‘In it’s ambition and intelligence, Hild might best be compared to Hilary Mantel’s novels about Thomas Cromwell.’ — Bookforum
‘Vivid, richly detailed…a powerful, clever novel. Griffith illuminates the so-called Dark Ages, reconstructing an often alien historical world with great precision.’ — BBC History Magazine
‘A magnificent and convincing portrayal of a strange, wild, beautiful world.’ — Guardian
‘Beautiful, thorny jacket for this beautiful literary novel. It genuinely brings the period to life.’ — The Bookseller
‘Vivid, vital, and visceral, Hild’s history reads like a thriller.’ — Val McDermid
‘Deeply engaging … her insight into human nature and eye for telling detail is as keen as that of the extraordinary Hild herself. The novel resonates to many of the same chords as Beowulf, the legends of King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones – to the extent that Hild begins to feel like the classic on which those books are based.’— Neal Stephenson
‘You could describe Hild as being like Game of Thrones without the dragons, but this is so much deeper than that, so much richer. A glorious, intensely passionate walk through an entirely real landscape, Hild leads us into the dark ages and makes them light, and tense, and edgy and deeply moving. The research is flawless, the characters fully alive.’— Manda Scott
‘I was impressed—as a fellow-writer and a Northumbrian archaeologist. It’s a great piece of work!’ — Max Adams
‘The best fictional attempt to recreate Dark Age Britain that I have ever read.’ — Dr Alex Woolf (University of St Andrews School of History)
‘What a fabulous book! Hild has all the joys of historical fiction – transportation into a strange, finely detailed world – along with complex characters and a beautiful evocation of the natural world. But the tensions of the gathering plot make Hild feel like a quick read – too quick! I fell into this world completely and was sorry to come out. Truly, truly remarkable.’— Karen Joy Fowler
From the Publisher
From the Back Cover
“You are a prophet and seer with the brightest mind in an age. Your blood is that of the man who should have been king . . . That’s what the king and his lords see. And they will kill you, one day.”
Britain in the seventh century – and the world is changing. Edwin, King of Northumbria, plots his rise to overking of all the Angles. Ruthless and unforgiving, he is prepared to use every tool at his disposal. Into this brutal, vibrant court steps Hild – Edwin’s youngest niece.
With her glittering mind and powerful curiosity, Hild has developed the ability to make startlingly accurate predictions. It is a gift that can seem uncanny to those around her.
It is also a valuable weapon. Hild is indispensable to Edwin – unless she should ever lead him astray. The stakes are life and death: for Hild, for her family, for her loved ones, and for the increasing number who seek the protection of the strange girl who can see the future and lead men like a warrior.
‘Hild is not just one of the best historical novels I have ever read – I think it’s one of the best novels period’ – Dorothy Allison
‘Hild leads us into the dark ages and makes them light, and tense and edgy and deeply moving. The research is flawless, the characters fully alive’ – Manda Scott