A sword wielding historical adventure for the old and the young that gallops along transporting you back in time all the way to the mid 12th century.

An adventure story that would have ticked all the boxes for me as a young reader (and is still quite a rousing read for a grown up lady) especially as it is set in an historical era that isn't as well known as, say, the Elizabethan England and therefore, to me, reads more like fantasy than nonfiction. A definite good time.

This is an historical fiction novel, set in the mid 1100’s, and the efforts of the young (14) Henry Plantagenet to assist his mother Matilda to claim the English Throne.

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Summary
The story opens in 1139, setting the Royalist (King Stephen) and Angevin (Empress Matilda, and her son Henry of Anjou) armies against each other. In spite of the civil war, the D’Amory family struggles through to keep their farm together and alive, while trying not to fall foul of local warlords and passing gangs of bandits.

With dreams of being a knight, a chance encounter sets our protagonist on a road he would not have chosen.

Main Characters:
William D’Amory: About 14 years old, the third son of a dead Royalist knight, he dreams of being a brave and fearless knight, totally sold on knightly honour, valour and virtue.

Philip de Colleville: A mysterious stranger from France, who sometimes stays with William’s family.

Henry of Anjou: Also about 14, the hot-headed decisive young Prince, presumptive heir to the throne of England.

Robert, Earl of Gloucester: The violent local power, support of Stephen.

Minor Characters
Edith D’Amory: William’s sister, and Philip’s love interest. Practical and strong-willed.

Girard: Philip’s companion, mysteriously appearing and disappearing throughout.

Plot:
Set in the “Anarchy” civil war period, it opens with the death of William’s father.

Three years on, the family is struggling to make ends meet, often going hungry, and William dreams of being a Knight.

His dreams are interrupted by two men, the first his long-lost Crusader uncle who turns up at the farm, to complete a promise), and the second saving William from an ambush, Philip de Colleville. Philip, who stays occasionally with the family, takes over the knight’s training the uncle had begun, building on William’s natural talent.

The various relationships continue to grow until, caught late in town while at market, and little money for hostels, they meet and take shelter with Philip. They overhear conversations where Philip is revealed to have a dual side, and William suddenly finds himself fighting on the Angevin side of the civil war, and being part of Henry’s closest circle (not that he had many at this particular time in his visit to England).

The story culminates in a well-written battle scene, in his family’s courtyard, and the way is clearly left open for a sequel (his uncle’s promise and related ivory box has been taken up by William; historically, we know what the future holds for Henry).

What I Liked
It is a well-written story, a real medieval adventure.
Historically, it is well-researched.
There is a subtle emphasis on family, duty and responsibility, expected from leaders and followers, that was carefully crafted.
The lack of overt violence makes it a perfect YA read.

What I Didn’t Like
Predictability - it was pretty clear from about halfway through Philip’s story for example that he had an agenda, and generally you could see the various twists coming.

Overall
It is an old-fashioned adventure story, full of bravery and derring-do, narrow escapes, overbearing villains , loyalty and friendship.

It would be a great introduction for young adults to this period, with a believable story anchored in facts.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me a free copy, in return for an objective review.

Did not finish because spacing was missing between many words making it too difficult to read. I liked what I read of it.

I avoided history of the mid 1200s because I inevitably found them humdrum, hard and relentlessly harsh.

This story was harsh all right but the story telling of William, a young second son of a manor who dreamt of becoming a knight, fighting wars, winning glory but was in reality only looking after the pigs or helping out in the fields and who always was hungry because the harvests were always never quite enough. He knew the responsibilities for his brother Richard were enormous but Richard never sought adventure the way he did.

A chance encounter with Phillip who he rescued and offered a safe stay with turned into something much much more. It would have been eventually described as treason but the road to it was so full of adventure, so convoluted and so much on the off chance as it were that it could be considered a fairy story!

Going from being part of the Kings most ardent supporters to turning against the King was never in William's mind. The fact that it happened, that it got the blessing of his family was beyond belief and it was a story that kept one enthralled from beginning to end.

Not in the least humdrum, not boring but an adventure throughout!

Goodreads and Amazon review posted on 12/3/2018. Review on my blog on 20/3/2018

I tried to like this book, but after the first several chapters I was still wondering where it was trying to go.

Written in the style of a "boys' own adventure", this tale in set in the years of the Anarchy - the wars fought between King Stephen and Empress Maud for the ultimate prize - the English Crown.

Into this chaos, we find young William d'Amory - a lad weened on tales of knights and wars, who one day hope to be one of the greatest knights in England. But he has a long way to go. Into his sheltered world rides Philip de Colleville, on a mission of his own. Philip is welcomed by William's family - but all to soon this private idyll is disrupted as William is unwittingly drawn into Philip's secret.

This book hits its target audience well and is not over complicated by a dense plot line. Its does take a little while to pick up but moves along nicely when it does. Is there the barest hint of more adventures to come ....

A book that makes you think WOW WOW and WOW.

This book transports you back in time. You smell the stink of the rushes on the floors, see how the rich tapestries are moulding because the walls are so damp and you realise a knight was just a farmer who owned a manor and could wield a sword unlike his Saxons fieldworkers and who was a soldier his overlord could trust to come when needed. To your surprise the castles are not the French stone keeps you remember but just a kind of hill forts with a wooden palisade and a few thatched roofed buildings inside. It also surprised me how the Saxon era was forgotten in two generations. I can understand that people had no clue what prehistoric burial mounds were but something so recent!

The book is set during the Anarchy.

