January 1069 in Northumbria, and Oslac, thegn of the village of Acum, is seething.
Angered by the insipid failure of the previous year’s uprising against King William, he yearns for the day when the English will defeat their Norman invaders.
Meanwhile, in London, the King’s patience has worn thin. Determined to bring an end to the north’s unruly disobedience, William dispatches a Flemish knight, Robert de Comines – along with 900 soldiers – to bring the region under control.
Marching north into a bitter winter storm, de Comines will stop at nothing until all Saxon resistance has been destroyed.
So, when a messenger arrives in Acum with tidings of this new threat, Oslac willingly marches his warband to join once again with his kinsman, Earl Gospatric, and his forces.
They must fight to repel the Norman invaders once more. Victory will mean survival and a preservation of their way of life.
First at Durham, then at York, Oslac will test his blade against King William’s knights, until – finally – he must return home to face his greatest enemy at the very gates of Acum.
The Reckoning by Paul Bernardi is published as an ebook on 13 February, 2026. It’s the third in his Rebellion series.
See what other historical fiction is coming out in 2026 in our summary of 120 books published this year.
