Review

I will admit to at one point thinking i wouldn’t review this book, as i don’t review books i dislike. The first part of the book seemed like an adolescent love story rapidly doing a romeo and Juliet, and really didn’t float my boat, i suppose i’m too old for being concerned by teenage angst, no matter what era its set in. But then the book started taking a deeper, darker turn, and i suppose the darkness of Hakan appealed to the blue funk i found myself in pre Christmas. But its from the point that Hakan sheds his name and goes off alone that the book really takes flight. Bringing together the harsh reality and harsh climate of the land and time, with his personal journey through emotional hell and his fight to find some new meaning in his life, some new direction, a direction not handed to him by his father.

Finding a new lord to serve adds new elements new characters, new challenges and new dimensions, inc the addition of mythical beings from Norse culture, turning the tale from its darkness to a classic rescue story, the lone warrior aided by his best friend set off against suicidal odds with almost no chance of survival, and no real care if he doesn’t. He would forge his name or failure would mean he no longer cared.

By the end of the book the author had hooked me in, i very much want to read the next step in the saga and see what happens to our Stranger and his friend. To find out what the fall out of their actions may be and how the every changing political landscape will impact them, and i suspect eventually lead them back to his homeland, maybe as a foe or ally?

The book is well worth a read, and i suspect there will be more to come in terms of growth in A Sacred Storm in 2018

(Parm)

I have to say this was very disappointing.
I was expecting Fantasy but what I read was more Historical with a little bit of Fantasy thrown in towards the end of the story.
Just not my scene.

Really enjoyed this one,brilliantly written

It wasn’t the declaration that fans of George R.R. Martin would enjoy A Mighty Dawn that drew my attention. It was the time period, the themes and the synopsis! The comparison felt literally like a sales ploy – the two didn’t compare! Fans might like it – but so might everyone else!

A Mighty Dawn had its ups and downs the whole way through. By the end, I was thoroughly enjoying it, but there were several moments where it dragged. It starts with Hakan becoming a man, finding love and experiencing battle for the first time. But secrets tear this love apart and he flees his home. This whole first section was slow paced, not helped by a few changes in narration from a character with turmoil emotions.

The second half, when Hakan pledges himself to a new lord, was hit and miss. For the majority of this section, Hakan is moping around, not wanting to live. It doesn’t make for entertaining reading. But then he finds his fighting spirit and the final third of the book had me on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out what happened.

If only the entire book could have been that strong.

For the most part, the characters were well formed and engaging. Hakan has his highs and lows, but you ultimately root for him and want him to confront his demons. He doesn’t desire honour or love, and that makes his motives purer than any of the other men.

Kai stole the book. He was the light that Hakan needed, the proof that love and loyalty do mean something. He stopped Hakan’s moping from ruining the book and became a hero in his own right. He was one of those loveable characters where both the readers and the other characters adore him.

There were a few too many names floating around in the second half for any of the secondary characters to develop any true depth. Lillia wasn’t kind to Hakan, yet her own narration means the reader knows she has a good heart. She grew on me; after her ordeal, she was determined to do whatever necessary to survive, including picking up a spear and taking on a mighty bear to save her father.

The king was a good man: his son was not. The queen is definitely up to something. All traits that means I know Hakan’s tale has not ended and there is more to come. I, for one, would be interested to see what happens next now that Hakan can move on with his tale rather than being stuck in the past.

I was drawn to this book because it echoed themes of Roman fiction, which I love. I’ve read enough Viking/Dane based stories that I understood where their beliefs were coming from. There is death and blood from the opening of the book and some quite gory violence later on. Not for the squeamish!

Overall, a good book that would have benefited from a slightly faster pace.

A debut novel set in the Scandinavia of the early eighth century, where Viking warriors and Norse myths abound. This cold and unforgiving landscape is the backdrop for an exciting and thrilling coming of age tale about a warrior and his irrepressible servant.. I loved it and hopefully won't have to wait too long for the next installment!

A Mighty Dawn by Theodore Brun is a, sometimes brutal, coming of age tale set in the Scandinavian lands of the middle to second part of the first millennium. Paganism is the worship of choice, and the threads of Norse Mythology mingle through the story, as is to be expected for a story set at this time. It is not a work of historical fiction, but rather historical fantasy, or just plain fantasy with its basis set in the past.

I would divide the novel into three main parts. The first third, when the reader is introduced to Hakon and Inga, is very, very well written. The plot develops in an almost predicatable well (until .... well you'll have to read it), but the author weaves the plot incredibly well so that when the big reveal came, I was incredibly shocked. I had been expecting the outcome to be very, very different to what actually happened. While Hakon is not exactly the most likable of characters at this point, he is a bit difficult to like because his concern is only with himself, he is well portrayed and the reader understands his anguish, his love and his hatred of Konur, as well as his difficult relationship with his father. The story is mired in the old Norse legends.

The second part of the novel revolves around 'Hakon's journey', after his betrayal, ever northwards, and again, is a well articulated part of the story. While Hakon is now quite glowering and bad tempered, the tone of the story is lightened by the addition of his companion, Kai. a younger man than Hakon and one with a silken tongue and very good cooking skills. The journey ever northwards still contains much of old Norse legends and, because it takes place on the cusp of winter, sees them battling terrible weather in order to reach their destination through an almost deserted landscape.

It is really from this part of the story onwards that I felt the tale faltered a little. It's still well written but I had some problems with the more fantastical elements of the storyline and these detracted from my overall enjoyment of what had started out as a very entertaining read. I also felt that the author's great skills in producing characters as engaging as Hakon and Kai faltered a little, relying more on stereotypes than previously.

With all that said, this is a very well articulated story. The author has a good style that means that although the book is quite long, it disappears under the reader's eyes at a fast rate. I picked the book up to only read the beginning (and work out how long it was as I was reading on the kindle), but soon became embroiled in the storyline and was then unable to put the book down, reading it over one weekend.

I would recommend the book to fans of historical fantasy and look forward to the next book in the series.