This is a big book, and to be fair it does contain quite a lot of story. Damia and Simon both yearn for children, but this yearning has not brought happiness. Present day Salster wants to hang on to its independent college without the meddling of businessmen or politicians, while medieval Lollards wish to break away from the church and found a secular institution. It is a book about the pros and cons of being an outsider, of standing up for what you believe in, whatever the cost. It is also highly readable, partly because of the way it is written and partly because of its timeless yet topical messages. Some of the events seem a little improbable (to mention them would spoil the plot) and some editing would not have been a bad plan as the story isn’t that huge to merit nearly 600 pages. But it is an excellent first novel, and I look forward to reading more by this talented new writer.