Ulf is like a storm, slowly building up its power, he grows more dangerous with each passing moment. And like all storms, he will eventually break. When he does, he will destroy everything in his path.
Ulf is one of a long line of famous Norse warriors. His ancestor Tyr was no ordinary man, but the Norse God of War. Ulf, however, knows nothing about being a warrior.
Everything changes when a stranger arrives on Ulf’s small farm in Vikenfjord. The only family he’s ever known are slaughtered and the one reminder of his father is stolen -- Ulf’s father’s sword, Ormstunga. Ulf’s destiny is decided.
Are the gods punishing him? All Ulf knows is that he has to avenge his family. He sets off on an adventure that will take him across oceans, into the eye of danger, on a quest to reclaim his family’s honour.
The gods are roused. One warrior can answer to them. The Son of Anger.
Ulf’s ancestors were all warriors, going all the way back to Tyr, the Norse God of War, but Ulf is the exception. His upbringing has not been among weapons and violence, but one of farming. His aunt and uncle raised him after the death of his father, but Ulf has always been a handful, full or rage since his father’s death. However, with the arrival of a stranger comes the loss of everything Ulf has known. What is left of his family is slaughtered, and the stranger takes off with the one last thing Ulf has to remember his father by – his sword, Ormstunga.
Miraculously surviving the attack, Ulf finds himself utterly alone, with double the anger and none of the skills to find the stranger and properly fight back. Although he had never wanted to return, Ulf finds himself back where he used to live before the death of his father, Thorgilsstad, and somehow manages to find a friend in the jarl’s son, Snorri, and among the warriors, who he grows quite close to.
Finally having a mission, something to channel his anger into, Ulf grows more and more focussed on what he must do – get his father’s sword back, and kill the stranger that had killed his family. And, slowly, things start to fall into place. With a strong group of warriors ready to fight and die by his side, Ulf finds himself among a new family. He trains with them, and fights alongside them. The Vikings are known to be violent people, sailing from their homes to raid other places, and take home anything they found to be of value, but they also formed very close-knit friendships, and cared for each other. They are not exactly characters you can stick up for, since they still carry out abominable acts, but they are somehow likeable, despite the violence, pillaging, and killing. This book creates an excellent portrayal of the Norse warriors within their hometowns, in their everyday lives, as well as on raids, and I loved learning more about how their communities ran.
Ulf is a very troubled character. He struggled with uncontrollable anger after losing his father at a young age, and after watching his uncle murdered, and losing the rest of his family, he is left with nothing but the anger burning inside of him. Ulf is a very headstrong individual, he does not often stop to think before he acts, pushed on by blinding rage, which puts him in danger more often than not. He finds himself in plenty of situations when, as a reader, I was not sure he would be able to make it out alive. Making friends with Snorri was not enough for Ulf to gain everyone’s trust, and he finds himself facing people of the community as well as outside violence.
The historical detailing in this book is absolutely wonderful. I especially loved finding out more about the Norse Gods as the characters talked about them. The gods were not worshipped, but either trusted, or feared, depending on the god in question, and the gods seemed to have a tendency to medal in people's lives! I also really liked hearing some of the myths and legends that these warriors believed, it felt like story-time, and most were stories I had never heard before, but were wonderful to come across.
There is something about Norse fiction that utterly enthrals me every time I come across it, and this book was no different. From the moment I started reading, I couldn’t stop. I found myself falling into the pages, and watching the story play out in front of me as if I were standing among the characters. The entirety of Ulf’s attention seems to revolve around getting revenge, and recovering Ormstunga, a quest that, in itself, seems almost impossible. As I read, I started to feel more and more like I needed the revenge as well, that Ormstunga being wielded by the stranger was an abomination. Ulf is so incredibly passionate that he not only convinced those around him to help him, but also convinced me to believe in his cause. This is a book that draws you in so entirely, you forget you are reading a book. Everything I read felt utterly real, and I commend the author for managing to create a book that reads as easily as watching a film, while maintaining tension and plenty of action.
This is an absolutely fantastic novel. It is hard not to like norse fiction, but there is something about this book that completely draws you in and keeps you captivated from beginning to end. If you are a fan of the Vikings, or Norse fiction in general, definitely check out this series! I can’t wait to read book 2!
Donovan Cook was born in South Africa but raised in England, and currently works as an English tutor. He is the author of the Ormstunga Saga, which includes his debut novel Son of Anger and the follow up, Raid of the Wolves. His novels come from his fascination with the Viking world and Norse Mythology and he hopes that you will enjoy exploring this world as much as he did writing about it.
When Donovan is not teaching or writing, he can be found reading, watching rugby, or working on DIY projects. Being born in South Africa, he is a massive Springboks fan and rarely misses a match.
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