"The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1135 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a succession crisis precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legitimate son of Henry I, in 1120. Henry's attempts to install his daughter, the Empress Matilda, as his successor were unsuccessful and on Henry's death in 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois seized the throne with the help of Stephen's brother, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. Stephen's early reign was marked by fierce fighting with English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders and Scottish invaders. Following a major rebellion in the south-west of England, Matilda invaded in 1139 with the help of her half-brother, Robert of Gloucester." (Wikipedia)

In the book we meet William and his two brothers and one sister who live on a Norman farm in the south of England. Their father just died fighting for the king as a knight and their mother suffers from depression due to loosing her husband. The siblings are all between 14 and I guess 18 as none is yet married. Although they are descendants from the Norman invaders who came to England two generations ago and they belong to minor nobility they suffer severe hunger during the winters and have to fear for bandits.

Two visitors arrive at the farm. An old uncle returning from the Crusades with stories to tell and guidance for the children and a young man from France who is waiting, he says, for a book the nuns are copying for his family who will train William. Life gets a bit less gloomy.

But then all of a sudden William finds himself in the middle of the civil war.

I can certainly recommend the book to everyone from 14 and up. A young person will enjoy the adventure of a group of people his own age and we the older ones will be enthralled by this tale of the past.

A 10 star out of 5!!!!

William D’Amory has always dreamed of becoming a knight. He relishes at the idea of fame, glory and knightly honor, and marvels at the legendary exploits of his granduncle’s crusading years in the Holy Land. During the Anarchy his family sides with the royalist, and like his father he also sees himself fighting alongside King Stephen in the future. But his father dies defending the king at Wilton, and as the entire country plunges into a great civil war, his quest for adventure is soon spoiled by the reality of it and the understanding that his family manor’s small earnings, not to mention his being a younger son, cannot truly support his dream.

The unexpected arrival of his granduncle (who goes back to England to deal with some private matter) revives his ambition and gives him the opportunity to learn swordsmanship. He also finds friendship with a travelling young knight named Philip de Colleville, who has saved him from a gang of bandits while he was in town one day. But Philip is not the person he thought he was, and he discovers that his friend is involved in a plot that will bring Empress Matilda’s son Henry to England. He becomes accidentally drawn in with Philip’s business soon after, which begins to test his loyalty and commitment to his family’s cause, and cast doubt as to whether their cause has been a justifiable one, after all.

This is a debut novel by Jessamy Taylor, and while there is actually more story to the protagonist’s youthful adventures than the historical retelling itself, it was generally a fast-paced and enjoyable read. The author expresses her ideas well, and as I haven’t read about the Anarchy for quite some time now, it is actually nice to get reacquainted with this period and be reminded of the wit and daring of Henry FitzEmpress (depicted here as a fourteen year old) as he dashes to the English shores with only a handful of men. The fictional characters also blend in with the setting pretty well; I particularly liked William’s sister Edith for her prudence and sensibility, and the spark she practically shares with Philip (I did hope for a blossoming love affair right then). I only wished that Miss Taylor has revealed the granduncle’s private mission in the end (I’m assuming she deliberately left it hanging because Book Two is currently in the works), and that the historical aspect of the story has been exhausted a bit more, but then I didn’t realize this book is targeted for a much younger audience: kids aged 9-12 who may not truly warm to the idea of an all-out historical story.

Overall, this novel is a good take on the dark period of Anarchy. It is decent, believable, and has its own charming moments. But if you want an inclusive historical fiction on the same subject, I’d recommend Sharon Kay Penman’s When Christ and His Saints Slept.

This historical novel takes place during the civil war in England 1135-1153 between King Stephen and the Empress Maud over who was the rightful ruler. The main character is young William D’Amory who lives in his family’s manor near the sea. William’s father had died fighting in the army of King Stephen. William dreams of being a knight and a chance encounter with Phillip de’Colleville results in their friendship and the two begin to train together. But Phillip has a secret that draws William into a plot to bring Maud’s son Henry to England and places William and his family in danger. The description did not indicate it, but I believe this is intended as a young adult story. The history is well researched and provides an excellent feel for life in that time and place. It describes life both on a small farm and quite accurately in the castles of the period. This was not Camelot. The battle scenes are well presented and bloody, without being too graphic. After a bit of a slow start the story takes off and is filled with action and intrigue. The characters are well developed and likable. My only complaint is a minor one, and has to do with numerous typographical errors in the Kindle version. Since this is an ARC I found that easy to explain and acceptable. I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review.

William D'Amory lives in his family's manor near the sea. Since the death of his father in the war between Stephen and Maud, the family has had little money and, as the third son, William has not bee able to train as the knight he so wants to become. However the arrival of his great uncle Godfrey from the Holy Lands means William has a chance to train. However when William discovers that his friend Philip de Colleville is not who he thought he was, he is drawn into a plot to bring Maud's son Henry to England. William's opportunities also place his family in danger.

I didn't realise that this was a children's book when I started reading it, however that soon became apparent with more of an emphasis on games and dirt rather than the visceral nature of war. Having said that it is a very enjoyable 'historical fiction light' read for an adult and I imagine it would be well-received by children.

Jessamy Taylor’s King’s Company was a very exciting adventure with many twists and turns. Once I got started, it was hard to put down. The authors ability to keep the reader engaged and on their edge of their seat throughout made for an excellent read. While the book at times had some predictability, it overall was a great journey from start to finish!

Thanks to Endeavour Media Ltd. and Jessamy Taylor for providing me with a reading copy!