English Dawn

Here is the complete English Dawn pentalogy under one cover. It tells the story of the conquest and settlement of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, set against the broad sweep of events in the Dark Ages: the decline of the Roman Empire, the rise of Attila the Hun, the raids by the Picts and the Scots, and the usurpation of the kingship of Britannia by the tyrant, Vortigern. Anglo-Saxon culture is presented in all its richness, including the history and the legends, the arms and armour, and the songs and sagas. Celtic legends about the Sword of Albion and the dragons of Dinas Emrys are also included, along with an original interpretation of the character of Merlin.
Set gainst this rich background is the story of one man: Hengest, the founding father of the English nation, telling how he rose from nithing to Bretwalda of Angleland, before losing it all to a resurgent Britannia under the leadership of Aurelius Ambrosius. These events are a prequel to the age of Arthur, and the final chapter of the pentalogy sees Merlin setting up the sword in the stone for the king who is to come.