Flight of the Hawk

by G.R. Grove

Britain in the summer of 551 AD: The North is a tinderbox about to burst into flame, the Saxons are stirring again in the East, and Cynan Garwyn, Prince of Powys, is doing his best to foment war in the South. In the midst of this simmering chaos, two young bards - Gwernin Storyteller and his friend Neirin mab Dwywei, the Poet-Prince that some call "Taliesin's Hawk" - are sent to the North by their master to investigate the rumors and do what they...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1430328517
• ISBN13: 9781430328513
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic tale of a Welsh bard

Book two of the Storyteller Series is just as outstanding as Storyteller, book one. Set in 6th century Wales, the story follows young Gwernin on his second season away from his birth home. This time he travels with a companion close in age, Nierin, on a fact-finding mission as border raiding increases and war is imminent. Gwernin has realized just how much more he needs to learn before he can become a bard and how valuable the role of bard can be in finding a place in any lord's court. The characters are richly described and much detail is given to the settings throughout the book. As in Storyteller, I enjoy how each chapter can stand alone as a tale while fitting into the storyline of the book. It's a fascinating format that allows the reader to leave with a sense of completion and come back later and continue reading with a sense of continuity.

On the Road Again...

Flight of the Hawk is an excellent follow-up to Storyteller, following Gwernin once again in his travels and his quest to learn the skills and lore needed to become a bard. In this book, Grove continues with all that make Storyteller such a great book, including the great narrative descriptions of the land and people, the taste of Sixth Century British culture, and the sense of tension and conflict in a land and people beset on both physical and metaphysical planes. There is, in this work, the addition of a stronger sense of action, including bloodshed, than in the previous installment. Grove handles this well, making the action at once both earnest in its danger and honest in its degree and execution. The bards are not superheroes, nor are the warriors they encounter or travel with. Characters are well drawn with strengths and weaknesses in battle both of arms and of wits, and they are all the more believable or them. The one drawback for me as a reader is a trap many authors of series fall into, that of using the first few pages of a latter book to recap or even, as in this case, replay the previous installments. This is, however, a personal dislike, and it does not diminish the work as a whole, nor does it make me any less enthusiastic to recommend this book and this series to others.

Excellent Read for a Fine, Soft Day

I had the pleasure of reading this book over several rainy days. Whether the book suited the weather, or the weather suited the stories I cannot say. I can say it was immensely enjoyable. The characters have a wonderful sense of realness, like someone you might know. The details of clothing, dress and custom were well researched. Most enjoyably, each chapter could be read as a seperate entity, making it easy to put down and take up again when bothersome matters interrupt reading time. The second in a series, it stands on its own, not requiring the first book, "Storyteller" be read, although a delightful set of stories on its own, and well worth the reading. I would especially recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a trip to the past, or to the British Isles, or just to someplace they have never been before. It creates a wonderful world that I will visit again and again.

The Further Adventures of Gwernin

Once again Gwernin, the intrepid Welsh bard, ventures forth into adventure, learning, and some danger. This is a delightful read for those who love historical fiction and good storytelling. The stories within the stories are one of my favorite things about this book, as Gwernin travels throughout medieval Wales plying his bardcraft and learning from semi-mythic figures like Taliesin. The history feels absolutely solid, this is a medieval world view one can totally believe in. And since we work from Gwernin's point of view, the magic and the mundane are inextricably mixed, as they would have been for someone who lived in this period. We feel the cold, we warm at the fire, and we do believe in the world unseen. This is a delightful escape from the modern world, and a wonderful character about whose life we long to know more. At least I do. I'm very happy that this is a series and that I will have a chance to return to this amazing and realistic world. I am really enjoying my travels with Gwernin and hope they continue for a long time. Truly, if you enjoy a historical novel with fidelity to its time and place, you will like this book. It's a wonderful and fun read. I cannot recommend it too highly. Try it and you will like it. Having read the first book in the series is not essential to reading this one, but if you like this one you should definitely give the first one a try. If you have read it, you'll want this one, too. Flight of the Hawk is a trip to medieval Wales that you won't want to miss.

The series takes wing

The first book of this series, Storyteller, was certainly good, but this one is even better. Once again, Ms. Grove drops us into the 6th century - sight, sound, and scent, concerns and beliefs. The language is just as gorgeous and well-considered as in the first book, and the sense of experiencing another place and time just as vivid, if not more so. Nor is this world a fantasy one - for harps go out of tune, ponies may go lame, and well-laid plans can go far astray. One thing that has at times seriously annoyed me in *other* books (but not these!) are Perfect Heroes - those unlikely folk who are unbearably noble, and naturally good at nearly everything they try. Not so here: aspiring bardic student Gwernin and his friend Neirin deal with life-threatening battles and ambushes, some fairly un-nerving supernatural events, (sometimes landing in the mud along the way) and when all is well, revert to being healthy young men, equally interested in girls, beer, and whether they'll get enough for dinner. A really, really good read - I can hardly wait for the next one.