another brilliant tale of Hunlaf of Ubbanford.
I love this series of books reminiscent of the last kingdom series and just as gripping.
perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Dan Jones . Thank you Mr Harffy for a brilliant set of books now get back in and write the nex one.

4.5 rounded up to 5!
🦁 🪓 ⚒️ 🗡⚔️🐘
Well, Harffy’s done it again.

Dominion of Dust is another slice of brilliant historical fiction—gritty, immersive, and absolutely dripping with authenticity. You can feel the mud, the blood, and the tension in every page. Clearly a ton of research went into this one, and it shows. The world feels lived in, and the stakes felt real.

Hunlaf is a cracking lead—reminds me a lot of Beobrand from Harffy's other series: tough, brooding, complex, but with that thread of honour that keeps you rooting for him no matter what mess he’s in. He’s the kind of character who carries the show, and he does it brilliantly.

The pacing was tight, the religious aspects were balanced and the writing had Harffy’s usual craftsmanship—concise when it needs to be, rich when it counts. No bloat, just storytelling that hits hard and keeps you turning pages.

Harffy continues to knock it out of the park and is simply a powerhouse in this genre and is by a distance the best in his field right now

An interesting medieval adventure with overtones of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with the eternal hunt for the Spear of Longinus for Emperor Charlemagne.

A well written and expertly researched historical novel. The storyline flows well and the characters are compelling. I really enjoyed reading the book.

Matthew Harffy's Dominion of Dust is an exciting and moody entry in his Viking-age adventures, offering a definitive mix of historical richness, action, and suspense. In AD 797, the book tracks warrior-monk Hunlaf as he undertakes a perilous journey to the Holy Land in quest of sacred relics, against the powerful Byzantium forces and the great Empress Eirene.

The author vividly brings to life the tension of the times, from the crowded harbors of Cyprus to the perilous landscapes of Jerusalem. The tension is high as Hunlaf and his faithful crew deal with betrayal, political machinations, and the murderous zeal of their enemies. The author's writing is full of vigor his battle scenes are kinetic and intense, and his descriptions of faith, loyalty, and ambition lend the swordplay a richness.

Hunlaf is a plausible hero, caught between his divine vocation and the brutal necessities of survival. His conflicts make him human and relatable, even as he confronts enormities. The friendship and rivalry of his crew enrich the story, bringing the adventure down to earth in its emotional realness.

A historical page-turner, Dominion of Dust will captivate Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow fans; a compelling epic of courage, betrayal, and religion.

AD 797. Warrior-monk Hunlaf has been tasked with a journey to find a relic. One that has been lost in the Holy Land of Jerusalem for some time.
This will be the hardest expedition he and his crew have ever taken on.
With hostile Byzantium forces all looking for the same thing as him, and ruthless local rulers also on the hunt, Hunlaf will have to be at his best to avoid capture and complete his mission, in this most sacred of holy places, one that is a long way from home.
Matthew Harffy has produced another high quality rip-roaring story with this new novel.
He is a very accomplished writer who knows how to keep the reader engaged.
I’m a big fan of his work and think he is one of the best historical writers around. Dominion of Dust is a perfect example of that, and I can’t recommend it enough.
This is historical fiction at its finest.

Dominion of Dust is the fourth book in the author’s A Time For Swords series, the follow-up to A Time For Swords, A Night of Flames and A Day of Reckoning. A Day of Reckoning ended on a literal cliffhanger and Dominion of Dust takes up the story directly from that point.

Once again Hunlaf is both chief protagonist and narrator. Now advanced in age and becoming increasingly frail, he is setting down the details of his eventful life, one which saw him abandon his calling as a monk to become a warrior and adventurer.

A Day of Reckoning, saw Hunlaf on a quest for a book known as ‘The Treasure of Life’ which took him and his comrades to the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsular. This time he’s on a search for sacred relics which King Carolus, ruler of the remnants of the Western Roman Empire, believes will imbue him with the divine power to defeat his rival Empress Eirene, ruler of the remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire. Unfortunately she has the same idea, and her own set of searchers. So it becomes a race against time to see who can piece together the clues and locate them first. If you’re thinking this all sounds a bit Indiana Jones, you’re not wrong.

Many characters make a return appearance including the fearsome Norse warrior and master shipbuilder, Runolf Ragnarsson and – much to Hunlaf’s delight – Runolf’s daughter Revna. The wily Giso, who seems to have connections everywhere and often disappears into the shadows only to reappear at a crucial moment, is also back. Unfortunately, Hunlaf and his comrades are not short of fearsome and totally ruthless opponents.

As you might expect, Hunlaf and his comrades face many perils along the way and there are some terrific action scenes, described in bone-crunching, bloody and visceral detail. They include a fight to escape from an underground chamber and the boarding of a merchant ship. Ignoring the voice of his spiritual mentor Leofstan, now deceased, Hunlaf continues to experience moments of uncontrollable battle rage and ‘the wanton joy of killing’.

Although we know Hunlaf will live to fight another day, he doesn’t. There are plenty of moments where he fears his luck has run out (and who could blame him) and doesn’t know if – or how – he will escape from the perilous situation he finds himself in. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for all his comrades, some of whom will die in tragic circumstances. Even though many decades have passed, the loss of these comrades still weighs heavily on Hunlaf’s mind accompanied by intense feelings of guilt that he might have been, even unwittingly, the cause of their deaths.

The ailing Hunlaf leaves the reader with a tantalising glimpse of events he has yet to tell us about, including those of a romantic nature. And there’s a brief hint that his story might involve the appearance of a character from another of the author’s series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dominion of Dust. I loved the characters, the settings and the fast-paced plot. To my mind, this is a series that just keeps getting better and better.