Godiva and the Golden Dragon: A historical novel of the last years of Anglo-Saxon rule in England

<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR=BRASS>GODIVA and the GOLDEN DRAGON</FONT></H1> <P> <H2 ALIGN=CENTER>A novel of eleventh century England by</H2> <P> <H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR=MAROON>Steven James</FONT></H1> <HR> <H3 ALIGN=LEFT>Buy this book! <A HREF="http://www.iuniverse.com/marketplace/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0%2D595%2D17779%2D4" TARGET="Godiva and the Golden Dragon"><IMG SRC="http://stevenjames.org/RD_BALL.GIF"></A> <P> Email the <A HREF="mailto:godiva@stevenjames.org">author</A>. <P><A HREF="info.htm">Information about the book</A></H3> <FONT COLOR=TEAL> <P> <H4><EM>Godiva and the Golden Dragon</EM> chronicles the last years of Anglo-Saxon rule in England when Harold Godwinsson of Wessex becomes the last man to fly the Royal Dragon banner. <P> Key to this romantic adventure is Lady Godiva, wife to Earl Leofric, Harold's rival in Mercia. The beautiful Lady Godiva, wanting to command her husband's attention, rides naked through the streets of Coventry. The story is set in motion when Aldbald, a craftsman of Coventry, is the only male eye witness to Godiva's ride. News of the event in Coventry piques the interest of Harold of Wessex, captures the attention of the Duke of Normandy, creates a fervor in the King of Norway, and even leads to the King of Wales losing his head. Aldbald, who falls hopelessly in love with the Lady, knows that only one man can win Godiva's heart. As servant to Harold's frustrated younger brother Tostig, Aldbald becomes the binding tie for the tale. <P> When Leofric is found dead, and tensions mount with Lady Godiva's son, Harold becomes obsessed with the desire to reconcile affairs with Godiva. Each attempt is thwarted, just as are Aldbald's attempts to meet the Lady to whom he has sent anonymous letters of love. <P> In 1066, Harold assumes the throne of England. Yet, he feels powerless to maintain the peace he so wants. The Lady Godiva is in hiding, Duke William of Normandy is planning invasion, and his own bitterly resentful brother Tostig seeks his downfall. Numerous sub-plots revolve around the main story, weaving realistic characterizations and a sense of fate into a tapestry of historical events. In the end, fate brought Aldbald, Godiva and Harold together; and on the battlefield where the future of England was decided, so too did each of them find that for which they searched. </H4></FONT> <H3> <P> <FONT COLOR=TEAL> Background </FONT> <UL> <P> <LI><A HREF="author.htm">About the author</A></LI> <P> <LI><A HREF="characters.htm">Characters in the book</A></LI> <P> <LI><A HREF="setting.htm">Historical setting</A> </LI> <P> <LI><A HREF="details.htm">Historical details</A> </LI> </UL> <P> <FONT COLOR=TEAL> Pictures </FONT> <UL> <P> <LI><A HREF="England.GIF">Primary English Earldoms</A></LI> <P> <LI><A HREF="NorthSea.GIF">Kingdoms around the North Sea</A></LI> <P> <LI><A HREF="Families.GIF">Lineage</A></LI> </UL> </H3>