Shedding Light on an Unfairly Darkened Age: Nicola Griffith’s Hild
Andrew and I recently finished Nicola Griffith’s Hild. We shared are thoughts on the book in an email conversation.
Chris: Fiction about the Middle Ages can be a very mixed bag of idealized medievalisms and anachronistic pageantry. Knights gallivant across countrysides regardless of a historical tradition of chivalry in that country, dressed in armor shining bright despite the technology or preferred protection of the time. Honor and such are paramount. I love the Middle Ages, but reading historical fiction set in the time period can be a considerable chore given how many authors opt to write what feels medieval instead of what is medieval. Such is gloriously not the case with Hild.