My children and I found this book fascinating and full of factual information. There is little written at this level about this man who had such an influence in connecting the west with the east. Reading this interesting and detailed overview will make you want to read more. I couldn't disagree more with the negative editorial review.

This is an outstanding book that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to read more then the plain dry history texts. Harold Lamb wrote a novel that is contextually accurate and describes events of the period. Of course, the conversations and detailed actions of the individuals are simply speculation, but the style in which they are written is lively and interesting. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book! If the reader has an understanding of the history of this period, and the events that were taking place, then so much the better!!

In the introduction to this work, Mr. Patterson tells us a few things that apparently do not bias his viewpoint - namely that he is a descendant of the long-deceased King Harold of the 11th century AD, and that the wrong man won at Hastings on that fateful October day in 1066. Needless to say - I was a little surprised and turned off immediately. He goes on to say that huge gaps occur in the historical record, and his novel-esque narrative will have the holes filled by his best guess of what happened. Okay - perhaps it's not a crime, but we're trying to peddle this as history, when, if you do read the text, it is not.

I am familiar with most of the sources used as references (although strangely enough there is NO CITING AT ALL), and the incredible amount of detail into which Patterson occassionally delves is quite astonishing. In all - this is entertaining, but dont' take the man's word for law. His is a story tainted heavily by bias and a great deal of guess-work where it is not necessary. As the old axim goes (and I use it to argue that "history" need be neutral): Don't try to be a great man, just be a man, and let history make its own judgments. Mr. Patterson - present us with the happenings, but don't tell us who "should" have won. You are quick to pass judgment upon something you profess is largely lost in the abyss of the past.

The reason history is so fascinating is because, quite often, momentous, world-altering events occur as the result of smaller, trivial ones. England, one of the greatest world powers in history, would not have evolved as it did without William's successful Norman invasion of the island in 1066. William's invasion may not have been successful but for the fact that his enemy, Harold, the king of England, was required to fight a desperate battle at Stamford Bridge three days earlier against a large invading army from Norway. And Harold would not have had to fight these Norwegians but for the falling out he had with his brother, Tostig, who left the country in a jealous fit one year earlier, and returned with this army to exact revenge.

It is a fascinating story, and recounted expertly in this straightforward but all-too-brief history. Brief, I should add, because there are simply not enough sources from which to draw, but the author does a fine job with what is available.

The reason that there was a conflict in the first place was that the former king of England, Edward, did not leave an heir. For inexplicable reasons--although he was unusually enamoured of the Normans--he decided that the best person to succeed him would be William. He sent Harold, his wife's brother-in-law and his most likely successor, to Normandy to solicit William, and somewhere in there--the author persuasively argues that he was coerced--Harold swore an oath of allegiance to William. But two years later Edward--on his deathbed--requested Harold be his successor, and Harold was subsequently approved by the witan, England's national council. William, enraged, immediately began preparations to invade.

In the meantime, Tostig, Harold's brother and ruler of Northumbria, was having a tough time ruling his subjects. It was so brutal, in fact, that the entire area was on the verge of rebellion. It says something about his rule that the demands of the Northumbrians were in fact met. Tostig was removed, by his brother no less, and became thereafter and until his death, a scourge of England, leading eventually to his alliance with a foreign power, and his accompaniment of this power on their invasion of England.

Perhaps the most fascinating character in the book is Harald Hardraada, the Norwegian leader. After fleeing the country for his life as a young man, he went to Russia where he won the favor of the Novgorodian King. He then enlisted as a mercenary for the Byzantine empire, where for eight years he fought their battles in Sicily, North Africa and the Middle East. He then returned to Novgorod where he married is love, returned to Denmark where he formed an alliance, used this power to forge an alliance with a Norwegian usurper, and eventually became King of Norway himself.

