Best Viking Books (fiction & non-fiction)

Welcome to a list of the best books about Vikings. This comprises two lists: fiction and non-fiction.

Best Viking Fiction

5. Oddin’s Child (Viking #1)

Oddin’s Child is a fascinating tale which blends fantasy and historical fiction in one. Thorgils is intelligent, adaptable and possesses the gift of second sight. While being somewhat less believable than the other viking novels on this list, it is nonetheless a great read.

 

4. The Whale Road (Oathsworn #1)

The Whale Road combines two of the best marauding groups in history, Huns and Vikings. A group of Norse explorers head out on the dangerous waters of the Whale Road in the search for Attila the Hun’s lost treasure. Who can argue with that?

 

3. Blood Eye (Raven #1)

Giles Kristian’s first novel in this gripping trilogy tells the story of Osric, a man with a sinister past and a crimson eye. He is soon thrown into the brutal and treacherous life of a viking seafarer. Is his best chance at survival to become one the feared vikingr?

Click here to find out!

2. The Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age

Much like my own novel, Vikingr (sorry, I couldn’t resist), Bengtsson’s saga is a coming-of-age story which follows the exploits of a young Norseman who grows to become a proud viking warrior. This saga sits high on the list owing to its quality as a historical fiction epic.

 

1. The Last Kingdom (Saxon Stories #1)

This is the first novel in Bernard Cornwell’s series set during the viking invasion of England. You can find The Last Kingdom on Amazon Kindle here.

 

 

Best Viking Non-fiction

Chronicles of the Vikings

This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the Vikings or who wants to write about them. It’s the Viking story told from their own perspective, an inside scoop on the culture that terrified Europe for centuries.

Here on Amazon.

Vikings: A Dark History of the Norse People

I’ll recommend Vikings as a good general introduction to the Norse people. It’s particularly good for the photographs and illustrations contained within, which enable you to better visualise life among the Vikings.

Helpful online resources

• You can find an extremely helpful list of the 45 best viking novels on Historical Novels Info
• There is another ranked list of Viking novels on Goodreads
• And a list of fiction relating to Vikings on Viking Answer Lady which is a very useful resource for anyone with an interest in the Viking Age.

My Books

Click the image to view my books on Amazon.com!

 

 

 

Ragnarok

Here is something which ties in with a novel I wrote, although I haven’t decided how they will be connected yet.

Ragnarok, the End of Days. The vikingr stood on the front steps of Valhalla, Odin’s hall for the dead, and looked down on a blighted world. In one glance he saw high mountains, deep valleys, vast oceans, winding rivers and boundless plains. He blinked and looked closer, seeing armies of men in bright armour bearing flags of many colours as they advanced into battle against foes in rags and tattered leather.

Everything was coming to an end. King Christus as the Norsemen called him, the one they had all mocked, was triumphing over the old gods. His followers had come first in bare cloaks with worn books in their hands. Next they had grown in numbers, wearing woollen tunics and toiling behind their ploughs in His name. Now they came with iron and cloth, boot and hoof, sword and spear.

“What do you think?” The skald asked.

His body was marred with deep punctures and long gashes which bled into the snow at their feet. The skald had been fighting a battle which stretched over centuries and new scars prepared to form over old.

“Are you going to die?” The vikingr asked.

“Of course I’ll die. You could say I saw it coming.” The skald replied.

“Will that be the end of everything?”

“Everything will end and then everything will start again. Don’t you know this, vikingr?”

“Where will you go?”

“I’ll go back to where I was, young and impulsive like we all were.”

“And where will I go?”

“You will go down there, vikingr.”

“Will I remember?”

“Of course you will.”

“That is good, skald.”

“You’ll remember for a year and then forget once you learn to speak. You can’t have everything.”

“Bah!” The vikingr barked. “You’re a trickster.”

The skald face grew stern and a dark brow lowered over his one eye. His tattooed hand gripped the sleeve of the vikingr’s shirt.

“Beware of the trickster, vikingr.” He said. “Now go, before they leave you behind.”

Tall men and women with trailing, golden hair swarmed down the slopes below. They were armed for war and bellowing their readiness for battle. Hordes of Norse heroes gradually disappeared into the deep snowdrifts of Asgard’s foothills. The vikingr turned from the skald, lifted his foot from the wooden step and placed it on the hard, frozen earth of the mountaintop.

