Becky Bookworm Book Review: A Giles Kristian Special - An Astounding Viking Saga Author

I have just finished the sequel in a trilogy of my favourite genre Historical fiction set in the Viking era and by my new all time favourite author Giles Kristian (www.gileskristian.com and @GilesKristian on Twitter). I had the divine pleasure of meeting him at the Festival of History a week ago today and getting him to sign my copies of his books Raven: Bloodeye (book 1) and Sons of Thunder: Second Raven Adventure (book 2). Both are absolutely fantastic and worthy of the high praise he has recieved from none other than Robert Low and Bernard Cornwell for his thrilling saga.

I do encourage anyone who is fan of the middle ages, vikings and this time period in historical fiction to visit your nearest bookshop and get these books and emerse yourself in his soul binding words. I promise you, you won't be disappointed and you won't regret it.

   Raven by Giles Kristian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Giles leads readers into the grim yet fascinating world of middle age england through the character of Osric, a young man with no memory of his past apart from a blood ruined eye. His world is disturbed by the appearence of a group of norse traders unsettling him and his common folk. Yet the peace is further disturbed when the local priest tried to posion the Jarl Sigurd and Osric forewarns the Jarl of this trick. A fight ensues and men are killed yet Osric is spared only by the quickeness of his tongue in saving the Jarl's life. He is taken away from the land he knows of has home with the warband and so begins another new way of life for him, of praying to the old gods to calm the seas as he is brought up upon the longships, to hunger after treasure of silver and jewels but most of all the importance of the bond men as warriors forge and the fatal penalty due when any man breaks such an bond as the fellowship of norsemen.

A definite must buy and read ASAP for any fans of Robert Low and Bernard Cornwell. Giles Kristian is a new kid on the block in this genre and he is definitly as talented for telling a good saga of sword brothers as Low and Cornwell who've been masters for years.

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  Sons of Thunder: The Second Raven Adventure by Giles Kristian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book really does triumph as a sequel to Raven: Bloodeye. There's more drama, tension, suprises, battle and death as well a nice dollop of cunning in the new series of adventures experiecnes by Raven and his fellowship of Sigurd the Lucky. There's a even a bit of love thrown in for Raven but it has turned tainted and sour by the end of the book. And one character meets his ill-fated death by the hand of no norseman which is one of the many satisfying twists and turns Gile's weaves into his fine thrilling saga. All lovers of viking historical fiction should read this and take note of the amazing new young blooded talent that brings the lives of vikings once more into the fore of our imaginations.

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