The Book Depository God of Vengeance by Giles Kristian
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Price: £9.58
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: God of Vengeance : Paperback : Transworld Publishers Ltd : 9780552162425 : 0552162426 : 02 Mar 2015 : Norway 785 AD. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king. King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword, but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. The Book Depository God of Vengeance by Giles Kristian - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780552162425
MPN: 0552162426
GTIN: 9780552162425
Author: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5
Review: An easy five star read. I became a fan of the author after reading the Raven trilogy saga. This series has the same promise. Few authors put you as firmly in the Viking era. Any followers of Viking adventure tales will love this highly recommended book. I cannot wait to read the next part.
Author: JPS
Rating: 4
Review: If you like your historical novels literally overflowing with fights and battles, with hands, heads and limbs being chopped of left, right and centre, then this one is certainly for you. It is even a bit “excessive” or even unrealistic at times, with warriors being split in two from head to groin, which is something that was as best rather difficult, especially when said warrior was wearing a helmet and chainmail. Regardless of whether one likes this genre or not, the story is definitely “fast-paced”, to use the usual jargon. The point here is that the hero and his followers keep going from one fight into another throughout the book. Fortunately, there is also quite a bit more to this book, at least for those that also like a few other things in addition to hard fights, blood and gore. First of all, and although it is a prequel to Giles Kristian’s “Raven” trilogy, it can easily be read on its own. Second, it depicts a rather grim, hard, cruel “Norse way” of life, with settlements of farmer/warriors constantly preying on and raiding each other. Although presented as the way to earn fame and reputation, it was also, and perhaps foremost, a ruthless competition for rare resources in a rather hostile environment. The third, and perhaps the most important part, because it is the dominant theme of the whole book and is illustrated by its title, is the concept of the blood feud, and the attachment and bonds to family, clan and followers. The whole book is about Sigurd’s drive and relentless vengeance against those who have traitorously vanquished and slaughtered his father and mother, his brothers, and their followers, partly because they coveted their lands and partly because they may have become a bit too powerful for their own neighbours’ safety. Three points are made in the book regarding this blood feud. One is the obligation to avenge his own or be a “nithing” and leave the country, never to return. Another is the “Odin-inspired” fury that animates the young Sigurd, the extent to which he is ready to go to obtain such support and the quite reckless deeds that belief in such support can lead him to. The third linked item is the level of superstition that is shown throughout the book and which is also one of its most interesting features. A final, and rather excellently made point, is to show throughout the book the predatory, ruthless, pitiless and though Norse “way of life”, or perhaps more accurately, way of surviving, and Scandinavian beliefs in gods that they largely designed according to their own image and their harsh environment. This is what you will find in this book and even if, at times, you find the “gore bits” a bit excessive or even a bit “overdone”, they are merely the reflection and the illustration of the grim Scandinavians of the Dark Ages who would shortly “go a Viking” over the seas a few years afterwards in search of fame and plunder. Four strong stars.
