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Giles Kristian
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Book
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Publisher | Bantam | ||
ISBN | 978-059306162 | ||
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Reviewer
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Ann
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For two years Osric has lived a simple life, apprentice to the mute old carpenter who took him in when others would have him cast out. But when Norsemen from across the sea burn his village they also destroy his new life, and Osric finds himself a prisoner of these warriors. Their chief, Sigurd the Lucky, believes the Norns have woven this strange boy's fate together with his own, and Osric begins to sense glorious purpose among this Fellowship of warriors.Immersed in the Norsemen's world and driven by their lust for adventure, Osric proves a natural warrior and forges a blood bond with Sigurd, who renames him Raven. But the Norsemen's world is a savage one, where loyalty is often repaid in blood and where a young man must become a killer to survive. When the Fellowship faces annihilation from ealdorman Ealdred of Wessex, Raven chooses a bloody and dangerous path, accepting the mission of raiding deep into hostile lands to steal a holy book from Coenwolf, King of Mercia. There he will find much more than the Holy Gospels of St Jerome. He will find Cynethryth, an English girl with a soul to match his own. And he will find betrayal at the hands of cruel men, some of whom he regarded as friends...
Review
Abandoned boy, with tell tale natural irregularity, seeks his destiny amid marauding norsemen in this first part of a dark age Viking trilogy.
Not dissimilar to a few others set in this period, like Guy Gavriel Kay's Last light of the Sun, but sufficiently different for it not to matter.
Fast and confident narrative with a real sense of atmosphere, whether on land or sea. I can still feel the crackle of twigs underfoot in the trek through the forests, the spray from stormy seas and the smoky and superstitious lifestyle. Lots of historical detail and strong, believable characters. Add a hint of romance and of great deeds to come, and you too will be looking forward to the next volume.

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