In the summer of 1066 we find him an eager participant in Tostig's plan to invade northern England, but after an initial success, he is surprised by Harold at Stamford Bridge, and both he and Tostig are killed after a long, bloody battle. Three days later--three days--William's forces land in England, and Harold, with his depleted army, makes the long march south. The rest, as they say, is history, and poor Harold has become nothing more than a footnote.

This is really remarkable, fascinating history, and retold here in a methodical, straightforward, and entertaining way.

Novelist Harold King once again puts his readers within sight of the cutting edge of the mind that produced his explosive first novel, Paradigm Red.

This time, for the reader infected with a gut-burning desire for espionage in the theatre of military operations, he dispenses a good strong dose of suspense in FOUR DAYS ~ a cold war classic as potent an intrigue today as it was in its 1976 release.

King commands wave upon wave of military secrets in a daring maneuver that places a pack of B-class bombers at an incredible and perhaps deadly altitude in response to actual events that marked the state of post-WWII world affairs. He draws from a brilliant historical education, painstaking research, and a lifelong experience of military tradition and service to mastermind this plot. And in the final passages of FOUR DAYS the reader will discover one chapter for which the entire book becomes nothing less than a truly novel and unthinkable excercise.

Use amazon.com, a libris or other out-of-print book search to uncover King's mastery of intrigue and give the order for FOUR DAYS today.

A good book that breaks down the life and politics behind one of leaders who had a hand in Jesus' death. I liked the way that this book was written. It was very easy to read, although about 1/2 of each page was dedicated to footnotes. The author does a good job of using critical analysis when agreeing with historical documentation and when he varies from it.

This book review was very helpful as a substitute for reading the book Sophocles. I was required to read the book but very pushed for time so this worked great for me! would really reccomend it!

In THE TASKMASTER suspensemaster Harold King teases a taut tale of intrigue from a tangle of history, politics and espionage. His characters are palpable. His plot startlingly feasible. Its twists remarkably unexpected. THE TASKMASTER; like its predecessors (Paradigm Red and Four Days), deftly escorts its reader to that Harold King trademark moment for which the entire book is written ~ a moment when the author's characters meet Fate a split~second before the reader is introduced. Of his erewhile protege King writes, "Mackensen had a curious way of pretending not to be sure of something when in fact he knew everything." Most assuredly so does Harold King, who settles a score with an exceptional orchestration of personalities, reality and fantasy.

Through cities and scenic vistas stateside to corners of the world more seldom seen, THE TASKMASTER asks, "what if?" And answers with 'intent that passes into a twilight domain where the cautious man acts impetuously, the vigilant man sleeps, the indurate man cares.' Join THE TASKMASTER on a compelling journey of suspense that will draw him to this conclusion... and you along with it.

THE TASKMASTER, published in the United States and Great Britain, may be found using the amazon.com, a libris or other similar out~of~print book search.

A fine retelling of the events leading up to and culminating with the Battle of Hastings from the viewpoint of Walt, one of the surviving Huscarls of Harald (and to a lesser extent a bard in the court of William). The Story recounts the feud between the Edward the Confessor and the Godwin Family and the resulting struggle between Harald Godwinson and William the Conqueror for the English throne upon Edwards death. The tale also focuses upon Walt's acceptance of his lords death and the end of his society and his reconciliation with the guilt that he feels as a survivor of these events.

I have long been interested in this period of English history and like the author, have a definite leaning to the cause of Harald. As a result this book held me engrossed to the end. I found myself liking the viewpoint character Walt who is presented as a loyal and simple man and sympathising with his feelings of loss and desolation at Williams triumph.

Unlike other reviewers I did not find authors use of modern terms such as psychopath and therapy (to describe the beneficial effects Walt felt in recounting his tale) jarring or detracting from the overall tale. After all I had already assigned these and other modern terms to the situations and experiences described in my own mind - so why shouldn't the author use them?

