Swords and Slavery


Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
290 Pages
Reviewed on 12/30/2017
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Author Biography

David Lees lives in Yorkshire, works as an asbestos surveyor and is married with one young child and another on the way.
David Lees became inspired to write Swords and Slavery after coming across a little known iron age hill fort near Cerrigydrudion in North Wales. The fort has sheep grazing nearby and is almost completely forgotten. The fort was last in use around the time the Romans and became inspiration for historical research that has formed the background to Swords and Slavery.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I liked Swords and Slavery by David Lees. I like the sometimes-grim portrayal of ancient life. Some people tend to romanticize the past. It wasn't nearly as carefree as the movies make it appear. To be honest, I am interested in all things Roman and English, so this book was a natural for me to be attracted to. This time period is perfect for me. Swords and Slavery takes place during the Roman attempt to conquer and subjugate Britain. It is a fascinating time and David Lees writes extensively on one of my favorite subjects, the ancient druids. This is a fascinating group and I think Mr. Lees does a good job of presenting them as they probably really were.

I love how Swords and Slavery takes its time and builds the story before bringing everything together in a satisfying finish. I especially like how David Lees eventually brought Drustan and Ceri together in a loving relationship, after demonstrating how rare such a relationship was at that time. The plot is executed very well, but it is the likable characters that carry the story in my opinion. Drustan is a young man you can understand and admire. Ceri is a strong, smart girl with her own mind, who just wants to be loved and treated fairly. Throw in an interesting historical setting and you get all the ingredients for the makings of a first-class historical novel. I will definitely look for the name David Lees as I browse bookstores and websites from now on. He’s pretty good!