Ysekind

YSEKIND

Flanders, 1347.

A voiceless boy emerges from the forests around Ghent and finds himself in a city torn apart by ambition, intrigue and shifting loyalties. While French nobles, English merchants and powerful local families compete for influence, strange events begin to unfold in the shadows of the medieval city. People disappear. Secrets are buried. And beneath the bustling streets, forces are at work that threaten far more than the fragile balance of power.

Taken under the protection of the wandering monk Isidorus, Ysekind is drawn into a dangerous world of conspiracies, hidden alliances and deadly ambitions. As tensions rise and the first whispers of a devastating plague spread through the land, he discovers that survival will require more than courage alone. Some truths are worth dying for. Others can change the course of history.

Richly researched and vividly told, Ysekind is an immersive historical novel filled with memorable characters, political intrigue, mystery and adventure. Set against the turbulent backdrop of fourteenth-century Flanders, it brings to life a fascinating world standing on the brink of catastrophe.

Stefaan Van Laere is a Belgian novelist, journalist and publisher from Flanders. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has written numerous novels, historical works and non-fiction books and has become a well-known author in the Dutch-speaking world. Several of his works have been translated into English and French. Combining meticulous historical research with compelling storytelling, he brings forgotten chapters of European history vividly to life.

Ysekind is the first volume in an epic historical saga set in medieval Flanders during the dramatic years leading up to the Black Death.