Unfortunately this book was not for me and was dnf'd at only 20%. The premise of the book and the initial few pages were interesting but I immediately had reservations when the daughter started talking to her dad as if he were a child who she had no time for. Not the kind of father daughter relationship I enjoy reading and knew right from the beginning that I would not be able to read an entire book with that daughter as a main character.
I'm sure the historical element will appeal to many readers and I wish them a happy reading experience that unfortunately was not going to be for me.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

this was a great start to a Norse series, it was a great read. I enjoyed that this was a series that was a great adventure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This is a high epic fantasy book so it's a slow paced book. The characters and action is amazing for a debut author to start a new series.
I'll wait for the 2nd book!



Alternate history - 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it.

Ordulf, a talented young German swordsmith, is ripped from his comfortable life and cast into the bloody chaos of the crusade. As fate deals him a cruel blow in the lands of his enemies, he will have to forge a new path through the chaos, or be consumed by it.

In the Northlands, three rival kingdoms must unite to survive the onslaught. But can any man, king or commoner, unite the bickering brotherhood of the Norse? Or is the time of the Vikings finally drawing to a violent end. Heroes will fail, kings will fall, and ordinary people will fight for the right to a future.

An epic saga of war, love and politics sure to delight fans of Bernard Cornwell, Giles Krystian, Matthew Harffy, Christian Cameron and all lovers of historical fiction.

A Song of Steel is a gripping Viking alternate historical fiction novel. This era of history is new to me and the book drew me in straight away. It is very well researched and although the writing is simple it is incredibly detailed, though in some places the detail does make for a bloodthirsty read. The story is fast paced, with solid lead characters and a great plot line.
It is a brilliant start to the saga.

Thankyou to NetGalley, BookGoSocial and the author, James C Duncan, for the opportunity to read A Song of Steel in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book was a good read and a great way to start a series.
The characters and imagery were well drawn. Very enjoyable storyline. Can't wait for book 2.
Worth a read.

A gripping beginning to an exciting story!

Jam packed with action, while also feeling slow enough paced for me to enjoy everything happening. I connected with the characters early on, and while not familiar with most of the subject manner, the writing made the story easy to follow. Definitely excited to pick up the next book when it's available!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy to read in exchange for an honest review!

A good one with uneven phasing here and there. But the plot and characters were well done. I'll probably pick up the sequel once it gets out....

A Song of Steel is a self-published debut novel by J.C. Duncan and is the first book in The Light of The North Saga. This book synopsis is:

“Alternate history - 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it.”

What did I love?

One of the most intriguing aspects of this book is the concept. J.C. Duncan is asking the question, “What would have happened if Scandinavia didn’t convert to Christianity and the Vikings didn’t disappear?” I find the concept incredibly fascinating.

Furthermore, I loved the beginning of this book. The book starts in 2015, where a fisherman and his daughter discover a sword in a lake. The book then takes an abrupt turn and goes back to 1116 AD, where the reader is introduced to two main POVs. The beginning of this book made me intrigued to know more about this sword and learn about its history.

We follow two main POVs in this book, a talented Christian swordsmith named Ordulf and a Viking called Ragnvald. Ordulf is an underdog and goes through several challenges in this book, making the reader root for him. Ordulf is the most memorable character and the biggest highlight.

What did I not love?

Unfortunately, I never felt invested in the war that was brewing. I did not care about the Vikings and their strategic plotting and manoeuvring. The reader is not engaged in the depth and complexity of this conflict before it breaks out, which is why I didn’t really care about who was winning or losing. I also had a difficult time connecting with the character Ragnvald. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel invested in his plotline, which made a substantial part of this book feel slow.

Conclusion

In conclusion, A Song of Steel is a solid debut novel. J.C. Duncan is clearly a talented writer with an accessible writing style. A Song of Steel has a fascinating concept, and the character Ordulf is memorable and compelling. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time feeling invested in the central conflict or the character Ragnvald. I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in Vikings and Norse history.

3 / 5 stars

A special thanks to J.C. Duncan for sending me a physical copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It pulled me in from the very start with the mystery surrounding the sword and kept me hooked throughout the story with the great characterization and beautifully written battle sequences. This author definitely has a way with words that constantly left me wanting to read just one more page.

The characters in this book were fantastic. They felt like real people, and it was easy to understand their motivations and emotions because the author did a great job of making me feel like I know these people. The two main protagonists, Ordulf and Ragnvald, were particularly well-crafted. I enjoyed jumping between the two because it gave the perspectives of both sides of the war and provided a window into the unique strengths and weaknesses of each culture. Their stories also complemented each other well, with one character being older and more experienced and the other young and naive. However, I appreciated that they were both on similar journeys that required shedding off some of the ways of their pasts to embrace a new future and ensure their survival.

The prose throughout the story was exquisitely detailed and beautifully written. The battle sequences were especially well-done. They made me feel like I was going into battle with the characters and had just the perfect amount of gore to be realistic without overdoing it. I was also pleasantly surprised with how well the writing pulled me into parts of the story I would have otherwise found boring. A great deal of time in this novel was spent on describing the forging of weapons. This is something I've never been very interested in before, but this author's prose was spell-binding enough to keep me hooked throughout those parts of the book. I feel as though I came away from the story with a better understanding of metallurgy and had fun learning about it, which is something I never expected going into this book.

I also greatly enjoyed the information about Norse culture displayed throughout this book. I didn't know much about it prior to reading the story, and I am now interested to learn more. The author weaved the information skillfully throughout the narrative, and I never felt like I was being taught anything about history. However, I learned a lot from this book, and it has whetted my appetite to learn more!

If you enjoy historical fiction or fantasy books, this might just be the book for you. The writing is wonderful, and the characters are realistic and fun to read. The battle sequences are outstanding, and I loved learning about Norse culture and metallurgy because the information is presented in engaging bits throughout the story. Therefore, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Mr.Duncan has converted me and I can now say I'm a big fan of his work.Such interesting characters,plot,pacing and writing.I was really compelled to keep turning pages and loved all the battle scenes and all the intricate details of sword making.The only thing stopping me from giving this a five star rating was that parts of the Norse tribes narrative was a bit confusing to me.It is a high four and half from me and anyone interested in Norse culture do yourself and favor and pick this up.Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alternate history - 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it.

A song of Steel is the first book in J. C Duncan's five book series, The Light of The North Saga. The story is set in an alternate history of the end of the Viking age and based around a mystical sword ‘The Light of The North’, and the legendary warrior who wielded it. This is hands down one of the best debuts I've read in a long time and easily the best book I've read this year so far. The fact it's still another four books left in the series makes me so happy!

The story starts in modern times when a fisherman and his daughter find a sword in a lake on a casual father-daughter fishing trip. I absolutely loved how this book started. It's definitely unique and something I've never come across. It then goes back to 1100s and we follow two main characters. The first is Ordulf, a Christian whose an arrogant yet talented swordsmith whose built like a bull. The second Is Jarl Ragnvald, a fierce and intelligent warrior who still lives the old way and worships the norse gods. There are other characters which we get to me meet, some are fictional whilst others are real historical figures. I was instantly hooked and couldn't wait to see where their journeys took them. The story flips back and forth between the two, so you get to see two completely different cultures, religions, fighting styles and so much more. I found myself learning so much, my favourite has to be the swords and amour. Duncan clearly knows his stuff about swords as we get to see how each culture makes their swords and the different techniques they use. It really is interesting!

As we follow the war we get treated to some outstanding fight scenes of all kinds, 1v1s, shield walls, knights smashing through lines on war horses and so much more. I love a book that has plenty of action and A Song of Steel did not disappoint. Duncan writes some really entertaining yet gruesome battles that keeps the reader entertained and glued to the book. There was a particular fight where a warrior was stabbed between the butt cheeks. Yup, it was that gruesome! If that doesn't convince you how gruesome the fighting is, then I'm not sure what will.

I absolutely demolished this book, especially the second half. It's only 288 pages according to amazon and I read over 50% in two days which is pretty fast for me. Every time I put the book down I was constantly thinking about the story and millions of questions would run through my mind so I would instantly pick it back up to find out what happens next. This is what every book-worm wants!

J. C. Duncan is a talented author and A Song of Steel is truly an outstanding début. It's an amazing feeling when you're craving a certain book and the perfect one comes along and just blows you away. If you like Historical Fiction/Fantasy books that have awesome characters and cinematic battles then trust me, give this a shot.

Thanks to Netgalley and J. C. Duncan for providing me with a copy to read and review.

A song of Steel is a debut novel that heralds epic fantasy in its rawest form. The story can envelop you like a long lost relative after spending months apart. Every interconnecting aspect of it just feels right. From its brutally accurate characterization and its dramatic historic landscape, it’s the kind of story that leaves you grappling for cognitive cohesion. The immersion and the compulsiveness has you addicted within a few pages. Duncan’s spellbinding narrative took me hostage and posted my ransom…although, truth be told, I didn’t want anyone to pay it!

A Song of Steel is just another book that shows that Indie Fantasy is where its at right now. My kindle only just made it out of the exchange with its life. The twists and turns and sense of adventure had me turning the page with a frenzied vigor. Have you ever picked up a story that just spoke to you? A story that sets your synapses firing. A story that feels like a bit of history in your hand. The story felt like a living and breathing entity, it was real, it was alive and the experience of consuming it is exactly why I began reading in the first place.

As stated, before this is a story that I greedily gobbled up. If you are expecting to read a few chapters at a time, forget about it. This is a story that will demand to be consumed within a few sittings. Trying to do anything other than that will be a futile struggle. Norse fiction. Survival. Brutality. Unbreakable bonds. The prose was outstanding.

We are transported back to the 1100’s, to a world in chaos and dismay, but first we are introduced to modern day characters who come upon some archaeological finds in a river, chainmail and a sword. We are then taken back in time to meet Ordulf, a German swordsmith who is honing his skills. We see an alternate history – we get a glimpse into the raiding and pillaging, oh and battle sequences and violence galore. This is where the story truly came to life, I couldn’t help but imagine it on the big screen, the imagery was exquisite. Every expectation that I had for this glorious tale was exceeded, my brain wanted to explode.

A Song of Steel moves forward seamlessly. The characterization is one of strength and unity. Things lead to a point of crescendo and then it all hits the fan. The narrative is laser precise and constantly hits the target. A Song of Steel feels like an intricate magical spell, it makes you fall deeper and deeper and it more than hit the mark in my favourite sub-genre of historical fiction.

A Song of Steel and its deep immersion into their world was filled with great characters, superb pacing and raw battle scenes had me hungering for more.