Book Review: Kings of Conflict by MJ Porter

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming MJ Porter back to Novel Kicks and their latest novel, Kings of Conflict, the final, thrilling instalment in the Brunanburh series.

Can King Edmund of the English banish the Norse invaders from England one final time?

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In the wake of the agreement reached at Lincoln between Edmund and Anlaf Sihtricson of the Norse, Edmund returns to Wessex to reflect and rebuild, impatient to reverse his losses at Lincoln.

But this is the winter of discontent. In Jorvik and the kingdom of the Scots, those who’ve waited too long to become kings in their own right grow restless.

As the enemies of the English turn on themselves, Edmund senses the opportunity to reclaim all his brother, the victor of Brunanburh, managed to gain before his untimely death plunged England back into war with her many foes.

With his sights set firmly on York, can he recreate the England his brother built, or will the enemies of England realise the error of their ways and once more unite to drive Edmund back to Wessex, leaving York in the hands of the Norse.

A thrilling conclusion to MJ Porter’s epic retelling of the consequences of the battle of Brunanburh.

*****

Kings of Conflict is the final instalment in the epic Brunanburh series.

The book sees old rivals pitched once again against each other as Edward fights to create a united England. Can the Scots and the Norse hold on to what they have won, or will Edward take York and banish the dependents of Ivar The Boneless?

I have read all the books in the series, they are all a fast paced and well written and this final instalment is no exception. The descriptions and characters are vivid and burst to life from the pages, carrying you through the narrative and drawing a strong and engaging picture.

As I can imagine with a lot of historical fiction, the author is in some ways tied to historical accuracy. They do a great job at building a narrative around it to make this story dynamic and gives us a plausible insight into what these characters may have felt and experienced.

All in all this is a good solid series and I suspect I will end up reading it again in the future.

About MJ Porter –

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. Raised in the shadow of a building that was believed to house the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia, meant that the author’s writing destiny was set.

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Kings of Conflict is the last book in the Brunanburh series and was released by Boldwood Books on 6th August 2024. Click here to buy on Amazon and Waterstones. 

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Chris Parish