Badon Hill (The Wars of Wrath #2), by I, Anonymous

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of Badon Hill from the author. This hasn’t influenced the review in any way.

Badon Hill is the second instance in The Wars of Wrath series, this sort of Arthurian retelling, despite I would say it is more accurate to say that the Arthurian things are only a big part of the whole book, as we also continue with the North-African part of the story, with Sabra trying to escape from Gurzil.

I think it’s a good way to start saying that all the elements I loved from Gurzil are in Badon Hill, and even improved. The pace is much better, despite I can understand if some people find confusing the multiple flashbacks.

On the Britain side, we continue with the history of George and Arthur, we get some brush strokes on the reason why George and Arthur are part enemies (including some great scenes on Camelot for the rescue of Morgana). More characters from the legends enter into action, as can be Gwenieve and Lancelot du Lac (yes, he is a Frankish knight). I don’t want to tell much more about some of the plots, cause it would be spoilers.

We are also introduced to more myths and legends, such as The King Lear, which for me is one of the most interesting parts, as it helps to explain how the succession worked before proper laws existed, and it expands how the old religions work; we are also introduced to the Fairy of the Pond, and certainly how the Lady of the Lake and Excalibur are approached have become one of my favourite parts.

Not only mythical elements are treated, as we are driven to the Badon Hill battle, one of the historical moments that drove the history of Great Britain, where Viking and the Anglo armies crashed, and which has plenty of great action scenes.

We continue following Sabra and her struggles in Lybia, and how she’s prosecuted by the Gurzil’s cult. Meanwhile, the decomposition of the Roman Empire and the forge of Byzantium Imperium is happening. We are able to contemplate how the tensions between different ethnic groups bring instability to the region.

I still identify some of the problems I found in Gurzil, but they are less prominent, as things such as using modern expressions. Language is adjusted on some occasions, which is something I appreciated.

In summary, if you liked Gurzil, you are going to love Badon Hill. It’s another great historical retelling, giving a new twist on some myths and legends that I really love, and I said for Gurzil, I reaffirm Wars of Wrath is a must-have series for lovers of Arthurian myths.