Albion

Alfred, brother to the King, has been exiled to live out his life in a monastery. But when Viking invasions sweep though Britain, conquering it all and killing his brother, Alfred is called on to lead his people. Not only does Alfred face the legendary Viking warlord Ivar the Boneless and his witch Sibba, priestess of their nihilistic God Odin, but he is also constantly undermined by a Christian church terrified of losing its power now that Alfred is teaching his lords to read and write. Alfred’s lords, meanwhile, fear that learning their letters means losing their warrior word-fame, so they resist Alfred’s reforms at every turn. Nevertheless, Alfred is on the verge of victory when he is betrayed. Barely escaping with his life, he hides in the Somerset marshes while the Vikings pillage the land. Alone, he must somehow unite the English people to defeat the Viking invaders once and for all. Albion brings a dark magical realism to the story of England’s creation. Pulling from Viking lore it uses berserkers, Viking witches, and the Wild Hunt against Alfred’s revolutionary tactics and leadership. It’s a battle of an old world of myth and legend against a new world of literacy, law and order. This is how England was made.