| Title | : | The Dragon and the Raven, or, The Days of King Alfred |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1887159312 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781887159319 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 238 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1885 |
The Dragon and the Raven, or, The Days of King Alfred Reviews
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Number 10 on my Progressive Reading Challenge list, The Dragon and The Raven Or: The Day Of King Alfred is a story of England before it was England, back in the years when the Saxons were dealing with the marauding Danes in the mid- to late 800's. Our hero Edmund is just fourteen years old as the story opens, but he quickly becomes a man and a warrior, and we follow his adventures as he does his share in the battle for his
God and his country.
I was vaguely disappointed with the book for a couple of reasons. I was expecting more focus on King Alfred himself, but although we meet him now and then (once in a delightful scene when he was hiding in the swamps and was being scolded by the woman of the house for burning some oat-cakes he was supposed to be tending; she had no idea he was the King) he was very much a background figure and young Edmund was the star of the show. Understandable, since it seems that most of Henty's books were written to introduce and explain a bit of history for schoolboys, but I personally would have enjoyed seeing more about King Alfred.
Also, parts of the story felt more like a history text than a story. There are ways to weave historic details into a story without having them feel like intrusions, but at least in this book, I do not think Henty managed that. In the opening chapters when Edmund is waiting for the return of his father, he goes out and checks his fish traps and such, and the descriptions of them are very interesting. But then when the father arrives we get a chapter or so of conversation that gives us the background to the story. It is not smooth and natural, it feels like Henty hit the Pause button and added The History Lesson. There are a couple of other titles of his I would like to read, one set at Agincourt and the other in the Crimean War, so I hope in those he manages to make the blend between history and story a bit smoother.
When the action does get started, Henty is an exciting writer, so I can almost forgive him his clunkiness otherwise. I especially enjoyed the naval battles between the Danes and Edmund's men on their ship the Dragon. I thought these bits were the best part of the book. There is a bit of romance, and quite a lot of moralizing about how civilization was saved thanks to King Alfred. I could have done without most of that, but when it became too thick, I just skimmed over it.
I was tickled by all of the names beginning with E. I know it is from the old Saxon language, but because of the way Henty revealed his background, there were a few early paragraphs full of Edmund, Ethelbald, Ethelwulf, Ethelbert, Ethelred, and Egbert. Later Elswitha is mentioned (King Alfred's wife) and even later we meet Freda, who eventually becomes Elfrida. Oh, and I mustn't forget the battle of Ethandune, that showed up later too. But when you read all those E names in one clump, they can be real tongue-twisters.
Overall for me, this book was an introduction to this period of history, and I would like to learn more about King Alfred and his day. Which of course is exactly what Henty intended, isn't it. -
On my third attempt I have finally made it through this book. Kindle, paper, and finally audio did it. This book is good for what it is, (a historical fiction war account) I simply don't like descriptions of war. Not my cup of tea. The front of this book is mostly long and detailed battle retellings and those are really hard for me to read. I just can't get into them. The back half of the book however is much more interesting. Lots of sea voyages, some kidnapping, and a sweet romance.
The militant Christianity was kind of difficult for me, but when I was able to read this book as simply a telling of what the people thought at the time instead of trying to read it as the way Christians *should* think I was able to enjoy the rest of the book and have some good thoughts sparked too. I do always like to know and understand what people were thinking when they made a decision even if it is not a thought I would ever have or condone. -
A good book for boys because of the adventures and battles. Some outdated terms at times, as in calling the Norsemen raiders “Danes” instead of Vikings like we would today.
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My first read of G.A. Henty’s 140 or so books, I came away somewhat satisfied.
The main character, fictional Edmund, is placed in the historical events of King Alfred’s early reign when the Danish Vikings were plundering and overrunning divided England. Edmund, through discipline of himself and his men, helps push back the Norsemen. He acts with honor and courage even when captured. He thinks ahead and plans wisely, fighting in defense of his country, but never for his own aggrandizement.
I read after finishing that Henty was a war correspondent, and that makes sense. Sometimes his writing is rather factual and historical – not always an engaging plot-mover. But he writes mainly for young boys, both to convey history and encourage their personal virtue – a uniquely edifying purpose in books for young readers these days.
Three themes I appreciated:
1. The contrast of Viking to English worldview. Do the strong take what they can for themselves, or use their strength to protect and provide for the weak? Henty more shows and assumes this by how the (his)story goes than preaches about it.
2. Strength and dominance is not always with the virtuous and the Christian. Living at this point of time in the West we can forget this point, though events are pressing it upon us again as we become more and more post-Christian.
