Davydd marries Edward relation, Elizabeth at Edward's behest, a relation that blossoms into genuine love. It is an odd relationship of brothers strangely drawn to each other, despite Davydd's betrayals, and alliance for a time with their hated enemy, Edward I, who, with the death of his feeble father, Henry III, is exerting his reign. His mercurial brother Davydd has always coveted his power, even while Llewellyn, as did his grandfather, Llewellyn Fawr, understood that only a united Wales could have any hope of standing against English might. Much of the story is told through the eyes of a young man, Hugh, who becomes squire to Bran de Montfort until his death of tertian fever in Italy, after which he serves Bran's sister Ellen, who had been betrothed to Llewellyn ab Gruffyd, Prince of Wales, until the death of her father Simon and the family's flight to France. In The Reckoning, Penman brings the history of conflict between England and Wales to its culmination. In that book, the ongoing power struggle between the English and the Welsh remains in the background. Last month, I reviewed the second volume of the Welsh Princes Trilogy, Falls the Shadow, which focused on Simon de Montfort and his campaign for the rights of the people with their king. Above all else, Llewelyn fears that his life and his own dream?of an independent, united Wales?might be lost to Edward I's desire to expand his English empire.Īlive from the pages of history, this is the hauntingly beautiful and compelling tale of a game poised to play itself out to its bloody finale as English and Welsh cross swords in a reckoning that must mean disaster for one side or the other.įor anyone who has ever wanted to experience the rich tapestry of British history and lore, this bold and romantic adventure is a must be read.Summary: Brings to a close the struggles between Wales and England under Edward I, the complicated relationship between brothers Llewellyn and David ab Gruffyd, and tells the story of the women who loved them-a true tale of love and loss. His father's words haunt Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, who has been ruling uneasily over his fractious countrymen.

'Never forget, Llewelyn, that the world's greatest fool is a Welshman who trusts an English king.'

From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Penman, The Reckoning completes the captivating sequence of novels on the struggle between the independent Welsh Princes and the growing English strength which began with Here be Dragons and continued with Falls the Shadow.

The reckoning penman