Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Categories
Historical adventure fiction

AGAINST A DARKENING SKY

Lauren B. Davis

Set in mysterious, magic-riddled 7th-century England, Against A Darkening Sky transports the reader to a rich yet violent past, an era convulsing with change, in which a young woman is torn between her faith and her desire to belong.

Wilona, the lone survivor of a plague that wiped out her people, stumbles out of the moors to a new life in the village of Ad Gefrin. There she is apprenticed to Touilt, a revered healer and seeress. She blossoms under Touilt’s tutelage and will one day take her place but, as an outsider, she is viewed with suspicion by all except Margawn, a warrior in the lord’s hall. When the king arrives, proclaiming a conversion to the new Christian religion, Ad Gefrin becomes dangerous for Wilona and Touilt as the villagers embrace the new faith and turn against the old ways—even as Wilona’s relationship with Margawn grows. Wilona’s fate becomes intertwined with that of Egan, a monk sent to Ad Gefrin as part of the Christian mission; both will see their faith and their loyalties tested. Torn between loyalty to the old gods, and loyalty to her adopted kin, Wilona battles for survival, dignity and love against overwhelming odds. Exploring timeless conflicts and offering rich, nuanced historical details that bring pagan Britain to life, Against a Darkening Sky is an exquisitely rendered work of fiction from one of Canada’s most acclaimed and celebrated novelists. LAUREN B. DAVIS is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels The Stubborn Season, The Radiant City, Our Daily Bread—which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize—and The Empty Room, as well as two collections of short stories. Born in Montreal, she now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. laurenbdavis.com

Available products
Book Published 2015-05-19 by ChiZine/Harper

Comments

Brilliantly achieves the ideal for a historical novel: period and milieu seem utterly inextricable from character and theme, and together they illuminate timeless and universal truths of the human condition. Seventh-century England is fascinating. Wilona is achingly real. Her quest for an identity and a place in the world are richly resonant. Davis is a remarkable writer.

Davis brings ancient Northumbria to life.... The story's theme - how to remain true to one's beliefs when they pose a threat to belonging, and even survival - still resonates today.

Against a Darkening Sky comes complete with the knowledge that healers possessed centuries ago, a bonus for a novel already filled with a sense of time and place. Brings to life a suspended time, caught among myth and legend.

Davis is without a doubt an exceptionally talented writer.

Seventh-century England comes to life in author's skilled hands. Told in the clear, uncluttered prose that characterizes Davis's work; the present-tense narrative and straight-ahead pace take the reader into 7thc England. Never a false note is struck ... Lauren B. Davis is too good a novelist to make her story simply a vehicle for a 'message.' This tale of medieval life and the struggles of a steadfast pagan woman and a fearful monk is captivating and entertaining. In fact, even Margawn's dog, Bana, and Wilona's pig, Elba, are memorable.

A beautifully written novel that brings the world of the past alive with stunning imagery that wraps around the mind of the reader and shuts out the lights and noise of the modern world...Anyone would be hard-pressed to find another novel able to bring the story to life in such striking detail.