"A post-apocalyptic novel set one thousand years in the past," The Wake takes place in England at the time of the Norman Invasion (1066). The narrator Buccmaster is a landowner from the fens who loses his sons, his wife, and his home, and seeks to wreak havoc on the invading French. He straps on his grandfather's sword and takes to the forest with a motley crew of followers.
Buccmaster is a fascinating, fierce, and increasingly unpleasant character. He is sensitive to slights from the start and never lets anyone forget that he's a important landowner. He believes that the old gods of England have chosen him as their vessel to free England from the French and from Christianity. His very particular views about what's right bring him into conflict with his men.
The most notable and noticeable aspect of The Wake is that it's written in a pseudo-Old English. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works. It enhances the authenticity of the period drama, and keeps the reader's attention focused on the lovely natural setting.
Buccmaster is a fascinating, fierce, and increasingly unpleasant character. He is sensitive to slights from the start and never lets anyone forget that he's a important landowner. He believes that the old gods of England have chosen him as their vessel to free England from the French and from Christianity. His very particular views about what's right bring him into conflict with his men.
The most notable and noticeable aspect of The Wake is that it's written in a pseudo-Old English. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works. It enhances the authenticity of the period drama, and keeps the reader's attention focused on the lovely natural setting.
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