In Search of the Dark Ages

Reflecting the style of his PBS-TV In Search Of series (but without a television tie-in), Wood's carefully researched foray into early medieval Britain sifts a number of unresolved mysteries. Among them are the questions: Does archeological evidence support the theory that the real King Arthur was a British resistance hero who fought Germanic tribes around 540 A.D.? Is the Sutton Hoo grave in East Anglia the burial site of a dead king? What motivated warrior queen Boadicea to poison herself when the Romans crushed the uprising she led? Wood writes with grace and conversational verve as he incorporates the latest findings. He humanizes some of the most uninspiring or obscure figures in British history, including Ethelred the Unready; Eric Bloodaxe, ruler of Viking York; Anglo-Saxon imperialist king Offa, who staged a coup d'etat; and Alfred the Great, pioneer of town planning. History Book Club selection; BOMC alternate. (November 14)