I am Somerled. The summer warrior. What am I, if not a warrior? In the twelfth century, the lands bordering the Irish Sea are riven with violence as Gaelic, Norse and Norman warriors battle to control the sea roads. A fleet sails from Ireland to reclaim a lost Gaelic Kingdom. Aboard the ships is a boy called Somerled. The son of an ageing chieftain, Somerled must prove his own worth as a warrior. He will rise to lead his men into battle and claim the title of Lord of the Isles - but what must he sacrifice to secure the glory of his name? The Winter Isles is an astonishingly vivid recreation of the savage dynastic battles of medieval Scotland: an authentic, emotional, powerful read.
In Somerled, the boy with integrity and a fighting spirit, who grows up to be a leader of men, Antonia Senior has created a perfect hero for our times: caught between the old gods and the new, Somerled and those who love him show us ourselves, reflected back in a simpler, harsher world. This is passionate, wonderful, windswept writing, full of the wonder of hill and heath and sea. If you care about Scotland, if you care about life, this is an anthem to passion and the duties of power. Wonderful. One of the must-reads of the year. Manda Scott