A tale of war, death, lust, and scheming, set in the starkly beautiful landscapes of medieval Ireland and Wales.
Robert FitzStephen is a warrior down on his luck. Arrogant, cold, but a brilliant soldier, FitzStephen commands a castle ? yet although his mother was a princess his father was a lowly steward. When a Welsh rebellion brings defeat and a crippling siege, his highborn comrades scorn him, betraying him to the enemy. A hostage of his cousin, Prince Rhys, FitzStephen is disgraced, seemingly doomed to a life of obscurity and shame.
Then King Diarmait arrives ?
Diarmait is the ambitious overlord of an Irish kingdom. Forced to flee by the High King of Ireland, he seeks to reclaim his lands by any means possible ? and that includes inviting the Normans in. With nothing left to lose ? and perhaps a great deal to gain ? FitzStephen agrees to lead the Irishman?s armies, and to drive Diarmait?s enemies from his kingdom. His price? Acceptance, perhaps ? or perhaps a kingdom of his own?
Butler?s debut novel, Swordland is a powerful, impeccably researched story of medieval Celtic life, of the loves, losses, and hatreds of some of the most important figures in Irish and British history.