3. Unity and teamwork are a critical element to being strong. Edmund’s soldiers don’t succeed until they work together and follow orders in the middle of battles. Coordinated plans with multiple fronts acting together succeed.
May God give us the strength in these days to be self-controlled, work together for the good of others, and to look to our good Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. -
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this book so much. Edmund is such a great character—so mature and manly and steady. I love Freda too, and Seigbert, and Egbert too. (Can we just appreciate all the lovely Saxon names? :D). I also really love King Alfred—such a hero. And then it’s all about the Vikings/Danes, which I also love... There is one kiss mentioned in passing and a mention that a man had the honour of a woman in his power. There was a lot of history in this book but the history is so stirring/exciting that I enjoyed it.
A Favourite Quote: “From this terrible state of subjection and suffering the Saxons were rescued by the prudence, the patience, the valour and wisdom of King Alfred. In all subsequent ages England has produced no single man who united in himself so many great qualities as did this first of great Englishmen. He was learned, wise, brave, prudent, and pious; devoted to his people, clement to his conquered enemies. He was as great in peace as in war; and yet few English boys know more than a faint outline of the events of Alfred's reign—events which have exercised an influence upon the whole future of the English people.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “...their desire to renew the fight vanished when they saw that the Saxons were equally ready.” -
Historical fiction from a biblical world view. Does it get any better?!? The Dragon and the Raven Dramatic audio (lamplighter publishing style) by G.A. Henty. We recently listened to this epic story of King Alfred of Wessex standing against the Danes as they invade England in the late 800s. I cannot recommend this enough. You don't be disappointed. My entire family listened (ages 1-39) and we all loved it......well.....the 1 year old napped during most of it.
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An easier GA Henty, because it's shorter. I had so much fun reading it.
I do feel I should mention that Henty is a historical fiction writer who focuses on the historical, not so much on the fiction. Unless it's to get details across in a funner way. Would you rather read about a battle the main character was in or just a battle he heard about? -
All I can say is: I'm so glad we're finally finished with this book. I have heard so many homeschoolers rave about G.A. Henty, and we have tried off and on over the years to read him. The problem is I just don't find him an inspiring writer. He includes so many details and descriptions that are not necessary, and none of them are the kind that make the reader's heart soar. Yes, we learned many facts about the battles between the Saxons and Danes, a glimpse of King Alfred, and a taste of life in England in the late 800s, but it was far too unsatisfying a reward for plowing through the bland writing and lame dialogue. Remind me of this the next time I am tempted to pull another Henty off the shelf for our readaloud time.
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This was a book I had to read for school and I must say I enjoyed it, it was a nice story that told the history surrounding that time period in a fantastic way. It was a rather straight forward style of writing with okay dialogue, the further I got the more sucked in I was.
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I read a lot of Henty when I was around twelve. This is classic brit lit for boys jingoistic and sensational. Lots of fun if you are the right age.
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Had so much fun listening to this with Ryan. :)
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Should note that children’s action-adventure isn’t my genre—I’m 77 and write character-driven novels—but I try to reach outside my tastes to see what the rest of the world is like. This 1892 novel is set in Saxon England, charting the battles with the ravaging Danes in the days of King Alfred. It’s full of battles, noble patriotic sentiments in stilted dialogue, good vs. evil, pitting English patriots against wolfish Danes. Henty has been criticized for his racist and imperial sentiments—this really doesn’t contain much of that, other than a general sense of the nobility of the Christian Saxons and the nastiness of the Pagans. It’s a pedestrian formula thing, effective in drawing us forward along a familiar path, with no complexity of character that interfere with the carnival ride. A bit too many battles that are “desperate struggles, but at last…” I would have enjoyed it when I was a kid, though I’m very glad our own kids never read it.
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This has an amazing plot, however, it brushes over plot in favor of more detail to historical fact that as far as a work of fiction, I found it sorely lacking, but as an informative historical work with fiction, it is very precise and enlightening of the time that built ours.
If it were a bit better written, it would be amazing. -
A charming little story. GA Henty is certainly “the Boy’s historian” . The dialogue between Nordic pagans and Saxon Christians was the best part for me
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This book was TERRIBLE. The timelines were skewed, the characters shallow, the plot (if you can even call it a plot) incredibly boring and repetitive. We spent more time learning about ninth century battle formations and battlefields than we did any sort of story. There was a forced and completely random romance that consisted of one short dialogue debating Christianity and then marriage. There was a dog who randomly disappeared with no explanation after two chapters. The main character was fighting literally every battle in the war, which is completely unrealistic. And, every character but two's names started with E, which made the book even MORE confusing. I honestly could summarize the book in one sentence.
