Deze serie neemt lezers mee naar de rauwe wereld van de vroege middeleeuwen, waar de heidense Noorse cultuur botst met het christelijke Engeland. We volgen de reis van een jonge man die transformeert van een buitenstaander tot een onverschrokken krijger en leider. De verhalen zitten vol actie, intriges, moed en zelfontdekking in een brute omgeving vol oorlog en verraad. Het is een epische saga over overleven en het vinden van je plek in de wereld.
The first book in a thrilling Viking trilogy that launched the career of acclaimed historical novelist Giles Kristian - who's now confronting the tumult and devastation of the English Civil War in The Bleeding Land... When raiders from across the sea ransack his village, Osric finds himself taken prisoner by their chief, Sigurd the Lucky.
In a thrilling adventure of brotherhood, warfare, and treachery, Giles Kristian takes us into ninth-century England, a world of darkness, epic conflict, and an unforgiving God served by powerful priests. On ships shaped like dragons, bristling with oars and armor, Jarl Sigurd and his fierce Norsemen have come in search of riches. And riches they are promised, by an English ruler who sends Sigurd and his wolves to steal a holy manuscript from another kingdom. Osric, an orphan boy, sees beyond the terror of these warriors, and somehow knows the heathens’ tongue. Renamed Raven, rechristened in blood, he will join them. They are his people. And they will be his fate. “Astonishing and riveting, a powerful, lightning-paced tale.”—New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell “A gripping tale that splendidly conjures up the sounds, sights and smells of Dark Age Britain.”—Harry Sidebottom, author of the Warriors of Rome series “[Kristian] compares favorably with writers like Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.”—Historical Novels Review “A rip-roaring Viking saga . . . fine, powerful, thrilling stuff.”—Manda Scott, author of The Crystal Skull
If you betray a Fellowship you are a dead man... 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.
The Second Raven Adventure
If you betray a Fellowship you are a dead man, and Ealdorman Ealdred of Wessex had betrayed us ... With revenge on their minds, Raven and the Wolfpack plough the sea road in pursuit of the traitor Ealdred. Having left the Fellowship for dead, the ealdorman sails in search of the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne to sell the holy book of St Jerome for riches beyond his imagining. There will be a reckoning, but in following Ealdred, Raven and his sword-brothers find themselves in the heart of a Christian empire that would wipe their kind from the face of the earth. And danger waits round every bend of the great river up which they travel - Sigurd will fight for his life in a holmgang, a time-honoured and brutal duel, and Raven will be betrayed, imprisoned and left to rot. A mysterious young man with no memory and a blood-tainted eye, Raven has found friendship and purpose amongst this fierce brotherhood. He has proven himself in battle and is certain now that Viking blood flows in his veins, but to survive, his cunning must now be as sharp as his blade ... This thrilling new chapter in the "Raven" saga confirms that, in Giles Kristian, action-packed historical fiction has a new master.
Set against a backdrop of conquest, a fearless band of brothers embarks on a journey from the North to Constantinople. The protagonist, Raven, grapples with the loss of his beloved and finds himself entangled in a daring strategy for an audacious assault. The narrative promises intense battles and complex relationships as they navigate their way through France and Spain toward their ultimate goal.
There, it is rumoured, both riches and glory are to be found, but the journey takes them through unknown and dangerous waters - from the wind-whipped marshes of the Camargue to the treachery and faded glory of a once-mighty Rome.