'A gripping saga of great passion'
The Times

'As splendid a ripping yarn as any of the best classics'
Daily Telegraph

'I loved it . . . [a] stately, seething, passionate epic'
Literary Review

Britain during the Dark Ages is the setting for the fascinating story of Bega, a young Irish princess who became a saint, and her lifelong bond with Padric, prince of the north-western kingdom of Rheged. This dramatic, far-reaching tale brings to life a land of warring kings, Christians and pagans, and tribes divided by language and culture, illuminating a little-known yet critical period in British history.

"A gripping saga of great passion ... sustained, impassioned and uplifting" - The Times

"An absorbing epic ... as splendid a ripping yarn as any of the best classics" - Daily Telegraph

"A gripping, deeply accomplished work" - Evening Standard

"I loved it ... Bragg's stately, seething, passionate epic is several cuts above modern attempts at historical fiction" - Literary Review

"A beguiling entry into a society strange, neglected, important, tragic in many of its triumphs" - Spectator

"Wonderfully evocative, passionate and erudite ... No summary could do justice to a book of this erudition, romance and scope" - Glasgow Herald