{"title":"Books by Don Hollway","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781472858924","title":"Battle for the Island Kingdom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR MILITARY HISTORY MATTERS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRich with period sources, this is a fast-paced narrative of the years leading up to 1066 when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Normans vied for the English crown.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e the real history of the individuals immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBloody battles, political intrigues and dynastic marriages all played a part in shaping a nascent England. \u003ci\u003eBattle for the Island Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e is a rich history of the violent six decades when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and ultimately Normans vied for the English crown before the seismic Battle of Hastings determined the fate of England for centuries.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet the defining personalities of the age, from the English king Aethelred and his nemesis Viking Svein Forkbeard to Cnut who forged an empire across England and Scandinavia only for his Norman queen Emma and Saxon consort Aelfifu to pit his sons against each other. We discover how the power-hungry Earl Godwin plays all sides until his own son Harold eventually seizes the crown and why Harold's brother Tostig chose to betray both him and his people for the Norman William the Bastard, who would become William the Conqueror.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThisis a gripping tale of divided loyalties, treason and military might by master storyteller Don Hollway, author of the critically acclaimed \u003ci\u003eThe Last Viking\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55897385140597,"sku":"9781472858924","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472858924_61c46755-5d28-4aba-8f1b-227a741fc471.jpg?v=1786021112"},{"product_id":"9781472846501","title":"The Last Viking","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA rich and compelling \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eaccount of the life of King Harald Hardrada, the man who inspired the hit Netflix show \"Vikings: Valhalla\".\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The Last Viking\u003c\/i\u003e reads like the sagas on which it is based. It's \u003ci\u003eBeowulf \u003c\/i\u003eon steroids, laced with purple prose...This book is great fun. '- Gerard DeGroot, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHarald Sigurdsson burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. But from these humble origins, he became one of Norway’s most legendary kings. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Viking\u003c\/i\u003e is a fast-moving narrative account of the life of King Harald Hardrada, as he journeyed across the medieval world, from the frozen wastelands of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land, until his warrior death on the battlefield in England.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCombining Norse sagas, Byzantine accounts, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and even King Harald’s own verse and prose into a single, compelling story, Don Hollway vividly depicts the violence and spectacle of the late Viking era and delves into the dramatic events that brought an end to almost three centuries of Norse conquest and expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301123928437,"sku":"9781472846501","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472846501_54b5772e-84db-44cd-a332-a7d25a328dc2.jpg?v=1786020853"},{"product_id":"9781472849977","title":"At the Gates of Rome","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA dramatic retelling of the final years of the Western Roman Empire and the downfall of Rome itself from the perspective of the Roman general Stilicho and Alaric, king of the Visigoths.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt took little more than a single generation for the centuries-old Roman Empire to fall. In those critical decades, while Christians and pagans, legions and barbarians, generals and politicians squabbled over dwindling scraps of power, two men – former comrades on the battlefield – rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoman general Flavius Stilicho, the man behind the Roman throne, dedicated himself to restoring imperial glory, only to find himself struggling for his life against political foes. Alaric, King of the Goths, desired to be a friend of Rome, was betrayed by it, and given no choice but to become its enemy. Battling each other to a standstill, these two warriors ultimately overcame their differences in order to save the empire from enemies on all sides. And when one of them fell, the other took such vengeance as had never been seen in history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon Hollway, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Last Viking\u003c\/i\u003e, combines ancient chroniclers’ accounts of Stilicho and Alaric into an unforgettable history of betrayal, politics, intrigue and war for the heart and soul of the Roman Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301127860597,"sku":"9781472849977","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472849977_a252acae-db16-41b6-8239-9e6033f9f0df.jpg?v=1790608140"},{"product_id":"9781472871589","title":"Hammer of the Gods","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“accessible, engaging and immediate” – Neil Price, \u003ci\u003eThe Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeaving together Norse sagas and Anglo-Saxon chronicles to vividly depict the violence and spectacle of the Viking age, Don Hollway brings the legendary Olaf Tryggvason to life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHammer of the Gods \u003c\/i\u003etells the extraordinary saga of Olaf Tryggvason – warlord, wanderer, king, and crusader – whose life rivals the most legendary figures of Viking lore. Born in exile and hunted from birth, Olaf survived slavery, betrayal, and shipwreck to become a fearsome warrior across the Viking world from the icy fjords of Norway to the courts of Kyiv, the slave markets of the Baltics, and the battlefields of England and Ireland. His rise would shake the foundations of Norse society, forge new kingdoms, and ignite a holy war against the old gods themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn an age of axe and flame, when the Viking world stood at the crossroads of pagan traditions and the spread of Christianity, Olaf emerged as the fiercest adherent to the new faith – a sword in one hand and a cross in the other. Drawing on a vast array of sources from Icelandic sagas and skaldic verse to Byzantine and Anglo-Saxon chronicles, Don Hollway brings the world of Olaf Tryggvason vividly to life cutting through the legend to reveal the man behind the myth. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor readers of Bernard Cornwell and lovers of Viking history, \u003ci\u003eHammer of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e is the epic history of a great Norse king whose story shaped the fate of a civilization.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368895164789,"sku":"9781472871589","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472871589_9e0ef01c-fa8b-4097-af9f-7effc3952d53.jpg?v=1786020497"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-don-hollway.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}