The Arrows of Fealty, the stand-alone sequel to The Arrows of Mercy, tells the story of Haukyn of Flintbourne, the second son of Edmund, the protagonist of the earlier novel.

Haukyn is a serf who owes fealty to the lord of the manor and whose life is tied to the soil, yet who craves adventure beyond the boundary stones of his village. In 1373, he leaves for John of Gaunt’s campaign in France. There, during five months of combat and loss, futility and atonement, he learns how armour-clad knights can be brought as low as any serf.

Home again, he is caught between two women, pretty Annabel and Ilotte of the sloe-black eyes. Neither marriage nor fatherhood tames his restless spirit. When a knight who was his sworn enemy in France becomes the new lord of the manor, Haukyn leads his neighbours in rebellion against ancient custom and unjust taxation.

England’s southern counties march in open revolt on London, where Haukyn witnesses the king grant freedom to every serf in the country. Unimaginable freedom. A freedom that will bring consequences.

Advance Praise for The Arrows of Fealty by Jill MacLean (as printed in the front cover pages of the book):

“On the one hand, who could have known that a novel about peasant unrest in fourteenth-century England would be so relevant today? On the other hand, what Jill MacLean demonstrates so resoundingly in The Arrows of Fealty is that the nature of power and the power of resistance are perennial—and perennially fascinating—subjects.

Gripping and nuanced from page one, The Arrows of Fealty is a marvellous tapestry of unshowy-yet-encyclopedic historical knowledge, deep insight into human nature, and profound wisdom. An absolute triumph. I loved this book.”

Anne Fleming, author of Curiosities, shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize

“Deeply immersive, The Arrows of Fealty pierces the heart. The novel’s world, at once strange and familiar—yet ultimately different—coaxes us into what the best historical fiction can do: form deep empathetic connections at once created and strengthened by the very strangeness. Paradoxical? Not in the hands of Jill MacLean. A treat for history fans, The Arrows of Fealty also welcomes every reader with universal themes of longing and love. Quiet and often subtle, written with great care, The Arrows of Fealty shines with the brilliance of fire at night.”  

Michelle Butler Hallett, author of Constant Nobody, winner of the 2022 Thomas Raddall
Atlantic Fiction Award

“In this stunning sequel to her equally powerful novel The Arrows of Mercy, Jill MacLean asks us to consider questions about where we pledge our loyalties and why, and whether the efforts of one person can ever make a difference in the fight against injustice and tyranny—issues as pressing in our own time as they were in fourteenth-century England. Her vivid portrait of Haukyn and his experiences of the horrors and resounding effects of war is deeply affecting and thoroughly convincing.”

Sarah Emsley, author of The Austens

“Most historical fiction either parachutes a character with modern attitudes and beliefs into a historical context, or uses broad stereotypes and clichés that have little depth or subtlety. The Arrows of Fealty threads this needle beautifully: MacLean’s characters are complex, diverse, and fully human, richly medieval in beliefs and attitudes yet able to think against their context and social norms. The English Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 is brought to life in all its intricacy and complexity. Meticulously researched and sumptuously detailed, The Arrows of Fealty nonetheless demonstrates that the fight against tyranny and the power of individuals working together is universal.”

Kathy Cawsey, author and professor of Middle English literature, Dalhousie University

“A beautifully crafted novel that immerses the reader in the lives of ordinary English people during the perilous fourteenth century, and, particularly, in the life of Haukyn, a serf and gifted archer…MacLean leads us, with compassion and sure-footedness, through the horror of war in France to servitude and village strife in Southern England, with glimpses of an archer’s loyalty toward his trusted steed and his comrades, of a serf’s devotion to the unfeeling land that both sustains and enslaves him, of the hard-wrung love between a demoralized man and two very different women, and of the enduring love between a rebellious son and a scarred father.

The Arrows of Fealty is a testament to the hearts of our forebears who refused to tolerate injustice, and an inspiration as to how we may live our best lives, honouring each other and the earth that nurtures us.”

Julie Strong, author of The Tudor Prophecy

“The best historical fiction manages a double feat: It depicts a world distinctly different from our own, so that the reader truly feels like a time-traveller, while at the same time creating characters who belong in that world yet are relatable to readers today. By these standards, The Arrows of Fealty is great historical fiction. Haukyn’s world of soil and serfdom, battles and brutality, feels like a foreign country, yet his desire for freedom feels as immediate as today’s headlines. This is a beautifully written visit to medieval England that will linger with me for a long time.”

Trudy Morgan-Cole, award-winning author of The Cupids Trilogy

In addition, The Seaboard Review has posted their review of The Arrows of Fealty.

“What fealties we owe, and to whom, is a question as relevant now as then…the characters are vibrant and three-dimensional…the settings timeless and timely, immersive, entrenched in the period through painstaking research and evocative description…MacLean is, unquestionably, a gifted artist with words.”

Heather McBriarty, The Seaboard Review of Books