She is also the mother of Henry, who later married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Queen Maud was the legitimate heir to the throne, but a woman, and there fore not fit to rule. England was deserted, for Christ and his saints were sleeping. Yes, those princes did die, but not by Richard's hand.Īnother wonderful title, for it refers to the 15 years of England's darkest time-the civil war between the cousins Queen Maud and King Steven. In this novel, Richard is a victim of circumstance and man vilified by the Tudors, but here presented as a decent and normal man, a man of conscience.ĪND he is not a murderer. SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR-Warning: This is not Shakespeare's Richard III. a wonderful metaphor for how little the Welsh and English knew of each other. HERE BE DRAGONS is such a great title-medieval mapmakes would write those words across any part of the map that was unknown. But Penman makes them live forever in our minds and hearts with fantastic, unforgettable characters and wonderful history. From my 15 year old niece to my 70 year old mother and many ages in between, all readers are enchanted and transported to a land and an age gone forever. Her trilogy of the decline of the Welsh kings ( DRAGON, FALLS THE SHADOW and THE RECKONING)is a holiday gift I give year after year, and I'm happy to say they have always been embraced and loved. I started with HERE BE DRAGONS and I have never looked back. It's funny, you can sell something for years before you notice that the author has been quietly making a powerful impact on people everywhere. It is in these Staff Recommend sections that I kept on seeing our Penman's titles, HERE BE DRAGONS, FALLS THE SHADOW, THE RECKONING and also SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR and WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT.

It is here that you can find treasured, beloved books quite dear to someone who works in the stores, someone waiting quite eagerly for the chance to hand sell their recommended titles. What interests me first about these stores is what titles are being displayed in the 'Staff Recommends' section of the store. As a publisher I have been lucky to be able to visit bookstores all over the country, independent and chain alike.

Falls the shadow by sharon kay penman