The History Lady

Shield of Mercia by MJ Porter: Eagle of Mercia Chronicles #8, ISBN: 978-1836175186, Boldwood Books, 3rd October 2025

Mercia is triumphant. Her king is safe. But Wessex was never Mercia’s only enemy. Following a brutally cold winter, King Wiglaf of Mercia is in the ascendancy. Even Wessex’s Archbishop of Canterbury extraordinarily ventures to Mercia to broker a religious accord. But can the hard-won peace prevail? Viking raiders threaten Wessex. These blood-thirsty warriors are fast, skilful and have no reticence about killing those who stand in their way. King Wiglaf is no fool. As the Vikings push to overwhelm Wessex, Mercia’s lands look insecure.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

A confession upfront: Shield of Mercia is my first encounter with MJ Porter’s Eagle of Mercia Chronicles, which by this point is eight books deep. Coming in at book eight without any prior knowledge of Icel or his world is, shall we say, a baptism of fire — and it is a credit to Porter’s writing that the experience was as enjoyable as it was, even if a newcomer inevitably feels the weight of accumulated series history pressing against the edges of the story.

Swift, Engaging and Immersive

Porter’s writing style is an immediate strength. The storytelling is swift and engaging, and the Dark Ages setting is rendered with the confidence of an author who has spent years immersed in this world. The Viking threat and the battle sequences are particular highlights — visceral and propulsive without tipping into gratuitous spectacle — and the political tension between Mercia and Wessex gives the novel a welcome layer of intrigue beyond the battlefield.

A Protagonist Worth Following

Icel is a genuinely distinctive protagonist. Unlike so many heroes of Dark Ages fiction who long for warrior glory, Icel never wanted this life — he wanted to be a healer. That reluctance gives him a dimension that many characters in the genre lack, and even coming in without the benefit of his full backstory, his weariness and moral complexity come through clearly enough to make him compelling.

The main reservation concerns the portrayal of King Ecgberht of Wessex, who functions here as the principal antagonist. Ecgberht was a formidable and historically significant ruler — the man who brought Wessex to dominance and who many regard as a forerunner of the kings of all England. The novel’s treatment of him tips somewhat into caricature, most notably in the suggestion that he harbours secret pagan sympathies — a detail that feels more like a convenient shorthand for villainy than a historically grounded character choice. A more nuanced antagonist would have sharpened the political drama considerably.

A Note for Newcomers

For readers approaching the series fresh, it is worth knowing that while Porter provides enough context to follow the story, the emotional impact of certain relationships and character moments will inevitably land harder for those who have followed Icel from the beginning. This is not a series to start at book eight — but it has certainly given me cause to go back and read the earlier entries.

Shield of Mercia is an accessible, well-written, and largely enjoyable slice of Dark Ages adventure, and MJ Porter is clearly a writer who knows and loves this world. Recommended — but start with Son of Mercia.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.