Overview

This standalone sequel to The Arrows of Mercy tells the story of Edmund of Flintbourne's son. Haukyn is a serf who owes fealty to the lord of the manor and whose life is tied to the soil, yet he craves adventure beyond the boundary stones of his village. In 1373, he leaves for John of Gaunt's campaign in France. There, during five months of combat and loss, futility and atonement, he learns how armour-clad knights can be brought as low as any serf. Home again, he is caught between two women, pretty Annabel and Ilotte of the sloe-black eyes. Neither marriage nor fatherhood tames his restless spirit. When a knight who was his sworn enemy in France becomes the new lord of the manor, Haukyn leads his neighbours in rebellion against ancient custom and unjust taxation. England's southern counties march in open revolt on London, where Haukyn witnesses the king grant freedom to every serf in the country. Unimaginable freedom. A freedom that will bring consequences.

Full Product Details

9781989833544

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Deeply immersive, The Arrows of Fealty pierces the heart. The novel's world, at once strange and familiar-yet ultimately different-coaxes us into what the best historical fiction can do: form deep empathetic connections at once created and strengthened by the very strangeness... Quiet and often subtle, written with great care, The Arrows of Fealty shines with the brilliance of fire at night."" Michelle Butler Hallett, author of Constant Nobody, winner of the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award ""In this stunning sequel to her equally powerful novel The Arrows of Mercy, Jill MacLean asks us to consider questions about where we pledge our loyalties and why, and whether the efforts of one person can ever make a difference in the fight against injustice and tyranny-issues as pressing in our own time as they were in fourteenth-century England. Her vivid portrait of Haukyn and his experiences of the horrors and resounding effects of war is deeply affecting and thoroughly convincing."" Sarah Emsley, author of The Austens ""Most historical fiction either parachutes a character with modern attitudes and beliefs into a historical context, or uses broad stereotypes and clichés that have little depth or subtlety. The Arrows of Fealty threads this needle beautifully: MacLean's characters are complex, diverse, and fully human, richly medieval in beliefs and attitudes yet able to think against their context and social norms."" Kathy Cawsey, author and professor of Middle English literature, Dalhousie University ""The best historical fiction manages a double feat: It depicts a world distinctly different from our own, so that the reader truly feels like a time-traveller, while at the same time creating characters who belong in that world yet are relatable to readers today...This is a beautifully written visit to medieval England that will linger with me for a long time."" Trudy Morgan-Cole, award-winning author of The Cupids Trilogy ""A beautifully crafted novel that immerses the reader in the lives of ordinary English people during the perilous fourteenth century, and, particularly, in the life of Haukyn, a serf and gifted archer. It seems appropriate that the Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote his Divine Comedy during that same period. MacLean, like Dante's trusted guide, Virgil, leads us, with compassion and sure-footedness, through the horror of an Inferno-like war in France, to a Purgatory of servitude and village strife in Southern England."" Julie Strong, author of The Tudor Prophecy

Author Information

Jill MacLean has a BSc with honours from Dalhousie University, and a master's in theological studies from the Atlantic School of Theology. Her years of writing genre fiction taught her the basics of storytelling. An excellent, and demanding, full-year poetry course at St. Mary's University in Halifax and a three-year mentorship with a professor of English and much-published poet in Winnipeg honed her love of language and her respect for the power of words.Her poetry collection, The Brevity of Red, was shortlisted for two awards. Her eight-year-old grandson then asked her to write him a book, which, three years and three rejections later, was published as The Nine Lives of Travis Keating. Two more middle-grade and two young adult novels followed. Altogether these books won four awards and received many nominations, four international, including the prestigious White Ravens Honour List in Munich for Nix Minus One. Two of the novels are in the Nova Scotia school system.Wanting a change and the challenge of an adult audience, Jill delved into her long-time fascination with the medieval period. In 2023 The Arrows of Mercy was a finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Award sponsored by The Writers' Union of Canada.Jill loves canoeing, gardening, listening to classical music, and, of course, reading. She lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, near her family. You can read more about Jill and her publications on her website: jillmaclean.mywriting.network.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available