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Paladins of the West Kingdom
Tabletop Game
Paladins of the West Kingdom is set at a turbulent time of West Francia's story, circa 900 AD....
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1)
8.3
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This is the story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Northlanders Book 1: The Anglo-Saxon Saga (Northlanders, Book 1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Boy, was that violent - if this was a movie, it would probably be given an '18' (or 'R'estricted, for those Americans out there) rating, not just for the blood, guts and gore, but also for the - occassional - nudity, and the not-so-occassional language.
Actually a collection of 5 different short stories, I can't say how true to history these are as I'm not a Norse scholar. I also found the vernacular a bit off-putting (were swear-words the same in the early Medieval Period as they are now? Really??), with the art-style (and plot) in some of the stories were better than in others. Talking of stories, this contains the following:
[b]Lindisfarne[/b]: depicting an early Viking raid on the monastery of the same name
[b]The Shield Maidens[/b]: in which three Viking women hold off hordes of the Saxons
[b]Sven the Returned[/b]: in which Sven returns to his homeland to claim his inheritance, having previously run away and joined the Byzantine Varangian Guard
[b]Thor's daughter[/b]: in which a clan leader is murdered and his land sold to a rival leader but his 14 year old daughter takes up his mantle and leads an army against the encroaching Vikings
[b]The Cross & The Hammer[/b]: Set in Ireland, this is more-or-less a murder mystery in which the central character is trying to track down the person(s) responsible for a spate of killings.
Actually a collection of 5 different short stories, I can't say how true to history these are as I'm not a Norse scholar. I also found the vernacular a bit off-putting (were swear-words the same in the early Medieval Period as they are now? Really??), with the art-style (and plot) in some of the stories were better than in others. Talking of stories, this contains the following:
[b]Lindisfarne[/b]: depicting an early Viking raid on the monastery of the same name
[b]The Shield Maidens[/b]: in which three Viking women hold off hordes of the Saxons
[b]Sven the Returned[/b]: in which Sven returns to his homeland to claim his inheritance, having previously run away and joined the Byzantine Varangian Guard
[b]Thor's daughter[/b]: in which a clan leader is murdered and his land sold to a rival leader but his 14 year old daughter takes up his mantle and leads an army against the encroaching Vikings
[b]The Cross & The Hammer[/b]: Set in Ireland, this is more-or-less a murder mystery in which the central character is trying to track down the person(s) responsible for a spate of killings.
Ross (3284 KP) rated You Die When You Die in Books
Jan 21, 2020
Fantastic witty pre-historic Viking / Native American fantasy
This is the alternative-reality story of the Hardworkers, a small clan of Viking descendants in pre-Columbian North America. A mentally-damaged young boy in the clan has a premonition that the village will be attacked and they should head west. When the village is indeed attacked by natives (who themselves had a premonition of these Vikings ending the world), the clan quickly up-sticks and head off.
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
Merissa (12061 KP) rated Son of Anger (The Ormstunga Saga #1) in Books
Dec 12, 2022
Bloody and violent in places, with the Gods at work.
SON OF ANGER is the first book in The Ormstunga Saga and we start off with Ulf training with his uncle. His life quickly changes when a stranger appears and destroys everything he touches, including Ulf and his family.
I love reading stories of the Vikings, simply because their faith and relationship with the Gods seem so realistic. They don't hold them on high (as such) but rather, deal with them in an everyday manner, knowing themselves to be pawns in the game the Gods play. Signs of the Gods are all around them, giving them the feeling of being blessed or ignored. Ulf has sworn a vow of vengeance to Odin and sees the signs of that wherever he turns.
This is a bloody and violent story in parts - as you would expect. But you also get a book of camaraderie, of brotherhood, of the Gods. The time flew by as I read this, with never a dull moment. The ending was all I could wish for and left me with a longing for book two.
A brilliant start to a new series that I can't wait to read. Absolutely recommended.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I love reading stories of the Vikings, simply because their faith and relationship with the Gods seem so realistic. They don't hold them on high (as such) but rather, deal with them in an everyday manner, knowing themselves to be pawns in the game the Gods play. Signs of the Gods are all around them, giving them the feeling of being blessed or ignored. Ulf has sworn a vow of vengeance to Odin and sees the signs of that wherever he turns.
This is a bloody and violent story in parts - as you would expect. But you also get a book of camaraderie, of brotherhood, of the Gods. The time flew by as I read this, with never a dull moment. The ending was all I could wish for and left me with a longing for book two.
A brilliant start to a new series that I can't wait to read. Absolutely recommended.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This Evening and The Morning
9.0
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A TIME OF CONFLICT It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages, and England faces attacks from the Welsh...
Ian McCulloch recommended Raw Power by The Stooges in Music (curated)
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Wolf in the Whale in Books
Aug 18, 2019
I think I inhaled The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky, I read it in only two sittings!
Omat lives in 1000AD, a young Inuit Shaman, and neither male nor female (actually, she took on her fathers soul at birth and is raised as a boy - a hunter and a shaman). There is loads of detail about how life was lived by the Inuit at the beginning of the last century(and I loved this detail), and I learnt so much about their spiritual lives, their Gods and the expectations of men and women. When Omat menstruates for the first time, it heralds the end of her life as a man and a shaman. She is married off to another Inuit who is passing through and promises to help her tribe. The thing is, he has two other wives, and he’s just not a nice person. When a group of Vikings wipe out the group of Inuit that she has married in to, Omat survives and realises that they have captured her cousin. She vows to find and free him. On her journey, she rescues three wolfdogs and saves the life of a Viking who reluctantly joins her on her quest.
I was so immersed in this wonderful story. I loved the style it was written in, I loved Omat’s voice. The magic and beliefs were fascinating, and my heart was in my mouth during the hunting scenes (men catching and killing huge Caribou and whales using flint weapons!). And the ending was just right.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this wonderful book to read and review honestly.
Omat lives in 1000AD, a young Inuit Shaman, and neither male nor female (actually, she took on her fathers soul at birth and is raised as a boy - a hunter and a shaman). There is loads of detail about how life was lived by the Inuit at the beginning of the last century(and I loved this detail), and I learnt so much about their spiritual lives, their Gods and the expectations of men and women. When Omat menstruates for the first time, it heralds the end of her life as a man and a shaman. She is married off to another Inuit who is passing through and promises to help her tribe. The thing is, he has two other wives, and he’s just not a nice person. When a group of Vikings wipe out the group of Inuit that she has married in to, Omat survives and realises that they have captured her cousin. She vows to find and free him. On her journey, she rescues three wolfdogs and saves the life of a Viking who reluctantly joins her on her quest.
I was so immersed in this wonderful story. I loved the style it was written in, I loved Omat’s voice. The magic and beliefs were fascinating, and my heart was in my mouth during the hunting scenes (men catching and killing huge Caribou and whales using flint weapons!). And the ending was just right.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this wonderful book to read and review honestly.
Cultures Northland
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Create a thriving settlement with farms, bakeries, Potteries, Mason Shops, Schools, Armories and...
Ascent (House of Normandy #1)
10.0
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A brutal Viking raid heralds the dawn of a new, powerful dynasty – the House of Normandy ...
Medieval Historical Fiction Vikings