Throwback Thursday with Matthew Harffy

We are celebrating another wonderful book for Throwback Thursday. Let us turn back the clock to AD 633 and revisit The Serpent Sword by Matthew Harffy, the powerful novel that introduced readers to Beobrand and launched the Bernicia Chronicles. Set in the brutal and uncertain world of Dark Age Britain, the story opens with a young outsider drawn into the service of King Edwin of Bernicia, where survival depends on strength, loyalty and the ability to wield sword and shield.

Against a backdrop of war-ravaged kingdoms and shifting allegiances, The Serpent Sword charts Beobrand’s transformation from an inexperienced youth into a hardened warrior driven by loss and a thirst for vengeance. As bloodshed and betrayal close in around him, the novel explores honour, identity and the cost of violence in a time when power is seized, not given.

In this Throwback Thursday feature, we look back at the novel that marked the beginning of Matthew Harffy’s journey as a historical novelist, revisiting the story, themes and characters that captured readers and set the tone for an epic series rooted in the turmoil of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

Mary Anne: The Serpent Sword was your debut novel. What first inspired you to write a story set in Anglo-Saxon Britain, and why did you choose this period for your first book?

Matthew: The choice of time and place for the first book came as a bit of a surprise to me really. Back in 2001 I was watching a documentary about Bamburgh Castle and the presenter talked about how Bamburgh (aka Bebbanburg) had been the seat of power of the kings of Bernicia in the 7th century. I knew nothing about that part of history then, but I had lived in Northumberland as a child and I'd been to Bamburgh Castle several times and had fond memories of it. So, as soon as the programme finished, I sat down at my computer and started writing what would become The Serpent Sword. Of course, it took me many years of research and writing to finish the novel, but the beginning really just came from that spark of inspiration from watching a documentary coupled with my love of Northumberland.

Mary Anne: Beobrand begins the novel as an outsider in Bernicia. What drew you to tell the story through his perspective?

Matthew: Having a character as an outsider in the world you're writing about is always good for storytelling, as it allows you to describe things from their perspective, which helps the reader understand things. It was only after publishing The Serpent Sword that I realized how autobiographical the story was, at least in a heightened sense. I moved to Northumberland as a child from the southeast of England and I remember being bullied at school for my Southern accent. Beobrand also comes from the southeast of Britain and faces a lot of conflict in Bernicia, but whereas I got beaten up in the school playground, he kills those who stand in his way! I guess writing a novel is a form of therapy!

Mary Anne: When you were writing your debut, what was the biggest challenge you faced — world-building, research, or bringing battle and violence to life on the page?

Matthew: Writing any novel is a huge undertaking, but the first novel you write is in many ways the most challenging because you have no reference point and you are unsure if you can do it. Everything was complex and time consuming, especially researching the period in which I was setting the story as I had very little knowledge of it. However, the single biggest challenge was finding the time to write and get the words down consistently. I had a full-time job and a young family, and in the end I discovered that the best thing to do was to set a weekly word count and to write in whatever small window of time I could find, even if that was just forty-five minutes in a lunch break or an hour whilst waiting for my daughters to finish their Taekwondo class. A few hundred words here and there all added up, and once I set my mind to it I was able to finish the book in a few months.

Mary Anne: Revenge, honour and loyalty are strong themes in The Serpent Sword. How important were these ideas to you when shaping Beobrand’s journey?

Matthew: I'm not sure that when I sat down to write The Serpent Sword I was thinking about themes at all, but as the story progressed those things came to the fore and of course in writing about a warrior in the early medieval period, revenge, loyalty and honour were always going to be themes. After all this was a heroic age governed by a warrior-culture. 

Mary Anne: This novel launched what became the Bernicia Chronicles. At the time, did you already envision a series, or did that grow naturally from the story?

Matthew: When I started writing I naively thought that Beobrand’s life story would comprise a single novel! I had mapped out a rough synopsis from his early life right through to his old age. When I was nearing the end of The Serpent Sword, I realized I had covered less than a year of his life and therefore a series would be the way to go if the first book sold well.

I found an agent who took the book out to publishers, but that process is notoriously slow so while waiting for all of the responses from commissioning editors to come back, I set about writing the sequel, The Cross and the Curse. When the agent eventually came back and told me that all of the editors had passed on The Serpent Sword, I had already finished the second book. The agent’s advice was to try something new, but I wasn’t about to throw away all that effort so I decided to self-publish both books. After those independently published books did well, a traditional publisher (Head of Zeus) took an interest and they’ve published all of my books since then.

