The first book in The Saga of Hasting the Accursed series, this historical novel is set in the eighth century and follows a Viking warrior as he makes an epic journey across Europe.
Excerpt:
More rain overtook us that evening, so we all retreated to our cots once we had made camp for the night. In the morning, Enora joined us on horseback again, but Bjarki insisted she ride with me farther up the road and away from his hound of a son. Our squabbles did not last long. Mid-morning, we spotted smoke rising above the forest canopy ahead. The road had taken us into a dense wood with thick walls of holly on both sides. Soon, the entire procession came to a grinding halt.
“This has the smell of a trap,” Bjarki said.
Enora turned white and asked, “Is my father in danger? I should go to him.”
“Stay here,” I said. “He’s got Armel and a good number of men. He’ll be fine.”
“The trouble with a spider’s web is its victims cannot see it until they’re trapped,” Bjarki muttered.
I scanned the foliage around us. A light breeze that had sent the leaves aflutter around us died down, revealing the crackling of men’s footsteps on the forest floor. I grasped Enora’s reins and kicked my horse forward to a trot, leading her away. She cried out in protest. Bjarki turned his horse to follow, but a spear struck it in the neck with a resounding thud. The horse reared, spattering blood on the others, biting and kicking at the spear’s shaft, and then it collapsed. Bjarki fell with it.
“To arms!” he cried with one leg trapped under the beast’s back.
A familiar war cry erupted from the forest all around us. These were Northmen. And we were surrounded.
Fans of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages, particularly those fascinated by Viking and Norse history, will find this a compelling read—especially if they’ve enjoyed the author’s previous works featuring the central character, Hasting.
The Fell Deeds of Fate
By C.J. Adrien
Runestone Books
ISBN: 9798302439239
The first book in The Saga of Hasting the Accursed series, this historical novel is set in the eighth century and follows a Viking warrior as he makes an epic journey across Europe.
Excerpt:
More rain overtook us that evening, so we all retreated to our cots once we had made camp for the night. In the morning, Enora joined us on horseback again, but Bjarki insisted she ride with me farther up the road and away from his hound of a son. Our squabbles did not last long. Mid-morning, we spotted smoke rising above the forest canopy ahead. The road had taken us into a dense wood with thick walls of holly on both sides. Soon, the entire procession came to a grinding halt.
“This has the smell of a trap,” Bjarki said.
Enora turned white and asked, “Is my father in danger? I should go to him.”
“Stay here,” I said. “He’s got Armel and a good number of men. He’ll be fine.”
“The trouble with a spider’s web is its victims cannot see it until they’re trapped,” Bjarki muttered.
I scanned the foliage around us. A light breeze that had sent the leaves aflutter around us died down, revealing the crackling of men’s footsteps on the forest floor. I grasped Enora’s reins and kicked my horse forward to a trot, leading her away. She cried out in protest. Bjarki turned his horse to follow, but a spear struck it in the neck with a resounding thud. The horse reared, spattering blood on the others, biting and kicking at the spear’s shaft, and then it collapsed. Bjarki fell with it.
“To arms!” he cried with one leg trapped under the beast’s back.
A familiar war cry erupted from the forest all around us. These were Northmen. And we were surrounded.
Who is this book for?
Fans of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages, particularly those fascinated by Viking and Norse history, will find this a compelling read—especially if they’ve enjoyed the author’s previous works featuring the central character, Hasting.
The author
C.J. Adrien is a novelist and co-host of the Vikingology Podcast. This is his fourth novel set in the Middle Ages, including The Lords of the Winds: The Saga of Hasting the Avenger – Book 1.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk.
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