 |
Kennedy and Dark’s captivating adventure on the high seas takes us back centuries to the Viking era. Their tale tells of the captured Norseman, Lubeck, who, blood-soaked and beaten, does not carry “the air of a slave.” With bold confidence, Lubeck leads his fellow shipmates in a daring revolt to escape and is eventually thrown into the sea and swept ashore to an island. The survivors’ woes are divulged as they recover and form an army with Lubeck as their leader. They befriend the beautiful, red-headed woman Freyja, a presumed witch cursed to the island. Freyja’s special powers of vision and manipulations of weather make her a guiding force for Lubeck and his men.
Fueled by revenge, Lubeck is destined to find his son, Hafthor. Here, Kennedy and Dark’s narrative emerges the strongest as Lubeck and his men commence on a “blood hunt” to find their loved ones. Freyja is equally determined to find her sister and break free from the curse that binds her. Sailing on the newly built ship, the Thunder Child, they set upon the hostile waters of the sea “like some mythical monster,” confronting formidable foes, dark magic, surprising revelations, and the savagery of the Vikings.
Written in modern and accessible prose, Kennedy and Dark’s debut novel is a homage to the classic story of honor, violence, and conquest set in the illustrious Viking age. Theirs is a romanticized account of the epic battles among the Norse seafarers, immersing us into a historically imagined world of mythology, barbarity, deception, and glory. The most notable and engaging moments of the novel are the vivid and heroic battles, rendered with impressive detail and observation. By its end, there is left the possibility of a sequel or even more future novels as part of a coming series. This book should please fans of Viking historical fiction.