Geoff Boxell (Author of Just for Kicks)

Geoff Boxell made a comment on Paul’s review of STORM OF ARROWS a gripping historical medieval thriller (The Black Prince historical medieval thrillers Book 1) " Let me know how this one goes: this is the period I re-enact. There are some brilliant novels on the period, but also some really crap ones too. "
Mar 15, 2026 07:48PM · see review
Geoff Boxell made a comment on Shane Findlay’s review of Wolves of Winter " I will be interested in your review - I panned it! "
Mar 01, 2026 08:58PM · see review
Geoff Boxell liked Shane Findlay's review of Wolves of Winter:
Mar 01, 2026 08:57PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Geoff Boxell and 16 other people liked Charles's review of Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany: "Cultural history of the 14-year-long German Weimar Republic. Assembly of the Reich's Banner, a paramilitary organization. My audiobook copy was about 14 and a quarter hours in duration. A dead tree copy would be 480 pages. It had a US 2024 copyrigh" Read more of this review »
Feb 17, 2026 07:02PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vertigo by Harald Jähner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vertigo by Harald Jähner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Geoff Boxell rated a book it was ok The House of Wolf by Tony Robinson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am not sure what to say about this book. I know, and admire, Sir Tony Robinson as an actor and a presenter but as a writer of historical fiction? In fact as a writer in general? The writing style of “House of Wolf” is quirky. The chapters are short, ...more
Jan 19, 2026 09:29PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Geoff Boxell and 1 other person liked Libby's review of The House of Wolf: "I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I hate that I didn't end up loving this one, as I was really hoping to, given that I love Tony Robinson himself. However, I had to DNF this book, because it just was" Read more of this review »
Jan 15, 2026 03:44PM · see review
Geoff Boxell and 106 other people liked Tammy's review of The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0): "Such a disappointment. It’s Follett’s usual intermingling of characters’ stories but it fails to engage. The characters lacked depth and the plots lacked momentum. Overall, this is just lacking."
Jan 14, 2026 06:55PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Geoff Boxell rated a book it was amazing The Emperor's Sword (Chivalry #6) by Christian Cameron	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Well, I have waited 3 years for the next book in the series: originally the author said that there would be just one book to complete it - "Captain of Venice". Well, it seems he has managed to squeeze another book in to fill the gap of 6 years from t ...more
Jan 02, 2026 03:51PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Emperor's Sword by Christian Cameron. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Emperor's Sword by Christian Cameron <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Geoff Boxell rated a book liked it The Serpent King (The Whale Road Chronicles #4) by Tim Hodkinson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
First I must confess that I am unsure why I bought this book: it may be that I confused it with the whale road stories of Robert Low. I know it was just after Christmas 2024 and I was on a book buying spree - I may have been a bit muzzy from Christma ...more
Dec 05, 2025 03:57PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Serpent King by Tim Hodkinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Serpent King by Tim Hodkinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Geoff Boxell rated a book it was amazing The Kings of the Sea (The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, #3) by C.J. Adrien (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In my review of the previous saga of Hasting the Avenger I complained about the 2 years between the books being published. This time it is three years since I read the previous book but, looking at the date of other's reviews, that is my fault and no ...more
Nov 05, 2025 07:44PM · 1 like · like · see review

Geoff Boxell made a comment on Paul’s review of STORM OF ARROWS a gripping historical medieval thriller (The Black Prince historical medieval thrillers Book 1)

STORM OF ARROWS a gripping historical medieval thriller by Paul Bannister

" Let me know how this one goes: this is the period I re-enact. There are some brilliant novels on the period, but also some really crap ones too. "

Geoff Boxell made a comment on Shane Findlay’s review of Wolves of Winter

" I will be interested in your review - I panned it! "

Geoff Boxell liked Shane Findlay's review of Wolves of Winter:

Geoff Boxell and 16 other people liked Charles's review of Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany:

"Cultural history of the 14-year-long German Weimar Republic.

description

Assembly of the Reich's Banner, a paramilitary organization.

