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Dragon of Denmark
8.0
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Skårde the Scourge, bastard son of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, is a fierce Viking warlord who...
Viking Romance Paranormal Fantasy
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Lords of the North ( The Last Kingdom 3) in Books
Feb 26, 2024
37 of 220
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The Lords of the North ( The Last Kingdom 3)
By Bernard Cornwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The year is 878 and the Vikings have been thrown out of Wessex. Uhtred, fresh from fighting for Alfred in the battle to free Wessex, travels north to seek revenge for his father's death, killed in a bloody raid by Uhtred's old enemy, renegade Danish lord, Kjartan. While Kjartan lurks in his formidable stronghold of Dunholm, the north is overrun by chaos, rebellion and fear. Together with a small band of warriors, Uhtred plans his attack on his enemy, revenge fuelling his anger, resolute on bloody retribution. But, he finds himself betrayed and ends up on a desperate slave voyage to Iceland. Rescued by a remarkable alliance of old friends and enemies, he and his allies, together with Alfred the Great, are free to fight once more in a battle for power, glory and honour.
Another really good book in this series I think this is my favourite so far. Uthred is a sold as a slave and we follow his journey. So glad there is a directory at the start of the book these places get a little confusing.
Book
The Lords of the North ( The Last Kingdom 3)
By Bernard Cornwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The year is 878 and the Vikings have been thrown out of Wessex. Uhtred, fresh from fighting for Alfred in the battle to free Wessex, travels north to seek revenge for his father's death, killed in a bloody raid by Uhtred's old enemy, renegade Danish lord, Kjartan. While Kjartan lurks in his formidable stronghold of Dunholm, the north is overrun by chaos, rebellion and fear. Together with a small band of warriors, Uhtred plans his attack on his enemy, revenge fuelling his anger, resolute on bloody retribution. But, he finds himself betrayed and ends up on a desperate slave voyage to Iceland. Rescued by a remarkable alliance of old friends and enemies, he and his allies, together with Alfred the Great, are free to fight once more in a battle for power, glory and honour.
Another really good book in this series I think this is my favourite so far. Uthred is a sold as a slave and we follow his journey. So glad there is a directory at the start of the book these places get a little confusing.
Blood Rage
7.5
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Tabletop Game
"Life is Battle; Battle is Glory; Glory is ALL" In Blood Rage, each player controls their own...
Miniatures BoardGameGeekGreatness
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 (3562 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 (12934 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...
Debbiereadsbook (1449 KP) rated Wolf of the Nordic Seas (Valiant Vikings #2) in Books
May 19, 2025
as well as the Viking folklore, we got a paranormal element too!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Valiant Vikings series. While not strictly necessary, I think it would be beneficial to read book one, Dragon of Denmark, before this one. It will give you a better view of this world, how it works and of the author's writing style.
I enjoyed book one, but for the repetitive descriptions of runes and things. That is why I found this a much more . . .difficult(?) . . .read.
The repeating of what runes are for, what the stones are for, and who did what and when takes up a huge portion of this book. I found myself skimming paragraphs just to get back to the story. I didn't feel I missed anything by doing so, either!
I did like that Elfi and Njord both have the majority voice. I loved that we hear again from the bad guy, and how they go about getting what they want. I do love it when well laid out plans don't come to pass for the bad guy!
What I really liked, though, was as well as the Viking folklore, we got a paranormal element too! Mermaids, werewolves, light and dark elves. I loved the way it was all seamlessly meddled together!
A good read, but one I did struggle with. Some of that was the repetition, and some me (I have *stuff* going on!)
3 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Valiant Vikings series. While not strictly necessary, I think it would be beneficial to read book one, Dragon of Denmark, before this one. It will give you a better view of this world, how it works and of the author's writing style.
I enjoyed book one, but for the repetitive descriptions of runes and things. That is why I found this a much more . . .difficult(?) . . .read.
The repeating of what runes are for, what the stones are for, and who did what and when takes up a huge portion of this book. I found myself skimming paragraphs just to get back to the story. I didn't feel I missed anything by doing so, either!
I did like that Elfi and Njord both have the majority voice. I loved that we hear again from the bad guy, and how they go about getting what they want. I do love it when well laid out plans don't come to pass for the bad guy!
What I really liked, though, was as well as the Viking folklore, we got a paranormal element too! Mermaids, werewolves, light and dark elves. I loved the way it was all seamlessly meddled together!
A good read, but one I did struggle with. Some of that was the repetition, and some me (I have *stuff* going on!)
3 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere