The reissue of Melvyn Bragg's epic masterpiece - a dramatic and dazzling recreation of life in Britain during the Dark Ages, and the story of a young Irish princess who became a saint
Britain during the Dark Ages is the setting for the fascinating story of Bega, a young Irish princess who became a saint, and her lifelong bond with Padric, prince of the north-western kingdom of Rheged. This dramatic, far-reaching tale brings to life a land of warring kings, Christians and pagans, and tribes divided by language and culture, illuminating a little-known yet critical period in British history.
A gripping saga of great passion ... sustained, impassioned and uplifting - The Times
An absorbing epic ... as splendid a ripping yarn as any of the best classics - Daily Telegraph
A gripping, deeply accomplished work - Evening Standard
I loved it ... Bragg's stately, seething, passionate epic is several cuts above modern attempts at historical fiction - Literary Review
A beguiling entry into a society strange, neglected, important, tragic in many of its triumphs - Spectator
Wonderfully evocative, passionate and erudite ... No summary could do justice to a book of this erudition, romance and scope - Glasgow Herald
Melvyn Bragg is a writer and broadcaster whose first novel, For Want of a Nail, was published in 1965. His novels since include The Maid of Buttermere, The Soldier's Return, A Son of War, Credo and Now is the Time, which won the Parliamentary Book Award for fiction in 2016. His books have also been awarded the Time/Life Silver Pen Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the WHSmith Literary Award, and have been longlisted three times for the Booker Prize (including the Lost Man Booker Prize).
He has also written several works of non-fiction, including The Adventure of English and The Book of Books about the King James Bible.
He lives in London and Cumbria.