13 Jul 2018

First Line Fridays 33: The White Horse King by Benjamin Merkle

I was going to feature the book I am about to start reading on my Kindle, but instead I decided to feature a book which I just purchased on Kindle on sale. I've read it in paperback (parts of it), but I've been after the Kindle edition for years. 

The White Horse King is a non-fiction biography of the Saxon King Alfred the Great which was published way back in 2009. As far as I know, its the only biography of a major figure in Medieval British history from any major US based Christian Publisher. 

The title, incidentally, pays homage to G.K.Chesterton, an author from the early part of the 20th century and creator of the Father Brown stories. He also wrote a poem about King Alfred called The Ballad of the White Horse, written in 1911. You can listen to it read out on Youtube, or read it for yourself, here.

Synopsis
 The unlikely king who saved England.

Down swept the Vikings from the frigid North. Across the English coastlands and countryside they raided, torched, murdered, and destroyed all in their path. Farmers, monks, and soldiers all fell bloody under the Viking sword, hammer, and axe.

Then, when the hour was most desperate, came an unlikely hero. King Alfred rallied the battered and bedraggled kingdoms of Britain and after decades of plotting, praying, and persisting, finally triumphed over the invaders.

Alfred's victory reverberates to this day: He sparked a literary renaissance, restructured Britain's roadways, revised the legal codes, and revived Christian learning and worship. It was Alfred's accomplishments that laid the groundwork for Britian's later glories and triumphs in literature, liturgy, and liberty.

The first line today comes from Chapter Four. Each chapter is named and this one is entitled 'Danegeld' . 



The Kindle edition of the book is, as far as I am aware, still on sale for only $1. So if you want a copy, just pop over to Amazon, or your favorite Ebook retailer, since its on sale on Nook, Kobo and Google Books as well.

Don't forget to click the Meme to see what other members of the group are reading, or comment with your own First Line.

https://hoardingbooksblog.wordpress.com/category/first-line-fridays/

25 comments:

  1. Today, I'm sharing the first line from River to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart over on my blog, so I'll share with you here the first line from chapter 12 of the same book.
    "In the years she'd been with Ruth, Adria had brought home plenty of strays."
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Oh nice first line. Thanks for visiting and happy weekend.

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  2. My first line is from The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright:

    .Gossamer Grove, Wisconsin. 1907

    Libby Sheffield had never stopped to wonder what she would take specific note of if she ever stumbled upon a dead body.

    Got book mail this week. Five in one day! Happy reading!

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    1. Wow! That's a grabber of a first line. I might be buying 'The House on Foster Hill' soon because these books sound so intriguing.

      I got good book-mail this week too, though not quite that many books. Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  3. Those ebook sales get me every time!

    I’m currently reading (listening to) Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks. Here’s the first line from Chapter 5:

    By the time Murphy finished diagraming, it was raining again, the crowd had thinned to two people, and the bulk of the law enforcement and emergency vehicles were gone.

    Happy Friday!

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    1. I literally had this book on my erederiq watch page, so it let me know.

      Great first line

      Delete
  4. Happy Friday! My first line is from La Risposta: The Answer (A Tuscan Legacy book 9) by Autumn Macarthur:

    Prologue: "Instead of returning to her vegetable garden, Teresa Pellegrini rushed into the farmhouse."

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  5. Happy Friday!

    My first line comes from The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander

    I raised the long, curved bow and with two fingers pulled back its string, all the while resisting the urge to remove one of the silver-shafted arrows nestled in the quiver slung over my shoulder.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Oh, great first line. I've looked up that book.

      Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  6. Happy Friday!

    Interesting!

    I’m reading The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket right now, so here’s the first line: “When my workday is over, and I have closed my notebook, hidden my pen, and sawed holes in my rented canoe so that it cannot be found, I often like to spend the evening in conversation with my few surviving friends.”

    Hallie @ Book by Book

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  7. Happy Friday!

    Today on my blog, I'm sharing the first line from Melanie Dickerson's novel, The Orphan's Wish. I just started it and I'm loving it so much!

    Here, I will share the first line from chapter 8 (that's where I'm at currently).

    "Aladdin followed Herr Kaufmann around for the first week."

    Hope you have a great weekend full of fun reading!!! ❤📚

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    1. i just recently finished the audiobook of that one, and reviewed it last week. Very good book.

      Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  8. The book I'm featuring on my blog is "My Sister's Intended" by Rachael Anderson. It's been on my TBR list for quite some time now, but I finally read it and am so glad I did. Truly an enjoyable read. I will share the first line from Chapter Eleven here. ""Would you care to go for a stroll with me in the gardens, Miss Gifford?" Brand asked, not sure whether or not he wanted her to accept."

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    1. Oh, I have heard of Rachael Anderson. Might have to try to read her books sometimes soon.

      Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  9. I haven't read the books, but I love the Father Brown TV series. :) Happy reading!

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    1. I started reading the original Father Brown books earlier this year, and I have a big thick book with all of them in. Its quite different from the TV series.

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  10. The book I shared on my blog this week is Her Place in Time by Stephenia H McGee but my next book is going to be The Baker's secret by Stephen P Kiernan so I'll share that first line here: "All through those years of war, the bread tasted of humiliation." Hope you have happy weekend with plenty of reading! :)

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    1. Oh, that sounds good! Nice. Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  11. I'm sharing from a book that will be out early next month (I won an uncorrected proof on GoodReads) on my blog today, The Daisy Children by Sofia Grant, so here is the second line:

    "It wasn't the fault of the trousers, of course, but it was tempting to blame them nonetheless."

    Happy Reading!

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    1. Ha! I love that first line.

      Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  12. It's showing as full price here in New Zealand, which means I didn't one-click (I'm trying not to buy more books until I can empty my Kindle a little. I'm not exactly succeeding).

    I'm sharing the first line from More than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer on my blog. I'm a big Karen Witemeyer fan, and this did not disappoint.

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    1. Oh drat. I hate it when it does that. It was showing up as discounted on Amazon.com so I assumed it was available everywhere. I apologize.

      Happy Weekend.

      Delete
  13. I love book sales!
    Hope you have a good week :)

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    1. Yes!! Its back on sale for $2.99 now, but I think I got the better deal.

      Delete

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