Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey GudgionMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
To be released on Sept. 12, 2013
I have received a copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The story revolves around the character Fergus Sheppard. He and his colleague were traveling in a car on their way to a meeting with a client. They were already late and the weather was pretty bad, when they were along the road to the remote village of Allingley, they saw a stag on the road. As they were trying to avoid hitting the animal, their car crashes.
Fergus miraculously survived the crash that killed his colleague. He had been found by two villagers who were able to rescue him. As he was recuperating in the hospital, one of his rescuers, Eadlin, visited him but he had still been in shock and things did not go well during the visit. When he could finally walk again, he decided to visit Allingley and thank his rescuers for saving his life.
During his visit to Allingley, he had found Eadlin and thanked her; as well as his other rescuer, Jake. Eadlin runs a local stable and offered to give Fergus riding lessons after she noticed how Fergus got along with a horse named Trooper.
When he finally had to return to work, he found that things were not the same. He could not believe that his colleague had simply been replaced. He realized that he would rather go back to the village. He went back to Allingley and started working for the local stables and found that life in a village was something he truly savored.
Clare Harvey is an archeologist who has been called in when a body was found in Allingley's old mill. She had discovered that the body was that of a Saxon warrior that had been well-preserved in peat. She also found a tooth which belonged to a female. The moment that the Saxon was discovered was also the moment of Fergus' accident. Things became rather weird for Clare because she started having nightmares. Her nightmares featured the circumstances surrounding the Saxon's death and they are getting worse.
Fergus and Clare find out that there is a lot more to Allingley than meets the eye. As the time for Beltane -- a Pagan festival -- draws near, tensions rise within the village and both Fergus & Clare just may meet the same fate as that of the Saxon.
Saxon's Bane is a very exciting mystery thriller. There is an element of horror involved, too. The story also involves some of the Old Ways or old beliefs within the English countryside. It presents the history of how Christianity changed things when it was introduced in the area centuries ago. It also provides some insights on how the old ways and the new ways exist side by side.
Part of the story also involves the healing effect that animals can have on humans and vice versa. Fergus, traumatized and badly injured during his accident, finds companionship in a horse named Trooper who had been badly beaten and mistreated in the past. Both wounded souls meet and try to help each other to heal.
I really enjoyed reading the book and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books written by Geoffrey Gudgion.
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