Hild: A Novel [Paperback]

WINNER OF THE WASHINGTON STATE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION

In seventh-century Britain, a new religion is coming ashore and small kingdoms are merging, frequently and violently. Hild is the king's youngest niece, with a glittering mind and a natural authority.

She is destined to become one of the pivotal figures of the Early Middle Ages: Saint Hilda of Whitby. But for now she has only the powerful curiosity of a bright child and the precarious advantage of a plotting uncle, Edwin of Northumbria, who will stop at nothing to become overking of Angles. Hild establishes a place for herself at his side as the king's seer, and she is indispensableas long as she doesn't lead Edwin astray. The stakes are highlife and deathfor Hild, for her family, and, increasingly, for those who seek the protection from this strange girl who seems to see the future. Drawing from the few records history has left us, Nicola Griffith has brought the young Saint Hilda's harsh, but beautiful, world to vivid, absorbing life.

Bringing to life a dynamic woman at the center of early medieval British history,Hildis a captivating novel of a beautiful, brutal world, where kingdoms are shaped by the sword and love often depends on the whims of politics. As King Edwin's youngest niece, Hild has special responsibilities, but her powers of observation are what truly set her apart. As a child, she demonstrates an uncanny way of observing human nature and predicting future outcomes, quickly establishing herself as the king's seer. When a new religion comes ashore, she sees a Roman bishop tout rituals that defy the old gods of the Angles. Amid the turmoil of these transitions, Hild grows into womanhood under the protection of the king's warriors but possessing the physical strength to take care of herself. With her fame growing throughout Northumbria, she takes a pivotal role in the lives of the conquered, while keeping the secrets of the men and women who are closest lĂ&