Patrick - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007169981 ISBN 13: 9780007169986

Synopsis

Set in an era of brutal conflict and turmoil, this epic adventure is the first novel to tell the full story of the slave who became a saint, of the man who rose to the challenge of his time and changed the course of history.

In the summer of 405AD, Irish raiders attack the western coast of Wales, carving a fiery swathe through the peaceful countryside. Among the survivors who are rounded up and taken back to Ireland is Succat: an impulsive sixteen-year-old son of a powerful Roman family.

Succat is sold as a slave and put to work tending sheep. Repeated escape attempts lead to ever more brutal and savage beatings, until he comes to the attention of Cormac, a young novice Druid. The two strike up an unlikely friendship and, as Succat learns the ways of the Irish people, he is given a new name by the Druid: Patrick.

With a new name begins Patrick’s new life: he is married, and the two decide to return to his home to claim his inheritance, only to find his father’s estate in ruins. So begins a calamitous journey that will lead him to Tours; see him join the Roman Legion as a soldier; suffer the the horrors of a plague-filled Rome; and thence back to Ireland, where he will embark on a mission forwhich his name will be remembered throughout history.

In the spirit of Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian cycle, Patrick is a gritty and unsentimental portrait of one of the Western world's great icons, featuring an accurate and compelling rendering of the historical period – an era full of brutal conflict, adventure, turmoil, and visionary inspiration.

About this title

Review

‘An enjoyable, sweeping and often touching tale of bravery’
SFX

‘This is a rip-roaring adventure story; the pace rarely flags. There’s scheming, murder and betrayal aplenty’
Interzone

‘A vivid historical setting and a lengthy and satisfying plot’
Publishing News

From the Back Cover

In the summer of 405AD, Irish raiders attack the western coast of Wales, carving a fiery swathe through the peaceful countryside. Among the survivors who are rounded up and taken back to Ireland is Succat: an impulsive sixteen-year-old son of a powerful Roman family.

Succat is sold as a slave and put to work tending sheep. Repeated escape attempts lead to ever more brutal and savage beatings, until he comes to the attention of Cormac, a young novice Druid. The two strike up an unlikely friendship and, as Succat learns the ways of the Irish people, he is given a new name by the Druid: Patrick.

With a new name begins Patrick’s new life: he is married, and the two decide to return to his home to claim his inheritance, only to find his father’s estate in ruins. So begins a calamitous journey that will lead him to Tours; see him join the Roman Legion as a soldier; suffer the the horrors of a plague-filled Rome; and thence back to Ireland, where he will embark on a mission for which his name will be remembered throughout history.

In the spirit of Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian cycle, Patrick is a gritty and unsentimental portrait of one of the Western world's great icons, featuring an accurate and compelling rendering of the historical period – an era full of brutal conflict, adventure, turmoil, and visionary inspiration.

Edition details

• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007169981
• ISBN 13: 9780007169986
• Binding: Paperback