The Danes invade, so Edmund the 14 year old takes them on, wins a bunch of brief battles, and then they win.
The end.
I wish I could give this zero stars. -
G.A Henty's stories are aimed at boys and are super patriotic, to the point of offending those that aren't British. As a result, all his heroes are blond boys. Thankfully, this is believable in The Dragon and the Raven, unlike The Cat of Bubastes (really, a blond boy in Ancient Egypt?). Apart from being suspiciously similar to English boys, his characters also approach the Gary Sue character, being brave and heroic and .. and ... zzzz. I actually read it more for the descriptions of the period of the time than for the characters.
The Dragon and the Raven is set in the period of King Alfred, where the Saxons were fighting against the Danes (the Vikings). It's got a lot of fighting scense, which are long and to be honest, kind of boring, but is quite an interesting read nonetheless. However, early on in the book, our protagonist (not even a supporting character) speaks against equality.
There is always a romance in these books, and thankfully, the romance between Edmund (the protagonist) and his love interest is more believable because it wasn't added last minute. I actually knew it was coming, although I'd have liked it to be a bit more developed (well, at least he fought for her).
"Why father" Edmund exclaimed in astonisment, "surely you would not have all men free and equal."
"The idea seems strange to you, no doubt, Edmund, and it appears only natural that some men should be born to rule and others to labour.... their race is no doubt inferior to our own, Edmund."
But compared to the mis-understood theory of Christianity in the book, the racism is almost excusable. Although all characters claim to be Christians, they don't seem to have any real love of Christ or understanding of Christianity. There is no reference to the changing power of the Grace of Christ, but rather, the main impetus for conversions would be the "peacefulness" of Christianity. It's not the peace that surpasess understanding, but mainly the lack of war. I think this next quote sums up the author's understanding of Christianity, that it is for civilised people rather than being Truth that is for everyone:
"So long as men's lives are spent wholly in war they may worship gods like yours, but when once settled in peaceful pursuits they will assuredly recognise the beauty and holiness of the life of Christ."
Seriously, "beauty and holiness"? It should be something like "Christ died for all men, and we believe that when you experience the truth of this, you will come to love him as we do". But then again, none of the characters appears to have understood the heart of Christianity (but they definitely have the trappings of religion down pat).
First posted at
Inside the mind of a Bibliophile -
I found this book while wandering the aisles at my local library a few weeks ago. Sometimes, I don't go with a certain book in mind. I just walk passed the search computers (remember when you had to know how to use a card catalog?), and just start looking at books at random. I've stumbled across a few gems that I might have otherwise never even thought to search for in the computer.
The Dragon and the Raven artfully blends history and historical fiction in an entertaining way. It weaves a compelling drama about characters you can come to care about into the tapestry of pre-Battle of Hastings British history. If you are interested in medieval battles, both on land and sea, this book is for you. Travel all across Britain, including many places you can still find on a map and some that have new names since then, and 'see' them through the prose as they once were long ago. Then, up to Norway and as far South as the Southern coast of Italy.
I'll not give away any of the plot as the twists and events in the plot are quite compelling, especially when you don't already know what will happen next. I'll just say that even if you know nothing of history, you'll still enjoy this book as much as any fantasy story. -
Part of my lack of enthusiasm for this book is probably due to the audiobook narrator, who managed to make even the exciting bits sound terribly dull, and who dragged out the last couple words of his sentences in an oddddd fashiooon. But the story itself lost me at points, especially since the book alternated between following one main character's story and going off on long summaries of historical events. Good historical fiction makes you feel as though you were present, not as though you're sitting through a lecture of the most significant events of the time period.
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This is supposed to be a story for young boys. But it's a great story for adults! Exciting battles, brave soldiers, a fantastic love story. Also in there is the superiority of Christianity over paganism.
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Great children's tale as told by one of the 19th century's great authors.
