Edwin, the long-exiled king of Northumbria, thinks he has found sanctuary at the court of King Raedwald, his friend and protector. But Raedwald faces the lure of riches and the threat of bloodshed, and Edwin fears that he will be abandoned to his enemies.

As Edwin contemplates his fate, a mysterious messenger prophesies that he will ascend to greater heights than any of his forefathers.

Can Edwin escape the fearsome warrior king who is calling for his blood? Do the Anglo-Saxon gods of old or the new god from across the sea really have the power to raise Edwin above all other kings?

Edwin: High King of Britain is the first novel from Arnos Grove author, journalist and editor Edoardo Albert, and the first in a planned trilogy about the seventh Century Northumbrian High Kings.

The idea for the novels was born when Edoardo was researching a non-fiction history book on Northumbria, inspired by a research project his archaeologist brother-in-law was working on at Bamburgh Castle.

“I came across the story of these three successive kings of Northumbria – Edwin, Oswald and Oswiu – and thought what a fantastic story.“ says Edoardo, “It was just the sort of story that was waiting to be written.

“There’s little I’ve had to fictionalise because the story itself is so compelling.“ Edoardo is about to begin work on the second book in the trilogy, about Oswald, the son of the king that Edwin had had to kill to take the throne. “It was a very bloody time,“ laughs Edoardo.

  • Edwin: High King of Britain is out now from Lion Fiction. Details: edoardoalbert.com