The Chronicles of Pauncefoot and Longshanks
by David Stedman

Pauncefoot’s thrilling rise is a cracking read, 5 stars.

The latest novel from local author David Stedman is a thrilling and superbly crafted account of the true early life of King Edward I as viewed, and manipulated by, his faithful but scheming jester Hamo Pauncefoot.

The author tells the story as if Pauncefoot himself is relating it, at the end of his long and eventful life, to a hired scribe. This gives the narrative verisimilitude and the inclusion of factual footnotes at the end of the book help to bring the medieval atmosphere to life in a most compelling way.

We follow Pauncefoot’s rise from miserable poverty to wealth and fortune by using the guise of a harmless entertainer behind which is a ruthlessly subtle schemer. Pauncefoot craftily befriends the young prince, makes himself indispensable and then serves him faithfully through civil war, crusades, assassination attempts and also Edward’s great love affair with his eventual Queen Leonora of Castile. The only criticism is that the author sometimes tries to include too much history that tends to make the story drag in places. Such passages, however, are more than made up for by the cracking action scenes that surround them. There is, however, a mighty sting at the end of this tale which this reviewer did not see coming. The novel ends with a promise of a follow-up second chronicle that may resolve this sting and lead us towards more incredible adventures through Pauncefoot’s eyes.

Any devotee of historical fiction, or any reader with an interest in British medieval history will not be disappointed by this great read which, for this reviewer, is fit to stand beside the best historical novels.

This imaginative re-stitching of 13th century historical events uses the fictional confessions of King Edward I's lead court jester and fool to sit the reader in a dark corner of a monastery and listen to a story of the making of a king and tale of a shrewd fool. Through the mists of time Hamo Pauncefoot reveals his involvement in historical events from 1253-1274 to a monk he has hired to document the story of his life. The narration takes on dark eloquent styling and magnificent character representation; characters are magnified by this narration and of course embellished for the sake of the story and the narrator's royal benefactors. If readers are familiar with The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett or Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles then you may find another antihero in Hamo Pauncefoot. The reader is taken to this fool's humble beginnings and then witnesses Hamo's all consuming obsession of advancement of life and status which he believes can be obtained by providing his distinct set of services to the young prince Edward.

Set to the backdrop of England during the mid 13th century the reader is privy to the intimate complicated relationships and manipulations of the court of King Henry III. As the story progresses the locations thunder on from battle fields, to towns, to clandestine rooms of taverns, to the holy crusade and back again with always Hamo Pauncefoot under the table or in a corner collecting vital information for his advances. This narration takes on a delicious dark phrasing that leaves more of a convincing representation of the mid 13th century, characters are painted with flaws and very few are described as faultless. Piety and virtue serve little in this story, greed and lust for power reigns over this storyline.

In the end, although a few anachronistic terms in the dialogue briefly pulled this reader from this striking narration and the middle sagged with the different excursions, these can be forgotten with the twists and surprises that leapt from the corners of The Chronicles of Pauncefoot and Longshanks: The Making of a King. The footnotes at the end were a creative touch that leant more validity to the beginning claim that this story is true and recently discovered in 2007; all research and implantation was explained and (to this reader) showed superb attention to detail. Finally the sometimes awkward formation and execution of showing time and births to the reader were seamless in this narration (a very hard thing to accomplish). Overall this was gem of a read, an original story that I highly recommend for those readers who enjoy a more realistic view of this time period, those who enjoy reading about the machinations of a mind born into misery and desperation and another game

I read Stedman's historical fiction Chronicles of Pauncefoot and Longshanks and really enjoyed it. He writes clearly and doesn't hang about. Thrillers not my thing but I tried Silk Fist Conspiracy. Writing just as good and clear. Wasn't too sure after first chapter but then I quickly got involved with the characters and Stedman cleverly leaves a cliffhanger at end of a chapter. He scatters clues around, which is fun, and that also makes you want to read on. Maybe two or three chapters were unnecessary but he doesn't stray for long. I liked that the characters were as important as action although the action is tough and convincing. I also liked the chapter headings which give location and a time frame, just like he did in his history novel, because action takes place in many places around the world, which is fun. I thought I could see where the plot was going but Stedman keeps a couple of real surprises up his sleeve and the story finishes with a satisfying end, unlike many thrillers, and ties up the loose ends. I found myself wanting to keep reading when I should have been doing other things and what more can you ask from a book. It's restored my faith in thrillers.