“Surging, powerful and highly readable. It’s ambitious, often witty, earthy and even meaty, rich in detail. Above all, I’d say, you have a fine ear for the cadences of speech. The whole book is exceptionally well-written.”  Kevin-Crossley Holland, author of The Seeing Stone and translator of Beowulf

 “Unique, fascinating and compulsively readable.” Alan Sillitoe 

“[The Wordsmith’s Tale] is about the origins of our collective imagination. It’s an eccentric and highly entertaining history lesson, and also a compelling attempt to show the crucible of the British collective unconscious; the origins of stories that have lasted more than 1000 years.” – The Times

"A remarkable, powerful and hugely enjoyable novel." - The Historical Novels Review

Stephen Edden is an exciting new name in historical fiction. Writing with modern cadences and style about three generations of a poor Anglo-Saxon family, he brings alive the reality of life in the 11th century with page-turning verve. 

In 1087, Thomas the Piper sits down to recount the heart-warming, spell-binding hundred-year history of how his family of story-weaver and serfs has got by, against the odds. His young scribe - lovestruck and distracted - writes it all down. 

Several generations of this Westcountry family, from the reign of King Edgar to the Battle of Hastings, are linked by one recurring theme: the gift of storytelling, first found in Tom, the bard of King Edgar’s court, whose love for Fleda saves her life and creates a legend in their son Bas, who gains a ferocious reputation as a warrier fighting the armies of King Cnut. Bas’s son Harry, a storyteller like his aunt, passes the gift on to his own son Thomas, who is forced to make use of the first of three wishes endowed upon the wishing penny given to his grandfather by King Edgar. But will it save his family? 

Published 10th June 2011

ISBN 9781907616969, £8.99