Mary Anne: Looking back now, how do you feel your writing has evolved since The Serpent Sword was first published?

Matthew: I hope that my writing has improved, at least in a technical sense. I think it is easier for me now to get words on the page, but at the same time, I find the heightened expectation and knowing that there are readers out there make the process of writing more stressful. When writing the first book I had no idea if anybody was going to read it, so I wasn't too worried, which did allow for a kind of freedom that is not always easy to find.

Mary Anne: Beobrand is tested both physically and morally throughout the novel. Which moment in his journey was the most important for you as a writer?

Matthew: I think the most important moment in Beobrand’s journey is an incident in The Serpent Sword where he falls in with some lordless warriors. When his new friends begin to commit atrocious acts, Beobrand has to decide whether to join them or to try to stop them. I think everybody encounters these moments, albeit usually less dramatic, where they are presented with a fork in the road and the path they choose can define the rest of their lives. These are the moments that people look back on with regret, or pride, or, perhaps more often, a mixture of emotions.

Mary Anne: What did writing your first novel teach you about yourself and your storytelling style?

Matthew: I'm not sure how much I learned about myself, apart from the fact that I was able to complete a novel, but when it comes to storytelling, it became clear to me that what I really enjoyed was making readers want to turn the page, so my stories have lots of conflict and action, with unanswered questions and cliffhangers at the end of chapters.

Mary Anne: If you were starting The Serpent Sword today, is there anything you would approach differently — or anything you would keep exactly the same?

Matthew: I'm not a great believer in retrospectively changing things and even though I am sure that if I went back and read The Serpent Sword now there would be parts of the book that I would think I could write better, I am very happy with the book as it is, and I would keep it exactly the same. I write each book to the best of my ability at that time, so The Serpent Sword is an honest reflection of what I was able to achieve at that time. I’m proud and happy that readers enjoyed it and took to Beobrand.

Mary Anne: Finally, as you reflect on your writing career so far, what does The Serpent Sword represent to you as the book that started it all?

Matthew: Book number 11 in the Bernicia Chronicles is coming out this summer and I'm still not done with Beobrand’s saga. So, in many ways The Serpent Sword and its characters are still very much with me to this day. Long may that continue.

But my first novel will, of course, always have a special place in my heart. If I hadn't persevered and finished it, I almost certainly wouldn't be a full-time writer now. Writing is not an easy profession, but it is definitely rewarding in ways that most jobs are not, and I will always be thankful that I watched that documentary way back in 2001 and sat down at my computer with no idea where that spark of inspiration would take me.

Our thanks to Matthew Harffy for taking part in this Throwback Thursday feature and for sharing his reflections on The Serpent Sword. It has been a pleasure revisiting the novel that introduced readers to Beobrand and marked the beginning of the Bernicia Chronicles, and we hope readers have enjoyed this look back at where the journey began.

AD 633

Beobrand is a young man with a shadowy past. As an outsider in the kingdom of Bernicia, he is compelled to join his brother, Octa, as a warrior in the household of King Edwin. He must learn to fight with sword and shield to defend the war-ravaged kingdoms of Northumbria.

In a period of great upheaval for Dark Age Britain, all he finds is death and war. Men and women strive to seize control of their destinies in a time of despair, and the land is rife with danger as warlords vie for supremacy and dominion. Amongst the blood and the betrayals, Beobrand learns of his brother's near-certain murder. Inexperienced but ruthless, Beobrand must form his own allegiances and learn to fight as a warrior with sword and shield.

Driven by a desire for vengeance and a relentless pursuit of his enemies, he faces challenges which transform him from a boy to a man who stands strong in the clamour and gore of the shieldwall. As he closes in on his kin's slayer, can Beobrand mete out the retribution he craves without sacrificing his honour... or even his soul?

The Serpent Sword by Matthew Harffy is available now in Kindle, paperback, hardback, and audiobook formats, and can also be read with Kindle Unlimited. Discover the novel here and choose the format that suits you best as you step into this gripping Anglo-Saxon adventure.

Matthew Harffy is the author of action-packed, historically accurate novels. He has published ten novels in the Bernicia Chronicles series, set in seventh century Britain.

The Times called Matthew’s standalone novel, Wolf of Wessex, “a treat of a book”. His newest series, A Time for Swords, is set at the dawn of the Viking Age and follows the adventures of monk-turned-warrior, Hunlaf, who witnesses the first attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne and feels compelled to pick up a blade and organise the defence against the Norse raiders.

Before becoming a full-time writer Matthew worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator.

Matthew lives in Wiltshire, with his wife, their two daughters and a slightly mad dog.

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