Waterstones Raven 2: Sons of Thunder
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Price: £9.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: From Giles Kristian, THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LANCELOT, comes this brutal, bloody and captivating Viking adventure, continuing the story begun in the bestselling Raven: Blood Eye. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Robert Low and Game of Thrones. Kristian can really write. He weaves in rich historical detail with a light touch. His battle scenes are bone-crunchingly good, his descriptions of the Viking world bright and evocative. Giles Kristian is a great storyteller. -- BEN KANE An all-action adventure.a brilliant story, beautifully told -- SUNDAY EXPRESS This was a brilliant read for me as a weathered historical fiction reader. -- ***** Reader review The action oozes energy.so that for those precious hours you are happily lost within this book's own universe. -- ***** Reader review***************************************************IF YOU BETRAY A FELLOWSHIP YOU ARE A DEAD MAN. Raven and the Wolfpack plough the sea-road in pursuit of the Saxon traitor, Ealdred, who has left the Fellowship for dead and fled to the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne and the promise of untold riches. Sailing in search of revenge, the pagan Norsemen venture into the heart of a Christian empire that would wipe their kind from the face of the earth, a place where danger lies in wait around every bend of the great river up which they travel. A young man with no memory and a blood-tainted eye, Raven has found friendship and purpose amongst this fierce band of warriors. Having proved himself in battle, he is now certain that Viking blood flows in his veins. But to survive this adventure, his cunning must be as sharp as his blade. Raven: Sons of Thunder is the second title in the Raven trilogy. The story continues in Raven: Odin's Wolves. Have you read Raven: Blood Eye, the first in the trilogy?. Waterstones Raven 2: Sons of Thunder - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9780552157902
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9780552157902
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Author: SJATurney
Rating: 5
Review: I so enjoyed the first Raven book that I wasted little time launching into the second. It started just as I expected, launching into a continuation of the story from Blood Eye, with just as much 'oomph'. I was hooked. However, Sons of Thunder is a different novel. Not what I expected and certainly not just a continuation of the story, though it does do that admirably too. The first book had been a rip-roaring constant barrage of action and battle, heroics and betrayal, sneak attacks and audacious plans. Sons of Thunder built for only a couple of chapters on the same theme before sweeping all the plans from the table with surprise actions and decisions by the principal characters. Suddenly I found I was reading more of an epic journey than an action fest. The story slowed into a languid, highly atmospheric and often tense journey, bringing the reader into an intimate understanding of what life would be like among the brotherhood of Sword-Norse aboard their dragon ships. I will say straight away that this was a surprise direction as far as I was concerned for the story to take, though in no bad way. Indeed, it lent a new freshness and interest to the tale. I did, however, wonder really where the tale was going to go. I found myself thinking ahead and trying to see how the story might pan out, never quite able to work it all out. And then, again, somewhere around two thirds of the way through the book, the direction changed once more, and suddenly the pace was breakneck, every bit as exciting and action-packed as Blood Eye. Indeed, I would say that Giles packed into a third of this book as much excitement as there had been in the first novel of the series, an achievement for which I doff my cap to him. The story leaps and turns and twists in so many unexpected ways that I find it hard to describe how much I enjoyed it, and it builds to the very end to a moment that will be a defining one in the saga for me; one of those 'Lo, there do I see my father' moments from 13th Warrior (thanks Giles). It sets up the third tale beautifully and makes it almost impossible to pause before launching into that book (which I have just done). The characters continue to entertain and build, some departing their life in appropriate manners, other previous unknowns coming to the fore. Raven himself continues to become stronger and more sure, and my personal fave remains Floki. The highlight of the book for me was (without spoilers) the manner in which the Norsemen reacted and adapted to what was, for them, a thoroughly alien environment. It was masterfully done. Now: On with Odin's Wolves...
Author: Mr. A. I. Harrison
Rating: 4
Review: Well a Saga holiday certainly meant something different in Norse times! Young Raven hits the waves from the get go in this second episode of the series and ticks all the Viking boxes in the process. Blood feuds, raiding, confrontation in the warrior circle, daring escapes and open battle! Nice! Kristian this time fleshes out the crew a bit more than in the first outing and it is the warrior bands Jarl 'Sigurd' that stands out as the most graphically portrayed character, a hero you can really get behind. The author also tempers Raven himself with a bit more human fallability this time which I felt made him much more realistic and someone who I could sympathise with a lot more. The story is fast moving, and has it's fair share of action though is by no means an epic, and can be easily digested in a couple of sittings. I did recognise one scene that had been 'borrowed' from Frans Bengtsson's 1950's classic 'The Longships', though that may in turn may have been taken from an original Viking saga, in which case fair enough. This is excellent writing from a relatively young author that promises great things for the future and as Rob Low's 'Oathsworn' have reached the end of their saga, I still have an annual Viking adventure to look forward to! Book me a journey chest and oar for the next voyage.
