Stephanie Jane recenzis The Walrus Mutterer de Mandy Haggith
Enjoyable ancient history
4 steloj
Novels set in Ancient Britain only rarely cross my path so I was excited to get this opportunity to read the first of Mandy Haggith's Stone Trilogy, The Walrus Mutterer. Historically, it is set between Yellow Sun by Stiofán Ó Nualláin and Skin by Ilka Tampke, closer in time period to the latter which I was reminded of as both books' young female protagonists appear to lack familial connections to the societies in which they live. Haggith did a convincing job of bringing Iron Age Britain to life for me, especially in the way she illuminates the different peoples, languages and cultures interacting at that time. A multicultural island is nothing new! I can't comment on how accurate Haggith's portrayal of the only genuine historical person, Pytheas, is because I hadn't heard of him before. I am now intrigued to find out more about his epic travels and understand that …
Novels set in Ancient Britain only rarely cross my path so I was excited to get this opportunity to read the first of Mandy Haggith's Stone Trilogy, The Walrus Mutterer. Historically, it is set between Yellow Sun by Stiofán Ó Nualláin and Skin by Ilka Tampke, closer in time period to the latter which I was reminded of as both books' young female protagonists appear to lack familial connections to the societies in which they live. Haggith did a convincing job of bringing Iron Age Britain to life for me, especially in the way she illuminates the different peoples, languages and cultures interacting at that time. A multicultural island is nothing new! I can't comment on how accurate Haggith's portrayal of the only genuine historical person, Pytheas, is because I hadn't heard of him before. I am now intrigued to find out more about his epic travels and understand that the sequel to The Walrus Mutterer, The Amber Seeker, will follow more of his journey so that book is already on my wishlist.
I was a little disappointed in Rian because she was rather too passive for my liking. While her forced travels allowed readers a wide view across Northern Britain, I would have preferred her to have had a greater say in her fate. Perhaps this will be remedied as the books progress? Hints than Rian is more than just an anonymous foundling led me to wonder if this might turn into some kind of 'lost queen' scenario and there is definitely a lot more scope for her romance with the eponymous Walrus Mutterer, Manigan. I appreciated Haggith's slow burn approach to their relationship which, for me, gave it a greater plausibility despite everything that is stacked against the couple. The Walrus Mutterer is lighter historical fiction than I usually read, but I enjoyed the tale and would recommend it to fans of authors such as Nancy Jardine.