Another really excellent, action-packed, riveting read from Angus here. Superbly well-planned and executed, with all the highs and lows you’re looking for in your fighting historical fiction. ‘The Iron Castle' certainly doesn’t disappoint (unless, perhaps, you’re looking for Robin, in Sherwood, the Sheriff of Nottingham et al). It begins in 1203, in what is now France, at the end of the time of England’s possession of the French territories that came with the Norman Conquest. There is an absolutely superb Historical Note at the end that you really should stay on for. Angus could easily write (a) wonderful Non-Fiction history book(s) in the future. The majority of the action, takes place in and around the siege of the ‘Iron Castle’ of Chateau Galliard as Alan and Robin are there to help save the castle from being captured by the French and thereby help King John save Normandy (Interestingly, only King John is the same as the character we know and loathe from the Robin Hood of legend, books and films). It is a tense struggle, full of incident and really well and effectively written for the action taking place in relatively confined spaces. It is also book looking at the concept of a man’s honour and the dependancy on it to the extent that someone hides behind their honour to cover their own shortcomings or to excuse their wrong-doings. Robin might say “A man’s honour is the most important of his possessions” but Alan (standing in for us) experiences it in quite a different, more realistic way.

I'd say you can read this as a stand-alone book and not think you needed to have read the previous five. But if you haven't read the previous five, this'll show you much of what you're missing.