Rate this book

The Plague Window. Brian Wood, Leandro Fernandez (2000)

by Brian Wood(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0857680374 (ISBN13: 9780857680372)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Titan Publishing Company

series

Northlanders

review 1: This was the best Northlanders storyline yet. The themes explored are timeless and the actual main plot could've been set in just about any time period.Hilda's husband, a wealthy merchant, falls prey to a plague that's been ravaging their area. Boris, foreign clergyman advises the council to expel the infected individuals and seal the settlement's gates until the plague has passed. What complicates things is (1)that the settlement relies on trade to get its supplies and (2)the harsh 7-month winter is upon them.Gunborg, a corrupt official who's also in charge of security, eventually convinces the council to let him (and a small party) go seek out other settlements to get food & supplies from. What he actually does is strike a bargain with a rival settlement: they will anne... morex his village and leave him in charge of it (in exchange for subjugating his own settlement). So Gunborg leads a coup against his own people, killing the elder, burning down the Great Council, and terrorising the population. Forced labour, executions & burned down dwellings follow...The way Hilda and Boris cope (& deal) with all this makes for great reading. With "Northlanders" Brian Wood had always given his readers great stand-alone stories (so that the different volumes can be read in any order) and even though each new story has a different artist, the art has been mostly consistent in quality, if not in style.Those of you who've yet to "take the plunge" with this series should hesitate no longer.
review 2: While an interesting survival story and period tale, I didn't find this as compelling as some of the shorter stories in previous volumes; nevertheless the detail and mood is, as always, immersive and the central themes well explored. Wood's continuing interest in showing us the lives and strengths of women of the period is very welcome, particularly the consideration of their places as individuals in particular circumstances rather than shorthanded social constructs. less

Download links for: The Plague Window. Brian Wood, Leandro Fernandez

Advertising