of get crushed at Blore Heath in the opening of the book. This leads to a vicious circle of revenge as neighbors chose their sides.
In this realistic look at the Wars of the Roses, not all men are noble and brave, and the women are not all complacent beauties lucky enough to marry for love. Life is gritty and harsh. Richard, Duke of York, is not portrayed as the man saving England from a daft, if pious, King. He is a grasping, arrogant nobleman who, along with Warwick, lead the country into devastating civil war. Edward, Earl of March, is still the giant, blonde soldier, but also a man of only 18, not the savior of England.
Not to say that the Lancastrians are shown as all good compared to the evil of York. Our hero(?), Richard Bolton, makes some horrible decisions that he justifies because of his father's battlefield death that he inwardly considers murder. He puts his family and himself in danger through these impetuous actions. His brother, James, starts out as an eye-roll inspiring version of the stereotypical lusty, drunk priest, but war does change some men for the better.
This book, which I received as a free download, did have some typos which I hope do not find their way into print versions. Besides that the style of writing is beautiful, not the overly-simplistic style that I find too many novels make use of.
Overall, "The White Hawk" was a well-written reminder that supporters of Lancaster were not simply murderous mercenaries, but everyday Englishmen who were defending their King. Pilling ends with the dramatic Battle of Towton, but as this is listed as Revenge #1, I hope to read more from him.
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