The Serpent Sword

One of the best books I have read for a long time. Excellent characters and plot. Author is not afraid of killing characters off in fairly gruesome ways!
Cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

Book Title: The Serpent Sword.

Author:  Matthew Harffy

Rating: 5/5

Time it took me to read: 31 Days

Review:I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and it drew me in from the start.It was a great adventure accompanying Beobrand through his tale of love, loss,bravery and revenge. Follow Beobrand's adventure in the next book: The Cross and the Curse (The Bernicia Chronicles Book 2).

Glorious dark ages tale of violent men with revenge at it's epicentre. Beautifully written in a style reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell at his best this sets a high standard for subsequent outings of our hero. I look forward to more with relish!

This is the story of Beobrand,a young man from Cantware (Kent) who goes North so he can join his brother (who has been murdered). Set against the historical background of 7th century Albion,a time when the death of Edwin,High King of Britain plunges the country in darkness.Albion is more than divided. Several kingdoms are battling for supremacy over their neighbours, bands of warriors are on the loose and the power relations  between pagan beliefs and budding Christianity are changing.. But this is in the first place an adventure story, but also a story about revenge, betrayal, psychopathic warriors (yeah,even then...),loyalty, camaraderie and friendship. A fabulous story.

Whatever his wyrd had in store for him, he would face it as it came.

As many have said, there are similarities between Harffy and Cornwell, but to be honest, I did not feel it too much, except when the fortress Bebbanburg was mentioned. Harrfy's style is easy to read and after, at least for me, bit rocky start, the book becomes a real page-turner and it is hard to put it down. I even ignored the fact that I had to study for the exams and the fact that I should sleep. I read the book in two days and I even sacrificed some sleep just so I could read it as soon as possible. I cannot wait to start reading next books in the series, but they should probably wait till I am done with my exams. 

I would totally recommend the book to my friends and to anyone that is interested in historical fiction, especially if they are also interested in British history. I realise that this is fiction, but it still gives the reader some information that I found extremely interesting and there is also a historical note at the end. It seems well-researched and well-prepared.