Book Review: Pagans by James Alistair Henry

TWO COPS. ONE KILLER. HUNDREDS OF GODS.

21st Century London.
The Norman conquest never happened.
The ancient tribes of Britain remain undefeated.
But murders still have to be solved.

The small, mostly unimportant, island of Britain is inhabited by an uneasy alliance of tribes – the dominant Saxon East, the beleaguered Celtic West, and an independent Nordic Scotland – and tensions are increasing by the second. Supermarket warpaint sales are at an all-time high, mead abuse shortens the lives of thousands, and social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories suggesting the High Table’s putting GPS trackers in the honeycakes.

Amid this febrile atmosphere, the capital is set to play host to the Unification Summit, which aims to join together the various tribes into one ‘united kingdom’. But when a Celtic diplomat is found brutally murdered, his body nailed to an ancient oak, the fragile peace is threatened. Captain Aedith Mercia, daughter of a powerful Saxon leader, must join forces with Celtic Tribal Detective Inspector Drustan to solve the murder – and stop political unrest spilling onto the streets.

But is this an isolated incident? Or are Aedith and Drustan facing a serial killer with a decades-old grudge? To find out, they must delve into their own murky pasts and tackle forces that go deeper than they ever could have imagined.
Set in a world that’s far from our own and yet captivatingly familiar, Pagans explores contemporary themes of religious conflict, nationalism, prejudice… and the delicate internal politics of the office coffee round. Gripping and darkly funny, Pagans keeps you guessing until the very end.

*****

The battle of 1066 never happened. The British Empire never got built. 

The Saxons are in the east of the country, Celts to the west and the Nords are independent in what we know as Scotland – protected by a big wall along the border. 

Proceeding a Unification summit, a Celtic diplomat is found dead. 

Now Captain Aedith Mercia ( daughter to a Saxon Tribe leader) has to team up with Detective Inspector Drustan, (sent due to the deceased being Celtic), must work together to solve a murder. 

This book was such a fascinating read. I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time. 

I am not sure how much I am going to be able to talk about without giving too much away but I am going to try. 

Aedith is great. She’s someone who doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone and has forged her own path. She felt like such a rounded character. 

She and Drustan bounce off each other well and seem to make a good team. He was a bit of a mystery for me to begin with. The supporting characters are made up of a variety of people. Ugh, not giving too much away is so hard. Haha. 

The plot moved along well and had me completely transfixed. It explores many themes and this was one of the reasons I liked this book so much. England is made up in a very different way but the themes and conflicts we know are still there. 

Pagans is a big microscope on the human condition and how we have the ability to work together despite our differences but also have the capacity to be horrible to each other, regardless of religion and ways of living. Humans are going to human.

On top of all of that, there is a murder mystery with lots of twist and turns that had me completely transfixed. 

I enjoyed this book so much and I’m excited about the fact that it’s been opted for a tv series. 

Pagans is a multilayered tale full of complex characters against a fascinating backdrop. It’s an amazing debut novel and I can’t wait to see what James Alistair Henry does next. 

(Thank you to Moonflower Publishing for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review).

About James Alistair Henry –

Screenwriter and editor James Alistair Henry first started writing while working as a Bookseller at Waterstones Canterbury.

He joined the writing team for Channel 4’s Smack the Pony and went on to write the BAFTA award winning Green Wing, ITV comedy Delivery Man and cult hit Campus as well as episodes for smash-hit children’s television shows Bob The Builder and Hey Duggee.

His Radio 4 sketch show, Wosson Cornwall, was selected as BBC Radio 4 Comedy of the Week and his newest ITV sitcom, Piglets, received rave reviews.

James lives in Cornwall with his wife, a writer and medieval historian, and their two children.

Find out more about James Alistair Henry via Moonflower Publishing.

Pagans was released by Moonflower Publishing by 27th February 2025. Click here to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.