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OVERVIEW

 

BRITAIN, CIRCA 1400: Lauded by bards and envied by champions, Sir Harry Percy strides the earth with a brash, graceful energy—and at the sound of his bootsteps, kings tremble. But an incredible woman hears destiny approach. Opposing corruption as boldly as he wages war, he wins the hearts of a nation. Across the border, the Scots, too, admire him. Claiming his ability to thwart their raids means his heels never cool, they dub him Hotspur. And so he becomes known, victor in battle as well as jousts, as much a governor and diplomat as a commander, an English nobleman whose treatment of the Scots and Welsh as equals sparks outcries from peers in London. When he rejects a royal order to commit political murder, perils only increase. Still, he continues to advocate justice—and raise troubling questions:

 

Is the king above the law?

Does a knight owe loyalty to the ruler, or to the realm itself?

And should he be faithful to a monarch if he must be unfaithful to his conscience?

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The answers could change history. Denouncing his audacity and idealism as treason, the Crown sets out to destroy him. Thus the lines are drawn and on a bright summer day Hotspur finds himself riding forth to confront his greatest challenge ever...       

 

DETAILS

Winning critical acclaim, the Epic of Hotspur features the real-life Sir Harry Percy (circa 1360-1403) and, though cast as fiction, the tale told is largely true. The first book, To Remain Vigilant, debuting in September 2024, won the Chanticleer Reviews and Media organization’s 2024-25 international Chaucer Award for the best historical novel set in the Middle Ages. To Be Worthy in Honor, the second, published in May 2025, in December 2025 became a semi-finalist for the 2025-26 Chaucer Award. The third and final volume, To Tread on Kings, launched in December 2025. Published by a Canada-based small press, BWL Inc., all 3 books are available in e-book or print editions and can be purchased online from vendors listed elsewhere on this website.

 

INTEREST

Cutting across genres, the Epic of Hotspur can appeal to a wide base:

• Longtime historical fiction buffs

• Readers of contemporary novels who dip into historical fiction for the first time

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• Those who enjoy novels with a political or military history setting (Examples include Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom, the Roman-era novels of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, and Douglas Jackson; and works in the latter 20th century by Nigel Tranter, Sharon Penman, Ken Follett, Morgan Llywelyn, Thomas Costain, Margaret George, and others.)

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• Historical romance afficionados who favor strong, independent-minded female characters alongside appealing male heroes

• College students and scholars studying Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays

• book clubs

• Fans of Tottenham Hotspur who wonder about the first Hotspur (an all-around athlete in his day)

 

And anyone who relishes a darn-good read!

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The Hotspur Trilogy website offers a list of online vendors, sketches of major characters, chapter-by-chapter notes for To Remain Vigilant (rushed into print before these could be included in the manuscript, although Books II and III do include an “Afterword” section with chapter notes); a bibliography of sources for the whole series; reviews; related non-fiction material; and a bit of my biographical background. In continuing to augment the site I plan to add more items, including photos of places where action in the books occurs.

      

      Many thanks for your interest... ​

​      Esperance!

    

       Liz Sevchuk Armstrong    

       February 2026