Literature Wales Writer's Bursary
The Anarchy - Conquest 3
Formats: E-Book, Paperback, Hardback
Ages: 18+
1121. The trail of a mass murderer and a hunt for a runaway nun. King Henry I has lost his heir in the sinking of The White Ship and his reign is fraught with the succession crisis. The king is obsessed with relics and prophecies. He summons his daughter, the Empress Maud, to return to England, and considers putting a woman on the English throne. King Henry’s former mistress, Nest ferch Rhys, is unhappily married to the Norman constable of Cardigan Castle. She becomes increasingly embroiled in the Welsh resistance to the Norman occupation of her family’s lands. Sheriff Haith distracts himself from his loss of Nest by plumbing the mystery of the shipwreck in which the King’s heir died along with three hundred other young Norman nobles. Book III in the Conquest trilogy centring on Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I.
Reviews
'Tracey Warr's Conquest trilogy spins a most excellent yarn. Although the main character is the hostaged Welsh princess Nest, this is definitely not mediaeval chick lit. The aristocrats are land-grabbing gangsters who plot, kill, maim and poison their way to the thrones. Although her writing has been supported by the the Welsh Arts Council, it's not all noble Welsh kings being terrorised by the dastardly Normans. The Welsh don't come off lightly in the plotting, raping and maiming stakes. Read and enjoy.' Rob La Frenais
‘When Warr delved into Welsh history and discovered Nest ferch Rhys, she must have known she’d struck story gold. Nest navigates life as a prize in the war between the Anglo-Norman King Henry and the 12th-century Welsh Kings. The author creates a believable world and Warr’s Henry is a vivid, strong personality.’
‘Nest was a real Welsh princess who became a political bargaining chip, married off to Anglo-Norman nobles – a character who negotiates an emotional roller coaster of divided loyalties, making a very readable book. To help visualise Nest’s life, the author visited the castles where she lived. The stunning locations shine in the text.’ Helen Johnson
