If you are suffering from terminal Tudor fatigue, the recent Viking and Anglo-Saxon TV craze has been the ultimate historical palate cleanser. But while everyone else is scrambling to write about Wessex or raiding longships, MJ Porter has a serious, unadulterated obsession with Mercia. After laying deep groundwork in his previous Mercian chronicles, Porter returns to the fray with 757, a barnstorming new novel that hits shelves on July 22nd.
Into the Lion’s Den
The premise sinks its teeth immediately: young nobleman Offa and his parents are summoned to the court of Mercia’s cantankerous King Æthelbald. The charge? Suspected treason. The ransom? Offa stays behind as a breathing guarantee of his family’s good behavior.
Naturally, this is historical fiction, which means happiness is outlawed and trauma is currency. Offa isn’t just trying to survive; he is thrust into a meat grinder of a royal court where King Æthelbald views every subject—and every breath they take—as a disposable plaything in a brutal, sadistic game of chess.
No Easy Victories
What elevates Porter’s writing above standard sword-and-sandal fodder is the sheer, unvarnished agony of Offa’s initiation.
- The Stakes: Offa isn’t just the son of a disgraced traitor; he carries a legitimate, dangerous claim to the Mercian throne. With Æthelbald sitting childless on the seat of power, every paranoid eye in the hall looks at Offa and sees a future usurper.
- The Gauntlet: Beatings, psychological warfare, and a toxic cocktail of medieval hazing from the King’s own sworn warriors are just the opening acts.
Porter refuses to hand his protagonist an unearned golden ticket. Offa has to crawl through the dirt, earn every scrap of respect, and bleed for every single ally he makes. When he finally rises, it feels earned rather than scripted.
A Menagerie of Vipers
Offa doesn’t exist in a vacuum; he bounces off a gloriously volatile supporting cast.
“They are a motley crew who add colour and menace to the story, giving Offa people to feed off of.”
From the gravel-throated menace of the King’s commander, Beorcol, to Æthelbald himself and his treacherous inner circle, the court feels claustrophobic, reeking of sweat, cheap mead, and imminent violence.
Ultimately, 757 is a cracking, razor-sharp introduction to a young man forged in the dark corners of early English history. Pick it up when it drops on July 22nd—just don’t expect a gentle ride.
Vivek Rajkhowa 
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