A Tale of Art and Obsession - Historical Novel Society Indie Novel of 2015 Longlisted Includes Book Group Discussion Guide Light, Descending brings to life Victorian art and social critic John Ruskin (1819-1900), a passionate and tormented genius whose career as art critic, social reformer, and benefactor and nemesis to some of the greatest names of 19th century art ended in near-universal public acclaim and madness. Octavia Randolph, author of the best-selling The Circle of Ceridwen Saga, portrays Ruskin's artistic genius, political struggles, and frustrated private passions in a vivid and haunting recounting of the great man's life. From his life-long defence of the painter JMW Turner, to Ruskin's unconsummated marriage to Effie Gray, to his patronage of artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his fiancée, Lizzie Siddal, and Lizzie's death by self-administered drug overdose; to Ruskin's love affair with the teenaged Rose LaTouche, and her early...

Two Dragons Dragons are said to guard treasure with their lives... Ceric, beset with madness from the trauma of the losses he has suffered, wanders the forests of Kilton. An urgent need to stave off the hunger of his folk calls his younger brother Edwin, Lord of Kilton, to the Kingdom of Mercia, and though he fulfils his mission, finds the greater prize he sought out of reach. Four Stones now has the second son of Sidroc under its lofty roof - Yrling, come from Gotland to train under the hand of his half-brother Hrald. An unexpected visit from Raedwulf, Bailiff of Defenas, sends Hrald on a journey of vital importance to both Four Stones and to King Ælfred himself. On Gotland, a dragon ship oars steadily for shore, its warriors ready to leap out as soon as the keel strikes the pebbled beach. Sidroc is there to meet them - the man they came looking for. The Kingdoms of Cymru - Wales - have long bedevilled that of Wessex and...

Silence – and Revenge A beautiful slave girl. A missing royal daughter. A carefully wrought revenge. Iceland in the 10th century. There is nothing unusual in a wealthy farmer returning home with a slave girl, even if she is a mute. But she conceals a secret that will echo across the oceans. Based on an episode from the great Icelandic Sagas, The Tale of Melkorka will grip you with an unfolding mystery of loss, triumph, and the rough justice of revenge. Melkorka's world awaits you...

The Lady of the Forest, Freyja, the Goddess of all woodland beasts, appears here on Midgard as a white hind. So great is her love for her deer that she herself comes in their guise. None has ever seen her; but if she permitted man but a glance, that is what they would see... Tindr is handsome, kind, and the best hunter on 9th century Gotland. He possesses a deep empathy with animals, which powers his reverence towards the game he takes to survive. But he is also deaf, which closes him off from the society that surrounds him – and seemingly, from finding love. Devoted parents and friends can't protect young Tindr from the bully who taunts him, from jealousy that turns murderous, or from the threat of surrender to the allure of the Lady of the Forest, who might destroy him. Tindr's haven is the greenwood. It is home not only to the rabbits he snares, and the stags and boar he takes with bow and arrow, but to a rare creature of unusual beauty, a source...

In an Angle-land riven by contesting Danes... Hrald of Four Stones has fallen in love with Dagmar, the daughter of dead King Guthrum, who once ruled all Anglia. Dagmar is beautiful and poised; very much a King's daughter. Yet she owns nothing but the jewels about her neck – and the secrets she carries with her. "Are you always fighting Fate and the will of the Gods? Then you will be thwarted at every turn..." Ashild has not forgotten this advice given her by her step-father Sidroc before he sailed for Gotland. Her own desires are contrary to the goals of those who love her best – how much more difficult to make decisions for two? Ceric of Kilton is now a proven warrior, and made second in command to Prince Eadward of Wessex. In the ceaseless attempt to bring the marauding Danish interloper Haesten to heel, the Prince's small troop crosses into enemy territory. There they are pushed beyond the point of endurance. Deep into...

Wildswept: Book Seven of The Circle of Ceridwen Saga Duty versus Desire The Peace between the Saxons and Danes has collapsed. Viking forces led by the war-lord Haesten strike at will across borders. One more push will destroy Wessex. The Danish warriors settled under the Dane-law are tempted to join with these new invaders, wiping clear the game board as they seek full dominance of Angle-land. Sidroc, having witnessed his son Hrald's victory at Four Stones, undertakes the perilous return to Gotland, a journey shadowed by the spirit of his long-dead uncle Yrling. Before his father's eyes Hrald has won the garrison fortress of Turcesig, but can he keep it? Ceric, the son of Ceridwen, rides with Ælfred's ambitious son, Prince Eadward, in their wild pursuit of the invaders. After distinguishing himself in the field Ceric receives a startling order from the King, sending him to Four Stones. There Ashild and her mother Ælfwyn contend...

How The Boy Became a Viking. How The Man Became A Legend. The origin story of Sidroc the Dane, a new standalone entry point into The Circle of Ceridwen Saga. Read first, read last, read between any of the Saga novels. But read it and learn how Sidroc became Sidroc. A discarded child Fated to become a powerful Jarl – here is the story of Sidroc. Fate guides the path of his father, Hrald, to his meeting with the woman whose son would help change the face of 9th century Angle-land. An ever-growing rivalry between Sidroc and his cousin Toki defines the boys' early years. Their young uncle, Yrling, knows success as a raider in far-off Angle-land, and trains his nephews in the ways of the warrior. Ahead of them is the perilous crossing of the North Sea, which stands between them and the plunder they seek. Once on the great island of Angle-land, hard fighting awaits, through which Sidroc rises to second in command in the war-band...

An unpredictable journey with unforeseen consequences... On Gotland Sidroc wakes from a disturbing dream; one of his sons, Hrald or Yrling – perhaps both – are in trouble. Both are in far-off Angle-land, and beyond his reach. Eskil the Svear sails to the island, offering Sidroc a rare opportunity to gain untold riches, with equal risk to life for those joining the venture. Edwin, Lord of Kilton, returns empty-handed from his search for a bride, while his brother Ceric knows true delight with his young wife Dwynwen, the Princess of Ceredigion. A royal commission sends the wedded pair off as envoys of King Ælfred, bringing Ceric face to face with his family's past. At Four Stones a troubled Jarl Hrald maintains leadership of men and lands, while questioning his resolve to move forward in his life. Hrald's sister Ealhswith, rejected by Edwin as a potential bride, returns to Four Stones. Yet there she finds little to assuage the...

A Peace which must be defended. A vow which must be broken. It is the final decade of the ninth century. The Peace between Wessex and the Danes long-settled in the Danelaw erodes. A new onslaught of Danes attacks Angle-land, trying once and for all to destroy Ælfred. Ceric of Kilton, now a young man, travels across Kingdoms to visit his friend, Hrald of Four Stones - and to see Ashild, who he desires for his wife. But renewed hostilities threaten Ceric's hopes for deeper ties between strongholds. And hundreds of leagues away on the Baltic island of Gotland, Hrald's father Sidroc the Dane must defy his Gods. The revered Hammer of Thor. The sacred Cross of the Christians. And the conflict that pits two beliefs, two great war-chiefs, and three young people against each other. A New Generation Beckons You...