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I love books about the middle ages, so I would have enjoyed this book no matter what. Although this is considered a classic, and Henty is known for his historical accuracy, I wouldn't rate this as a great book. Henty wrote in Victorian times and his characters speak like they're from Victorian times. They are very proper in their speech and it's pretty hard to imagine this formal speech in the heat of battle. Henty definitely favors the English in this book, with the main character being a flawless Hero, and the English being completely good and the Vikings bad. I'm used to modern books with flawed heroes, and it's hard for me to imagine someone being as perfect as Edward and King Alfred are presented in this book. The book did take me back to the books of my childhood though, when the world was very black and white, and I could really believe and celebrate the noble deeds of the brave knights in conquering evil. I still feel we can celebrate the great patriotism and bravery of these men, while considering that there is always another side with their own set of heroes and tales of lore. I believe the story of the Danish invasion of the British Isles and the many efforts of the Saxons and others to push them back is fascinating, and if you don't mind the strongly English bias, this is an inspiring tale with a cross-cultural love story as well.
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I have always wanted to tackle more of Henty's books. When I spotted this in the audio section of the children's library, I was delighted. I can listen to history a la Henty, while I accomplish humdrum tasks and learn about heroes of the past.
The story is well written and I enjoyed the history and exploits of Edmund, the Saxon hero of the story. This is set in the 800s and is a very good look at the life of the people and the day to day struggle for survival, which kept their country from advancing. At fourteen he is doing daring exploits and showing a head for learning and military tactics. While he can read and write, he never embraces the higher learning that King Alfred wishes for him. But when you constantly have the ferocious Danes breathing down your neck, marauding and burning down your houses and crops on a regular basis, Latin doesn't seem that important.
Edmund is also a visionary. When he sees the value of ships in warfare as demonstrated by the Danes, he seeks information on how to build and employ a better vessel in stopping the Danes.
These books are written to snare the imagination of young boys in being the best you can be and seeing how God can use you for the betterment of your country. -
I'd had this book playing in the background of numerous car rides with my kids, and several times found myself ignoring questions being lobbed my way because I was trying harder to listen to the story than to the conversations going on in the backseat. When it got to the level that I was ignoring my wife trying to talk to me on a similar car ride (on the way to church, no less), I realized I just needed to give this story a fair, uninterrupted listen while doing something other than ferrying the family around town at twenty minute intervals.
And I'm glad I did. This is just the kind of story that a boy like me would love. Full of derring-do's and courage and quick thinking adventures. Plus it scratched at the fascination of my undeveloped boy brain regarding the histories and legends of the past that I was never taught. Kind of like dropping a flaming torch down a dark well of memory by way of fun stories told. -
Yah know... at first I was like... this is weird... the pacing was... weird! It sure ain't like modern fiction methinks. There would be narratives then suddenly months or years would pass by in a sentence or two! I'm like... wow. But I guess you gotta do that. Its about 1 young earl who fights vikings and kind of feels almost like my Alfred book series in a way. He comes up with novel ways of fighting and the vikings ability to defeat farming England really sets up an untenable & interesting situation. Definitely gives interesting and somewhat probable notions of what folks back then thought and how they acted. I've actually never read anything like this, it kind of felt more like the writing of a graphic novel than a novel. If I may so. But left me with lots of invigorating imagery and action sequences.
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The first half is rather slow with plentiful battle scenes. The second half gets more exciting as the reader becomes more devoted to Edmund and his noble strength. He is a brave and chivalrous hero who is "fighting for his country and his people" (page 71) and who "loves not war nor strife" (page 71). Instead, Edmund pursues "kindness, charity, unselfishness" (page 73).
* This book was written in 1886 by G.A. Henry. The story is set in the late 9th century during the rule of Alfred The Great. I am curious about how much of the story is actual history as opposed to fiction.
* Best for 8th grade and up due to the complexity of the language. A mastery of history helps to bring the story to life. -
The Dragon and the Raven by G.A. Henty was a hard one for me to get through. I really enjoyed the historical fiction story-lines, but they were choppily added into a bulk that felt like a dry nonfiction battle-focused history.
I really enjoyed the few encounters with King Alfred who is a lovable character. Edmund, the main protagonist, is a chivalrous hero and while his story is engaging, I found his interactions with both friend and foe to be the most entertaining. He is a character that relies on an ensemble.
The history referenced is really fascinating - and I did enjoy learning about the ships and water warfare of the time (especially the Saxon dragon), but so much was very dry. -
I listened to this as an audiobook during work. I picked it at random from a list of Duke Classics at the library. It was painful get through. More a work of historical information than a novel with a plot. The constant stream of Danes, Saxons, Edmund, and battles was drawn out and exceedingly boring. It took me a month to get through this. I only finished it because I was stubborn. Henty is not for me. Honestly I don't know if I'd even count this as a book I read. I couldn't keep my attention and spaced out through so much of it. At the end I put the audio on double speed.
