It’s 7th-century Britain, a land of rival kings and religions poised for epochal change.
Hild is no longer the bright child who made a place in Edwin Overking’s court with her seemingly supernatural insight. She is 18, honed and tested, the formidable lady of Elmet, now building her personal stronghold in the valley of Menewood.
But old alliances are fraying. Younger rivals are snapping at Edwin’s heels. War is brewing — bitter war, winter war. Not knowing whom to trust, Edwin becomes volatile and recalls his young advisor to court.
There Hild begins to understand the true extent of the chaos ahead — and realises she must find a way to navigate the turbulence and fight to protect both the kingdom and her own people.
She will face the losses and devastation of total war, and then must summon the determination to forge a radically different path for herself and her people.
In the valley, her last redoubt, Hild draws strength from the fierce joy she finds in the natural world, as, slowly, her community takes root. She trains herself and her unexpected allies in new ways of thinking, learning what it means to gather and wield true power. And she prepares for one last wager: risking all on a single throw for a better future.
Menewood by Nicola Griffith is published in paperback on 1 October, 2024. It’s the second book in her Hild sequence.
Nicola’s written about Hild’s story and the first battle in this book in The Battle of Hatfield in 632.
Our list of over 200 books coming out this year may give you some more historical fiction reading ideas.
