The Dragon and the Raven: the Days of King Alfred

Young Edmund and his friend Siegbert are forced to flee for their lives after an invading horde of Danes kills Edmund's father and occupies their homeland. Hoping to lift the yoke of the Northmen, the young Saxon enlists under the "Golden Dragon" banner of King Alfred the Great. While Edmund trains the Saxons in sound fighting tactics, he realizes that the key to victory rests on meeting the enemy in battle at sea. With the help of King Alfred, Edmund constructs a ship that is the match of any Danish "Black Raven" vessel. He names the ship the Dragon. Will Edmund, Siegbert, and the crew of the Dragon, find success against great odds? Will the Saxons find a way to stem the invasion of the Danes and reclaim their land? These and other questions will be answered in The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty. Set in ninth century England, Norway and mainland Europe, this book includes more than 60 geographical, historical, and explanatory footnotes to aid the modern reader.