Format: Hardback
Published by: Head of Zeus
Published: 11.04.24
Synopsis:
436 AD. The Burgundians take on the might of Rome under ambitious general Flavius Aetius. They are confident, for their forces are strong and they have beaten the Romans before.
But they are annihilated, their king killed, his people scattered. The fabled treasure of the Burgundians is thought lost. For the Romans have new the Huns, whose taste for bloodshed knows no bounds.
Years later Aetius, now with his eyes on the imperial throne, releases Burgundian prince Gunderic from captivity to resurrect his father’s kingdom. He wants allies against the seemingly unstoppable Huns, now led by the fearsome Attila, the ‘Scourge of God’. Attila seeks the Burgundians’ treasure, for it includes the legendary Sword of the War God, said to make the bearer unbeatable.
The Huns cannot be defeated by conventional means, until a chance encounter between a Burgundian soldier and a one-eyed old warlord. He is Grimnir, leader of the a band of elite seasoned fighters, and warrior-women known as Valkyries.
Grimnir’s forces know strange ways of fighting, and keep to the old religion. Their methods can help defeat Attila… but many more lives will be lost and oaths broken on the road to a battle to make the plains of Europe run with blood.
My Thoughts: (spoiler free)
Rating *****
Firstly many thanks to Andrew Knowles and Head of Zeus for kindly sending a copy of the book and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.
This is a book which it is difficult to do justice to, such is the quality, to say it is an epic is an understatement
The book comes in at 592 pages and for each of those pages I was completely mesmerised by the sheer depth and quality of the writing and storytelling.
This is an epic and spellbinding read, which will stay with me for a long time, drawing on Norse mythology combined with european history written and blended seamlessly together
There is much to admire about this book, it is plotted with exquisite detail, the author weaves a tale of legends. As you would expect as you read on the book covers a large timescale and many years pass, however, it is a read that demands that timescale.
I really don’t want to say anything about the storyline, you need to come at this fresh, however, I thought the opening apart from it’s magnitude it perfectly sets up what follows in terms of people united by a common thread that they were childhood friends, as the book develops you see each take a different path, it was really fascinating to see their character development and the paths they chose to lead
There is a lot of plotting and jockeying for position within the characters and you get an element of doubt within some as to which side they are actually on, this just add to the suspense
The attention to detail in the book is immense and the research undertaken cannot be under estimated
One thing that stood out as I read the book was the geography and topography, the author really shows the scale and vastness of the landscape and brings it vividly to life. I found myself forming mental pictures in my mind
The battle scenes which are breathtaking are written in chilling detail, you get more than a sense of the scale, you get a real feeling of what was endured in a shieldwall, you can feel the fear etched on the faces of the soldiers as they faced onslaught after onslaught. These were dark and often violent times and the book doesn’t shy away from this, life was very fragile and The Huns cared little for those that got in their way, a read which pulls no punches, the feeling of realism which the writing gives places you at the heart of the action
A read about power, greed, love, loyalty it shows the fraility of friendships and how power can corrupt, there are also plenty of twists and surprises along the way
This is a thrilling and entertaining read that had me gripped from the opening page and just didn’t let go, it builds in intensity as you read on, for me easily one of the years oustanding read
It is the kind of read which Cecille B de Mille would turn into a 5 hour feature film.
This is a book which comes highly recommended, a book which deserves all the plaudits and one which I found hard to put down.
About the Author:
Tim Hodkinson was born in 1971 in Northern Ireland. He studied Medieval English and Old Norse Literature at University with a subsidiary in Medieval European History. He has been writing all his life and has a strong interest in the historical, the mystical and the mysterious. After spending several happy years living in New Hampshire, USA, he has now returned to life in Northern Ireland with his wife Trudy and three lovely daughters in a village called Moira.
Tim is currently working on a series of viking novels for Ares Fiction, an imprint of Head of Zeus.
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