This is the tale of Ralph de Aix of Normandy and of William Rufus-King of England. Ralph is a huntsman who desires knighthood and eventually lands of his own. He finds he cannot achieve his goal anytime soon in Normandy with his present lord and decides to look elsewhere for advancement. Advancement comes in the shape and guise of William Rufus, son of William the Bastard of Normandy. Ralph really cares about Rufus, on a genuine level of friendship, but is willing to do what it takes to succeed at court. Rufus, not known for normal "appetites" is attracted to Ralph and their strange relationship begins. Ralph endures Rufus in the hope of being granted lands after knighthood.

A run down Chenna's Tun is his "reward" for "services rendered." However, he tries to make a go of it and with current knowledge of the god Herne, becomes involved in the Saxon cult where he becomes a "lord" in his own right. There is much action and mystery involved in his life but not much money. He wants a wife and in time finds one who is, in the beginning, reluctant to leave her childhood home. As time goes on, things do not improve. Weather and health disasters are a never ending concern and many people hunt the "royal deer" in order not to starve. This brings about the most important role Ralph will ever play in his life, starring Rufus and Rufus' younger brother Count Henry, soon to become King Henry I of England.

Medieval life is brought realistically back to life as is a lessor known religious cult. Anand's style of writing keeps the reader emeshed in a life of intrigue, mystery, danger, and scandal, in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Many of her novels are out-of-print but are well worth the search! They transport the reader back into time.

The Rev, Dr. John King has written a highly readable and enjoyable but scholarly book on how the Gospel of Mark, as we now known it, came into being. It assumes you know many of the early church fathers, such as Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Eusebius and others, but half the fun of the book is searching out information on these writers. Dr. King attempts to uncover the Jesus of history hidden within this Gospel. He professes to take the "middle road" between the conclusions of Christian fundamentalism and the contemporary liberal Jesus Seminar, and he does a commendable job doing so. Great picture of the troubled 1st Century time that Mark was writing in and the needs of his intended audience who were suffering.

I was impressed with the amount of detail on William Rufus by Frank Barlow. He pieced together a time in English history that seems to be looked over by most historians. Barlow makes a strong analytical approach to dispelling public perception of William Rufus. He makes sure you understand that the remaining documentaton on William Rufus is so fragmented. And that that does remain is from one point of view, the Church which obvouisly does not favor William Rufus. Barlow points out William II was a more capable ruler than most give him credit for and this angle is enough to make this book a must read for those interested in Norman History and the English crown.

William Rufus (William the Red), second son of William the Conquer,took over England while his older brother's back was turned and ruled it for little over a decade before being killed in a strange hunting "accident" in the New Forest. That's about all the space he gets in history today, except the claims that he was a homosexual, an atheist, an all-round bad person and the less said the better. While this book takes pains to look at and question these charges,it is not the only subject that the author deals with in William's regin. Despite being a "wild and crazy guy" and running a court that looks like a frat house, William seems also to have been an able adminstor, a good diplomat and a strong enough miltary leader to keep his elder brother out of England and the Saxons quiet. I enjoied this book, one of the few on the subject and a serious study of it's subject. A good source on a rare subject.