My audiobook copy was about 14 and a quarter hours in duration. A dead tree copy would be 480 pages. It had a US 2024 copyrigh" Read more of this review »

Geoff Boxell rated a book it was ok

The House of Wolf
by Tony Robinson

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I am not sure what to say about this book. I know, and admire, Sir Tony Robinson as an actor and a presenter but as a writer of historical fiction? In fact as a writer in general?
The writing style of “House of Wolf” is quirky. The chapters are short, I am not sure what to say about this book. I know, and admire, Sir Tony Robinson as an actor and a presenter but as a writer of historical fiction? In fact as a writer in general?
The writing style of “House of Wolf” is quirky. The chapters are short, some just a page or two long. Add to this the fact that there are so many different plot strands with so many different characters. As a reader, it is like being on a small boat on a choppy sea, being thrown from one plot and characters to another in very short order. You can add to that some poor editing. I will give just four examples:
One of Æthelwulf’s sons comes down in a dishevelled nightshirt, then draws a sword; a gold cross in the next sentence is burnished bronze; “oxen at milking time” when oxen are castrated male cattle; in the holmgang between Haakun and Guthrum a seax becomes an axe, and this with a one handed man, so Guthrum could not have had a secondary weapon held in the hand behind the shield. I could also add that selling nails from Jesus’ cross would not be simony – that is the selling of church positions not fake relics, but that may not be poor editing but rather a lack of understanding. Oh, and why are shoes being kept in a garde robe, which is a room with a board that has a hole in it and connects to a chute for human excrement to drop down into a cesspit. On a positive side the writing is certainly colourful and the book is packed with action – perhaps too much so for my personal taste. Whilst almost all involved are very promiscuous, often with hinted deviancies, we are spared the squishy sticky details fortunately.
Before I get onto the historical details let me get the issue of the names used out of the way. Why “Wolf” when the name is “Wulf” (Eald Englisc)? Why High Æthel when Æthelwulf was a King (Cyning in Eald Englisc) and Burgred of Mercia was an Ætheling not a Prince. Robinson says he has avoided the Englisc names for Æthewulf’s children as there are too many Æthelræds and Æthelstans (in this story it would be just one of each), so trying to know who is being talked about historically is confusing unless you have no knowledge of the period. Harold is a name used for a shire reeve yet Harold isn’t used until the 11thC in England, it being a Norse version of Hereweald, a name that would have better suited. Alfred (Ælfræd) is originally called Æthelfræd and his diminutive is given as “Fræd”. Well what sort of name is that? “Æthel” means noble and “ræd” means understanding, or council – why the “f”? There is no such word in Eald Englisc as “fræd”. Later the meaning of Alfred is given as “wise councillor” when in fact it is “elf understanding, or council”.
Now for the historical details. The bones of the story are based on what is recorded at the time, except for the Roman escaped, but the flesh and organs etc. are pure fiction which, for someone like me, who is well read on the period, is like fingernails down a blackboard. Yes, yes, it is a novel and as a published author of historical fiction myself I accept that authors can and do fill the gaps in using their imagination but this book goes above and beyond that. I know that Alfred does not appear in the records till he was 16 and appears fighting alongside his brother Æthelræd, but having him as an exile living in Rome hiding from his family and already fluent in Latin when his biographer, Asser, said he learnt it late in life? His father killed by a Viking? Not in the records. His mother (who had five sons, not four, and one daughter) was the daughter of King Æthelwulf’s cup bearer, and of Jutish heritage and came from the Isle of Wight, not Taunton in Somerset where she was the victim of a Viking raid. Asser wrote that he was born and lived in South Wales till he came to Alfred’s Court to help re-build Wessex after the historical Guthrum ceased his attacks. Rhubarb was first brought to England around 1620 and gooseberries in the 13thC. Papier-mâché reached Europe in the 15th – that information is but a click away on the Internet.
I was surprised to see that Robinson has the Wessex emblem as a blue dragon. In the tales of King Arthur the Saxons had a white dragon and later Wessex used a golden wyvern, so why a blue dragon?
I note that some reviewers state that they didn’t finish the book. I guess I did as I got a perverted amusement in seeing what I thought was wrong and, yes, somethings I questioned were in fact either right or possible. I won’t, however, bother buying the next two books in the trilogy.
I am afraid I feel that Baldric’s cunning plan to write historical fiction hasn’t worked out.

