My Review (5 stars out of 5)
Young warrior Odo escapes Paris (where his father is accused of plotting against the king) and joins a barbarian ruler’s army in northern Britannia. A Saxon slave girl takes his fancy, but another woman—the wife of his new boss—also has her eye on Odo. Caught in a difficult situation, Odo jumps at the chance to take on a secret mission in Saxon territory – knowing he could land himself in even more trouble…
Arrow of Alba is the first book in the Odo the Frank series and the first I’ve read by this author. There’s plenty of action, feasting, and drunken clashes between friends and enemies in this atmospheric tale. For the most part, the author’s exhaustive knowledge of the era shines through, bringing the story to life with the smells, sounds, and sights our hero meets with, and his use of language—while updated to allow his characters to be easily understood—lets us into their world, their beliefs and differing cultures. My only whinge would be Mr Webster’s use of the phrase ‘back in the day’ which jars slightly in his otherwise faultless dialogue.
An exciting and fascinating tale that will delight lovers of historical fiction.
Colin Garrow 