He began the long journey towards the fray as any march begins, whistling a tune. An army of Norse seafarers and shield warriors who had not known life in a thousand years was returning to Midgard.

 

To read more about my novel, Vikingr, click here.

Vikingr Introduction

The purpose of this post is to hopefully tell you everything you need to know about my new book, Vikingr.

Why Did I Write It?

I starting writing historical fiction while I was studying for a degree in Archaeology & Ancient History. Novels in the fiction and fantasy genres inspired by history always appealed to me, whether they were historical fiction by authors such as Bernard Cornwell and C J Sansom or fantasy novels with medieval elements such as George R R Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire.

I decided to write a novel set in the Viking Age so that I could show a different side of the early vikings. I’ve tried to present the Norse adventurers as poets and explorers of uncharted territories as well as raving pillagers and murderers, .

What Did I Have To Do To Publish My Novel?

A lot of research went into understanding viking society, culture and religion. Norse mythology plays a very big part in the novel. Erikr, the main character, is haunted by spirits from his past throughout the plot. The pagan Norse believed that wraiths of the dead would haunt the living until properly laid to rest, and this was a recurring theme in medieval Scandinavian sagas.

There was also a lot of planning, proofreading and editing. A further aspect which I put a lot of work into was designing the cover of the novel. It includes a vegvisir, a viking symbol or stave intended to help Norse travelers find their way through rough weather, something like a magic compass.

Where Is It Set?

The novel begins in a medieval drinking hall where there is a riot of noise and color, a feast in full swing. Then we travel with Erikr as he begins his voyage aboard a viking longboat which is seeking to establish trading ties with the Roman Empire in the east (a.k.a Byzantine Empire).

But not everything goes to plan and, after sailing along the coast of 10th Century Estonia and through the lands of the Rus’ or Gardariki (present-day Russia and Ukraine), Erikr finds himself in the strange and dangerous empire of the Khazar Khaganate.

Who Are The Main Characters?

Erikr, the protagonist, is a young Norseman taking part in his first Viking (a voyage overseas for trade or plunder). He dreams of becoming a vikingr, a Norse warrior and seafarer.

Alva is a girl slightly younger than Erikr with a fierce, proud personality which gets the pair into trouble. She is also a thrall (slave).

The sisters Ida and Saxa are also thralls. They are Saxon women captured in a viking raid on their Germanic homeland. Ida takes an almost mothering attitude towards Erikr, caring for him when he is injured. On the other hand, Saxa is bitter about their captivity and holds a burning hatred towards all Norsemen.

Holmgeirr and Ingridr are a pair of merchants. Holmgeirr used to be a vikingr but has now retired to a peaceful life, while Ingridr is the widow of another Norse adventurer. The pair do much to teach Erikr about what it means to be a warrior and a leader. They are his mentors and close friends on his voyage.

Want to find out more?

You can find the full novel on Amazon Kindle here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0113AJ0RE?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Recently Published Historical Fiction / Fantasy Novel

VIKINGR now available

My first novel, Vikingr, is now available on Amazon Kindle! It is a historical fiction / fantasy novel set in the medieval era at the dawn of the Viking Age around A.D. 900 in present-day Scandinavia, Estonia and Russia.

What is it about?

Vikingr follows the life of a boy named Erikr who takes part in his first Viking, an overseas expedition. The Norse explorers’ goal is to trade with the Roman Empire in the east, but failing that they will resort to pillage and plunder in order to turn a profit.

Their medieval voyage quickly goes awry as hostility builds among the crew. Erikr finds himself ostracized by the older viking warriors and makes friends in unlikely places, among the thralls (slaves) and merchants.

He is soon forced to take on the role of commander of this group and become a dreaded vikingr (Norse seafarer) in order to protect his new allies.

What to expect?

You can expect to be drawn into the violent, gritty world of a medieval viking explorer where you will meet diverse and interesting characters with a range of different personalities.

There are some elements of the thriller and Norse mythology is also present throughout the novel, bringing in tastes of fantasy.

Will Erikr grow into the vikingr he dreams of becoming? Will he be able to keep his crew safe from starvation, murder and hostile strangers?

 

Click this link to find out or copy and paste the URL below.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0113AJ0RE?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

You can also search for “Vikingr” on the Kindle store.