Decent Viking novel, not Ben Kane's best though. I thought the characters felt a little basic, alhough Kane is always great at combat. Excellent conclusion!

Stormcrow by Ben Kane is an excellent read. It moves along at a great pace and the characters are always engaging. The setting is also a standout for me.

Its refreshing to have a viking novel set in Ireland after reading countless set in Britain. It felt well researched amd well written.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction and bloody action. Definitely not my last Ben kane book

This book is about 90% battle, violence and power struggles. In other words, it’s great stuff.

I love books that are gristly, action packed and give a real feel for the historical period they’re set in. Kane creates a fantastic snapshot of life in early medieval Ireland, centered around life for both the native Irish and the Vikings- a combination which I hadn’t realized existed. The novel is action-packed, with a fight or brawl not far away, and is rooted in great history and insights. I also liked how Kane weaves in some new ideas backed up by modern research, such as transgender warriors and men who practiced sorcery being seen as effeminate. (He helpfully explains some of these ideas at the start of the book).

Finn aka Stormcrow, is a reckless, headstrong character who isn’t perfect. But there’s a real sense of him growing and finding his place as the novel progresses. He’s backed up by a great crew, and as a reader, I felt a real sense of the camaraderie, and sometimes rivalry, that came from spending days and months living and sailing with the same group of people.

I did struggle with some of the Irish pronunciations of places and names, and sometimes it was hard to tell where places were/the modern closest equivalent as their names were quite unfamiliar, being the Viking names. However, after I finished the book, I did discover a glossary with names and pronunciations which probably would have solved my problems had I discovered it sooner.

Ben Kane turns his many talents towards a Viking adventure. Unusually this adventure is set in Ireland with a young Irish lad finding a sword on a beach and, as a result, his life changes forever. When a family member is killed and the sword stolen, young Finn and his strange shamen friend Yekel, set out for revenge. His journey takes him to the powers that run ancient Ireland and the young men find themselves joining a longboat crew as raiders. And we see Finn turning into the warrior and Leader Stormcrow.
It's a great twist on a Viking story with Ireland as an interesting, vibrant and dangerous background. And, obviously, Ben Kane knows how to engage the reader with both historical accuracy and great storytelling.

As a fan of the Last Kingdom series I thought I would give this one a try by Ben Kane. It grabs you from the first page and is a real page turner. It has a huge cast of characters that took me a while to get to grips with. Full of action and a great start to a new series.

A fabulous Viking saga with memorable characters and exciting battles set in 10th century Ireland. I especially enjoyed the vitki Vekel, the transgender warrior Thorstein, the freed thrall Lalo, and the beautiful queen Sláine. A great start to a new Nordic series!

A brilliant book written by one of my favourite historical fiction writers, Ben Kane. Unusually, this is set in medieval Ireland with the main character half Norse and half native Irish. A tale of bloody revenge, and exciting adventures both on the high seas & on land.
The young Stormcrow started out as the son of a peaceful blacksmith, but rapidly obtained the requisite skills for violent hand-to-hand fighting against powerful opponents.
His close friends interestingly, consisted of a highly intelligent loyal black African ex-slave, an effeminate shaman and his Viking warrior lover. After reading the book, I am still unsure if the shaman is a fake or if he possesses special occult gifts. Either way the character was unique and well rounded and cleverly described.
As always, I love Kane's description of the battles and close combat.
To summarise, this is a must-read for lovers of this genre of novel.

In 10th century Ireland a boy called Finn is walking the east coast minding his own business, when he comes upon a body of a fallen soldier. He notices the dead man has a sword strapped to his body. After seeing a raven close to the body Finn takes this as a sign from Odin that he wants him to take the sword.
Finn’s world is torn apart not long after when his and his father is slain in a random act of violence and the sword is stolen.
This leads Finn onto the path of vengeance and revenge, along with his best friend and shaman Vekel, they join a group of Norse raiders.
Chasing revenge and riches, life becomes quite settled for Finn, now going by the name of Stormcrow.
He heads to the Norse city of Dyflin ruled by Sigtrygg Silkbeard and his world changes forever.
From battles lost and won, and political deception, life as a raider turns out to be more than he thought it would be, especially after meeting Sigtrygg’s new wife.
It doesn’t matter what period of history Ben Kane writes about he always produces such fine work.
Another great story from an author with such passion in his writing.
Stormcrow is one of those rip-roaring novels that the reader will love. It is highly entertaining. It truly is a fine piece of work and one I’d highly recommend.

Vikings!!!

It's been a whilst since I picked up a norse historical fiction, and I was quickly reminded why this is one of my favourite time periods

This is a really great start to a new series. Stormcrow is a brilliant main character, and he has to step through a lot of changes and events in a very short time. However, with his norse brothers, there is nothing beyond his reach, and he does seem to have Odin in his corner

I often find that with these types of series, the story gets bigger and better with each book. There is more than enough in this story to be captivated and chomping at the bit for the next one

The fortunes of Finn who is half Irish and half Norse change dramatically when he finds a dead body washed up on the beach. The consequences cause him to leave home and seek a life of raiding for fame silver and plunder.
For readers of Novels by Robert Low , Mathew Harffy, Giles Christianson, Robert Fabbri and the like, you will enjoy this tale set around AD 1000 in Ireland. Once again feel the clash of the shield wall where raiding and fighting was the norm and the strong take from the weak.

Super exciting Viking saga set basically in Ireland in the days when names were unpronounceable, but with a bit of research as you go along it all works beautifully. The essential tale of a young man’s rise from poor son of a smith to fearsome warrior really grabs the attention. Lots of blood soaked battle scenes, the obligatory love affair but this one with the local king’s new wife all combine with a host of great characters to make an entertaining read. Roll on more!

As a big fan of Ben Kane books I was really looking forward to delving in to this one! And overall it was a great read, full of action from the start with an easy to like main character.
I did struggle at the start however to get to grips with all the different names of both locations and people. There were plenty to get to grips with and at times felt as if there were names chucked in the mix that didn’t really serve much purpose to the overall story. That being said, the story of Finn is great! A classic rags to riches tale, with love, brotherhood and bravery. Really looking forward to seeing where the tale of Stormcrow goes next!

Grabs you from the start and never lets go. Thrilling action combines with historical authenticity to summon up a whole world in a sweeping Viking adventure. In short, I haven't enjoyed a book this much for ages. A triumph!

On the east coast of Ireland thirteen-year old Finn finds the sword of a slain Norseman, and with Odin's raven watching, is given the name Stormcrow. When Finn's family is torn apart by a random act of violence, and the sword lost, he embarks on a quest for revenge with his oldest friend, the shaman Vekel.
It is a path that will lead to the court of the High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill, and to the Norse city of Dyflin, ruled by Sigtrygg Silkbeard. Crewing on a longship, Stormcrow raids up and down the Irish coastline, seeking not just riches but vengeance for his murdered father. Against a backdrop of political alliances made and broken, battles won and lost, Stormcrow's life as a Norse raider seems certain until he meets Sigtrygg's new wife.
In the eye of the storm, Stormcrow dices with death yet again.
Only the gods know if he will survive.

This was my first Ben Kane book, but it surely will not be the last. An awesome action packed, fast paced Viking adventure steeped in Norse mythology. I flew through this book and can't wait to read more books by the author and set in this world!