The House of Wolf

'George RR Martin meets Terry Pratchett' OBSERVER *NOW A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* Sir Tony Robinson - actor, presenter, historical expert and star of Blackadder and Time Team - makes his adult fiction debut with this earthy, entertaining and gloriously witty recreation of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and the making of England. 'A page-turner full of historical intelligence, wit and heart' DAN JONES 'Brings the Anglo-Saxon world riotously to life' S.J PARRIS 'Entirely brilliant, a story and world vividly evoked' KATE WILLIAMS 'Every bit and wise, witty and entertaining as you would expect from one of our greatest storytellers' MARK BILLINGHAM ______ Rome Father Asser is waiting to die. His idealism has landed him in a papal prison on trumped-up charges of heresy, until salvation arrives in an unexpected form. Cardinal Balotelli also dreams of a better world, free from the ravages of the Norlanders. He has a vital job for Asser, one that could shape the future of Europe. Wessex King Aethelwolf's power is fading, but none of his feckless children are fit to rule. His eldest sons would rather fight each other than the blood-thirsty Norland invaders. His daughter, Swift, is clever and cunning, but often blinded by her ambition. Finally there's Alfred, his once-promising younger son, whom nobody has seen in years. Then Wolf meets a young priest with a proposition from Rome that could change everything. Lindisfarne Rhiannon is a slave with a profound hatred for her Saxon captors. When she meets Guthrum, a Norlander hell-bent on wiping Wessex from the map, they set out on a journey of destruction. So begins an epic struggle between greed and idealism, ambition and betrayal, freedom and tyranny. Because change always meets with resistance and, on the path to power, nobody can be trusted. The House of Wolf appeared in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart in the week ending 20th September 2025.

Sir Tony Robinson is one of Britain's foremost faces of popular history through presenting 20 seasons of Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team and as the creator of the worldwide icon Baldrick in Blackadder. In a varied and international career, he has won two RTS awards, a BAFTA and the International Prix Jeunesse. He is the author of over 30 children's books and several adult non-fiction books, including his autobiography, No Cunning Plan. An ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society since 2008, Sir Tony has been awarded eight honorary degrees and received a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2013. The House of Wolf is his first adult novel.