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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.