Dunstan

Dunstan, Conn Iggulden

Having loved Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses books and with his other series already on my ‘must read’ list, I was pleased to spot this new offering Dunstan. Charting Dunstan’s life in 10thC England, you follow his progression from Benedictine monk apprentice, to abbott of Glastonbury, to archbishop as well as instigator of the building of Canterbury cathedral. Along the way, his fortunes rise and fall with the English kings of the age; and his life span covers seven of them, from Æthelstan to Ethelred over a period of 80 years.

“Of all the estates of man in the world, the best is the born the fine, shrieking son of a king. I have seen mighty lords fall to their knees at the sight of a babe, all for a crown pained on its crib… If you can’t be born a king, be made a king, though that has thorns. When violent men secure your crown, they keep a knife at your throat ever after. Last, and not the least of these, is this: if you can’t be born a king, or made a king, you might still anoint one… I chose the Church.”

I really appreciate Iggulden’s writing. Even this though this was a period of history completely foreign to me, he’s very skilled at making it readable and accessible. He creates characters with real depth. I wasn’t sure at any point that I actually liked Dunstan, but I loved the first-person portrayal of him. He was arrogant, convinced of his own rightness, yet at times he did question his motives and some of the choices he made. You can hear the writer’s interpretation of the man coming through, and that’s a skill to do well. It’s a book that requires a bit more concentration, but it was worth it.