If I found a weakness with the story it was with the authors description of the set piece conflicts. All were written in a narrative style, seemed a little disjointed and lacking the impact that I was expecting. This however is a minor quibble in a very good book, which I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone interested in this period of history

The Last English King is, of course, a slight historical inaccuracy (Harold being half Scandinavian), but slight inaccuracies in the name of a good yarn are rife and to be tolerated if one is to enjoy this book...which I am doing. Yes, Im not even finished "reading" it (via the excellent talking book version), but can offer some insights. Having read many varying historical analyses, I am always eager to see how an author of fiction brings the tale to life , plugs the holes in fact and disentangles the embellishments and propoganda of history without creating too many of their own. Harold Godwineson, portrayed as a fair and worthy king (and why not, if we are to view the pre-conquest time as a golden age), has been dead for some years as his former housecarl (bodyguard) and friend Walt Edwinson wanders around Europe torturing his soul with guilt, as he tries to live with his failure at surviving the battle on the hill "near the hoar apple tree" near Hastings. As he unloads his tale to Quint, a slightly fallen former Saxon monk, he also schools us on the history and the intricate intrigues leading up to October 14, 1066. The personal portrayal of history brings it to life in a believable fashion, though some of the tales are a bit tall. The role of Talliefer, the magician/musician is a little too Merlinesque for me. The historical existence of this character is too doubtful to give him a role of such magnitude. Also, a royal housecarl (particularly an inner circle one such as Walt) would have to lose their head before leaving a field in battle without their king...be he dead or alive. The back and forth narrative would work well in a visual medium, but could prove difficult for a reader without a knowledge of the known history. For ease of understanding and plot development, I preferred Helen Hollicks recent "Harold the King", which seemed more plausible historically, if a little too virtuous in its portrayal of Harold (he seemed...such a great guy)and light on in the final battle scenes. For dark twists, Rathbones book has more visceral reality, but perhaps too many of them to gel (such as Edward the confessors illicit relationship with Tostig, and abortive pagan nuptials with Edith). And as a fan of Bernard Cornwells Arthurian "Warlord Chronicles" , I also found the comparison between Walt and Derfel Cadarn just a little too similar (both having been close friends of a King, having lost their hand, and telling their tale in retrospect) .

I bought this book at Stansted Airport hoping to pass a few otherwise boring hours of travel. I didn't realise how enthralled I was to become, not just in the plot but in the whole scene of pre-Norman England. Certainly Julian Rathbone's presentation brings the rather stilted characters depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry to life as flesh and blood. It has also aroused in me (an Englishman in exile living in Spain surrounded by Scots!) a definite patriotism as well as an interest to read further into the history of the period. (I romantically like to think of my own ancestors linking shields to protect the last truly English king). Certainly the parallelism with our own end of Millennium 'threat' from across the Channel was not lost on me. The wide (but not pretentiously used I think) vocabulary made this interesting as literature.

On the minus side: The anachronisms (depsite the plea of the author in his foreword) do sometimes grate. And I think he possibly has some religious axe to grind.

If literacy is dead, Bloom killed it. Bloom never understood the simple fact that since the Vulgate edition of the Bible, it has been the popular culture that animates literature; and it is the popular genres--mystery, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and so on that energize it. Bloom wants all literature to be the mundane, vapid tomes of the academy. This is the kind of pseudo-intellectual claptrap that turns off even the most disciplined of young minds to literary pursuits. If Bloom doesn't get why King is a master storyteller, or why J. K. Rowling has everybody reading about Harry Potter, he's hopeless. Put him out to pasture. Don't waste your money on this book.

The most Overpriced compilation of outdated incoherent verbiage I've ever read, and the only redeeming quality of Blooms intro is it's brevity. I'm sure the other lesser writers in the Modern Writers series fair no better, although Blooms critical facility is better suited there.

Albeit expensive, this compilation of criticism is worth every penny solely because of Mr. Bloom's pessimistic assessment of what he calls the "King phenomenom."

(Not verbatim) Stephen King marks the death of the Literate Reader in America.