The Druid Chronicles: Book 3
Publication Date: May 14, 2024
Success as a warrior is one of the few paths to advancement in early medieval Britain and Stefan, a young Saxon peasant, has fought his way up to the rank of captain, serving under an earl who in turn serves the king of Atheldom. Returning from a series of hard-won battles, he hopes for further promotion. Instead, his command is taken from him and given to a better-born rival, while he is sent off to serve as the sheriff of an impoverished shire in the furthest corner of the kingdom. Stefan arrives in Codswallow to learn that, between marauding brigands, corrupt local officials, and a hostile populace, no sheriff has stayed longer than a single season. Determined to defeat the outlaws and gain control over the shire, Stefan forms an alliance with the keeper of the shire’s inn, a Briton with a mysterious past, but is frustrated to find that even with that clandestine aid his efforts are stymied. When he is summoned to join the search for Princess Aleswina, the betrothed bride of the king of a neighboring realm, he jumps at what he sees as his chance to get an army command back—only to be drawn into the web of intrigue that lies behind the princess’s disappearance.
From the outset, author A.M. Linden established a framework that would eventually support five books of historical fiction set in the Dark Ages.
The third installment, The Sheriff, returns to AD 788, the same time period as all but one of the other books that comprise The Druid Chronicles. It is the second book, The Valley, that takes readers a generation earlier to provide valuable historical context.
Now, the focus shifts to a man who has worked his way up through the ranks, assuming he would be promoted. Instead, Stefan gets sent to Codswallow, the medieval equivalent of Siberia.
He looks for redemption in a search for a missing princess but gets sucked into unexpected drama. He’s a sympathetic character, though, that will have you rooting for him.
The author’s creative world-building serves up an impressive backdrop of characters and experiences. There’s also a helpful character listing at the beginning of the book, as well as a brief synopsis of the series thus far.
The Sheriff, as the midpoint of the series, continues to breathe life and add flavor to medieval historical fiction.
Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the East Coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program-related materials. The Oath is the first installment of The Druid Chronicles, a five-volume series that began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband, dogs, and cat..
