In Song of the Huntress, the story of Herla and the Wild Hunt transforms into a rich, feminist fantasy tale of two great warriors, a war-torn land, and an ancient magic that is slowly awakening.
In This Spotlight On Song Of The Huntress
About Song Of The Huntress
Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, her land, and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, leading her immortal warriors and reaping wanderers’ souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield—a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes.
Queen Æthelburg of Wessex is a proven fighter. But when she leads her forces to disaster in battle, her husband’s court turns against her. Yet King Ine needs Æthel more than ever. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the Wessex court. His own brother seeks to usurp him. And their only hope is the magic in Ine’s bloodline that’s lain dormant since ancient days.
The moment she and Æthel meet, Herla knows it’s no coincidence. The dead kings are waking. The Otherworld seeks to rise, to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. And as Herla and Æthel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity—and a way to break the curse—before it’s too late.
Editorial Reviews of Song Of The Huntress
Publishers Weekly
Holland dives into the myth of the Wild Hunt in this powerful and evocative historical fantasy. In 60 CE Britain, the Saxons, led by their king, Ine, and his warrior queen, Æthelburg, spread Christianity across the land, rooting out the remaining pagans, most of whom are Britons. Despite this ongoing conflict, Geraint, the king of Dumnonia and the Britons, reaches out to warn them of a greater supernatural threat. At the same time, Æthel is attacked by an unknown band of riders, an encounter that leaves numerous men, both Saxon and Briton, dead. As more mysterious attacks follow, the pagan legends that the Saxons have dismissed as folklore come to life around Ine and Æthel.
Chief among the mythic figures the Saxons must contend with is the immortal Herla, once a pagan peasant who bargained with the dangerous Otherworld in hopes of saving her people. Now she’s cursed to ride out once a month with her huntsmen and cut down all in their path. Herla and Æthel form an unlikely alliance and, together, they must stop forces from the Otherworld from taking over Britain, free Herla from her curse, and thwart a more mundane yet no less consequential threat that comes from much closer to home.
Lyrical and captivating, with an ending that will leave readers devastated, the narrative hits just the right balance of action, romance, and character development. In Holland’s skilled hands, this stands out from the crowded field of legends retold.
Praise for Song Of The Huntress
Song of the Huntress is “[A] captivating fable of politics, religion, treachery, betrayal, longing, and commitment… The intersection between magic, love, and peaceful coexistence will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fantasy.”—Booklist
About Lucy Holland, Author of Song Of The Huntress
Lucy Holland is the author of Sistersong, a reimagining of the folk ballad ‘The Twa Sisters’, encompassing fantasy, historical fiction and transgender representation. The book was a finalist for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2022. As Lucy Hounsom, she wrote the Worldmaker Trilogy. Her first book, Starborn, was shortlisted in the 2016 Gemmell Awards for Best Fantasy Debut. Lucy co-hosts the intersectional feminist podcast ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper’, which combines her passion for elevating the voices of women and marginalized creators with a love of speculative fiction. The podcast won Best Audio in the 2019 British Fantasy Awards.
She holds a BA (Hons) in English & Creative Writing from the University of London and completed the MA in Creative Writing under Sir Andrew Motion in 2010. During her childhood, she worked as a professional actor on stage and screen, which provided a strong foundation in public speaking. Lucy has given talks, participated in panels and hosted workshops at various events and venues, including the Science Museum London, the British Library, MCM ComicCon, Barcelona Festival 42, Cymera Festival and Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, on topics ranging from myth, folklore and fantasy worldbuilding to public speaking for authors. She has given readings and discussed her work at the universities of Exeter, Bath Spa, and Royal Holloway.
Lucy lives in Devon with a black cat and a bedroom full of books. The landscape of the UK’s West Country is very much a part of her writing.
You can find and follow Lucy Holland on her website, on Instagram, and on X (formerly Twitter).
Titles by Lucy Holland
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