The House of Wolf (The House of Aethelwolf)
Towards the end of his reign, King Wolf heads off on pilgrimage, leaving his kingdom in the care of his sons Bear and Hawk and daughter Swift. In his absence, the ungrateful offspring plot and scheme while the dreaded Men of the North gather for yet another devastating attack. That might sound like another episode of Game of Thrones but it is all based on real events. Wolf is Aethelwulf, king of the West Saxons (839-58 CE). Bear, Hawk and Swift are Aethelbald, Aethelberht and Aethelswyth. The proliferation of ‘Aethels’ is a potential nightmare for readers, so Tony Robinson is wise to have renamed these characters. He ensures that the action skips along unimpeded by archaic words and fussy period detail.
All this makes for readability, but something is lost along the way: there is often little sense of time and place, especially when the action strays further afield. Robinson’s Rome has the feel not of the embattled and impoverished city of the 9th century but that of the Renaissance with opulent and unscrupulous cardinals dining off Chinese plates. Charles the Bald is described as an emperor who ruled the largest empire since the days of imperial Rome. In fact, he was only king of part of what is now France and was not crowned emperor until 875. The name thing is taken much too far. Why is the bishop of Winchester called ‘Humbert’ when his real name was Swithun (of weather-forecasting fame)? So The House of Wolf is not for those who love strict historical accuracy. On the other hand, it is a light, engaging and entertaining read, where graphic violence is tempered by an all-pervading humour, ranging from dry to slapstick.
