Summary of Wulf the Saxon with spoilers.
Intro:
Wulf the Saxon was written by G. A. Henty around 1937. It is of the Historical Fiction genre.
What is it about?
The book Wulf the Saxon, is about a teenage boy, who is in the service of king Harold. Wulf, early on in the book, becomes a thane. He becomes a smart, intelligent man, takes over a Welsh fortress, and saves the king’s life later on in the book. His bodyguard, so to speak, is Osgod, a good friend of his. One of his friends is called Beorn, who also plays a vital role in the book.
Highlights:
1) One of the best parts in the book (in my opinion) is when Wulf conquers and then defends a very fortified Welsh fortress. He, along with Osgod and Beorn make a surprise attack on Porthwyn. They take it easily because most of its army was looking for them. After they took it, Wulf was still restless because he thought that there might be a secret way in. There was! When the Welsh tried sneaking in through there, Wulf’s army overpowered them right away. This encounter settled the war between the Welsh and the Saxons.
2) Another thrilling part of the book is about Wulf saving the king’s life. When his old rival, Walter-Fitz Urse comes back to London, he arouses Wulf’s suspicions. Wulf thinks that he might be dangerous to the king. He tells Osgod his thoughts and ask Osgod’s father’s apprentice for help. The apprentice does well, and as we find out a few chapters later, Walter-Fitz Urse was dangerous! The apprentice, Osgod’s father, and Beorn come to warn Wulf in time, so that Wulf, with their help, saves the king’s life.
Nadir:
The only chapters that I didn’t like were the last three. In those chapters, there is a bitter-sweet ending. First the bitter: The Saxons lose the Battle of Hastings. As a result, King Harold dies, along with lots of Saxon thanes. One of Wulf’s friends dies too. Osgod loses his left hand and William of Normandy ascents to the throne.
The sweet next: Wulf gets married to his friend’s sister. Beorn also gets married. They get to keep their estates. They live in peace with William, and they live good until the end of their lives.
Overall:
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction books and is a strong reader. It has a very fun and adventurous plot. This book gets a 4.6 star rating from me. Very well written!
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