For those wanting to read novels on King Alfred there are Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon series or Steven McKay’s trilogy: “The Heathen Hoard”, “Sword of the Saxons”, “King of Wessex”.

I did consider one star, but gave it two as I did at least finish it. ...more

Geoff Boxell and 1 other person liked Libby's review of The House of Wolf:

"I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hate that I didn't end up loving this one, as I was really hoping to, given that I love Tony Robinson himself. However, I had to DNF this book, because it just was" Read more of this review »

Geoff Boxell and 106 other people liked Tammy's review of The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0):

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

"Such a disappointment. It’s Follett’s usual intermingling of characters’ stories but it fails to engage. The characters lacked depth and the plots lacked momentum. Overall, this is just lacking."

Geoff Boxell rated a book it was amazing

The Emperor's Sword by Christian Cameron

The Emperor's Sword (Chivalry #6)
by Christian Cameron

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Well, I have waited 3 years for the next book in the series: originally the author said that there would be just one book to complete it - "Captain of Venice". Well, it seems he has managed to squeeze another book in to fill the gap of 6 years from t ...more

Geoff Boxell rated a book liked it

The Serpent King (The Whale Road Chronicles #4)
by Tim Hodkinson (Goodreads Author)

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First I must confess that I am unsure why I bought this book: it may be that I confused it with the whale road stories of Robert Low. I know it was just after Christmas 2024 and I was on a book buying spree - I may have been a bit muzzy from Christma First I must confess that I am unsure why I bought this book: it may be that I confused it with the whale road stories of Robert Low. I know it was just after Christmas 2024 and I was on a book buying spree - I may have been a bit muzzy from Christmas celebrations at the time.
So, why only three stars? It is full of fast action and, from the number of East Norse words in it, well researched. I think it was the fact that it was too much action and not enough domestic background: I never got to care what happened to the main characters as I didn't feel that I knew them. Fine, this is book four in the series and things may have been clearer and I may have got to know the main characters better if I had started at book one, but I just didn't jell with the story: normally a book of 454 pages would be a week's read, three days if I had really enjoyed it, but I spent three weeks on getting to the end. There is also the fact that it has a woman and a black man in the home crew and I have just finished two series that have the same feature. It may be that the author, Tim Hodkinson was first to use them, but now it seems compulsory as was the book ending with the almost standard final one on one fight between the hero and the main villain with the hero being the weaker of the two yet still winning (though credit to the author's unique setting for the holm gang).
There are some other quirks, minor it is true. Given so many East Norse or Icelandic words why did the author use "Odin" rather than "Óðinn"? The archers "notch" when they should "nock" their arrows: to notch is to make a small nick in an item and making a notch in your arrows is not recommenced ! I am also not sure that the crew of a ship should be stripped to the waist when rowing - from illustrations none shew it and if stripping down is done it seems that it is the lower half of the body that gets stripped down. Then, the heroine holds her bow often at full draw: not good for bow or archer! Oh. and Thorfinn Skull Spitter died in bed according to the saga.
Well, it wasn't a really bad read and, going by others' reviews there is a big audience for all on action so the book may be just up your street: it just was not up mine. ...more

Geoff Boxell rated a book it was amazing

The Kings of the Sea (The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, #3)
by C.J. Adrien (Goodreads Author)

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In my review of the previous saga of Hasting the Avenger I complained about the 2 years between the books being published. This time it is three years since I read the previous book but, looking at the date of other's reviews, that is my fault and no ...more

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Geoff’s Friend Comments

	Just for Kicks: A Rocker's Tale of London in the 60s 3.82 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 1998 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If You Go Down in the Woods it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dark Daring Deeds of Geffrey ðe Wulf 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Woden's Wolf really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1998 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Awfully Artful Arthur or should that be Clever Cunning Cerdic? liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Big Bold Beowulf it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hard Hero Hengest really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Grimm Tales: (almost) true stories about Beowulf and Hengest and King Arthur 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	It's All a Bit Complicated: Family Tales of Boxell-Holt-Connell-Bunce Families from Battersea & Earlsfield 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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