Lost Tales of Mercia

 

The First Lost Tale of Mercia:
Golde the Mother

The First Lost Tale, “Golde the Mother,” is about the mother of Eadric Streona. It sheds light on Eadric’s strange childhood, and raises the question of who fathered the boy who would become notorious as one of the most treacherous men in England.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Eadric, Golde

The Second Lost Tale of Mercia:
Ethelred the King

This haunting short story illustrates the scandalous circumstances surrounding Ethelred's rise to power at the age of eleven, and shows why the entire reign of so-called "Ethelred the Unready" seems to have been cursed.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Ethelred


The Third Lost Tale of Mercia:
Aydith the Aetheling

Aydith's story is that of a young aetheling who, despite her royal blood, can get no one to listen to her willful opinions. With the encouragement of a kind hearth companion named Hastings, perhaps she will find another way to help her ill-fated country.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Aydith, Hastings, Ethelred, Aethelstan

The Fourth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Athelward the Historian

Lord Athelward, an ealdorman who also wants to write history, finds his peace of mind disturbed when a strange woman named Golde and her young son Eadric show up on his doorstep with a ridiculous proposal.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Eadric, Golde

The Fifth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Alfgifu the Orphan

In the wildest Lost Tale yet, we jump to the year 1014. Alfgifu of Northampton joins forces with Canute, the new and young king of the Vikings. Alfgifu believes that her father was murdered in cold blood by Ealdorman Eadric Streona. How far will she go to obtain her revenge?

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Alfgifu, Canute

The Sixth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Hastings the Hearth Companion

A royal hearth companion named Hastings fights on the front lines of battle for duty and the Golden Cross, but he entertains unrealistic notions of how his mistress, Aetheling Aydith, might reward him.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Hastings, Aydith, Aethelstan, Ulfcytel the Bold

The Seventh Lost Tale of Mercia:
Hildred the Maid

In the year 1005 A.D., a terrible famine strikes Engla-lond. When a poor young woman named Hildred grows desperate enough to break the law for her survival, a rising thegn named Eadric takes her fate in his hands.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Hildred, Eadric, Truman

The Eighth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Canute the Viking

As a teenager, Canute struggles to find his place among a fortress of Jomsvikings and the differing religions surrounding them. An unexpected relationship with another Jomsviking, forbidden by the Christians, may force him to choose.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Canute

The Ninth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Runa the Wife

Runa expects to live her entire life isolated in the woods until she meets Thorkell the Tall. She tries to conform to society through a traditional marriage, but at a very high cost to them both.

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Runa, Thorkell the Tall, Canute

The Tenth Lost Tale of Mercia:
Edmund the Aetheling

In the tenth and final Lost Tale, young prince Edmund suspects a plot against his father's life. He turns to his siblings, Aydith and Aethelstan, for help, but King Ethelred heeds none of them. Will they ever find someone they can trust?

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Characters featured from Eadric the Grasper:
Edmund, Ethelred, Aydith, Aethelstan, Eadric

FYI: The Chronology and Rating of the Lost Tales

Rating / Maturity Level

People are also curious whether the Lost Tales of Mercia are suitable for kids. I’m probably not qualified to say, because if I had kids, I think I’d let them read whatever they wanted. But I imagine most people would reply “no,” the Lost Tales of Mercia are not for young kids. Young adults–maybe. If they were movies, the Lost Tales of Mercia in general and Eadric the Grasper would probably be PG-13; Godric the Kingslayer and Edric the Wild would most definitely be R.

 

– Eadric the Grasper (begins 1002 A.D. and goes to 1017 A.D. Therefore, the following stories actually take place during/in between the events of the novel)

7. The Sixth Lost Tale of Mercia: Hastings the Hearth Companion (1004 A.D.)

8. The Seventh Lost Tale of Mercia: Hildred the Maid (1005 A.D.)

9. The Eighth Lost Tale of Mercia: Canute the Viking (1012 A.D.)

10. The Fifth Lost Tale of Mercia: Alfgifu the Orphan (1014 A.D.)

People also ask me whether to read the Lost Tales of Mercia or Eadric the Grasper first. I mean it when I say you can read in whatever order you want. There are bound to be little spoilers here and there but nothing too drastic; I intended it that way. However, if I’m pushed for an opinion, I say read Eadric the Grasper first, probably because I wrote it first so it feels most natural to me. Or just read Eadric the Grasper on its own, because the Lost Tales are altogether supplemental. Seriously, do whatever strikes your fancy.

 

 

There is sex, there is violence, there is language, and a splash of homosexuality in just about everything I write. What can I say? I love drama, and I follow the story where it leads me.