Son of Mercia (The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles)
AD 826, and in the kingdom of Mercia, twelve-year-old orphan Icel labours to learn the arts of healing. As he cuts herbs under the sharp tongue of his teacher Wynflaed, he hides from the king and queen, and yet gives a running commentary on their deeds. Mercia is surrounded by enemies, and Icel’s uncle, Cenfrith, is a King’s Warrior. It’s a position that Icel’s foster brother Edwin yearns to achieve. But despite Edwin’s urging to join him in training, Icel is determined: he will remain in old Wynflaed’s hut. Icel wants to be a healer, not a killer. However, even without the cover’s alert that this is the first of The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles, we just know that Icel, with his unknown parentage, must be destined for greater things.
I enjoyed the refreshing change of an Anglo-Saxon male protagonist who doesn’t want to kill. When, at last, Icel is forced to defend himself, the fight scenes are well written: varied and interesting. I felt the plot was slow at the beginning, but I was sufficiently intrigued by the contradictions in Icel’s character to continue reading. By halfway, I was reluctant to put the book down, eager to learn how Icel would reconcile his wish to heal, with the events and expectations of those around him.
Porter’s research is sound, the world evoked believably. This is a workmanlike adventure, with the promise of more to come.
