Sons of Thunder: A Novel (Raven: Book 2)

ISBN: 0345535081

Author: Kristian, Giles

Condition: New

Product DescriptionIn the heart of the ninth century, ferocious men wielding swords and gleaming axes dare face a massive Crusader force. And in Giles Kristians thrilling series, history comes alive as vividly as the crash of clashing steel.The Norsemen have come across the Channel, up a winding river in the land of the great Frankish emperor. In the belly of their fearsome dragon ship, beneath warriors and weapons, is a book wrapped in cloth, guarded by an English monk who alone knows the true worth of his prize. And by the side of their leader is Raven, with a blood spot in his eye and magic in his soul. Accompanied by the woman he loves, Cynethryth, runaway daughter of an English king, Raven is plunging into an epic clash of men and faiths."A brilliant story, beautifully told.-Sunday ExpressImpressive world-building . . . The pace of the novel is unrelenting. . . . The series is among the best adventure historical fiction today.-Fantasy Book CriticAn excellent read which compares favourably with writers like Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.-Historical Novels ReviewGripping . . . splendidly conjures up the sounds, sights, and smells of Dark Age Britain.-Harry Sidebottom, author of the Warrior of Rome series, on Raven: Blood EyeReview"A brilliant story, beautifully told."--"Sunday Express""Impressive 'world-building' . . . The pace of the novel is unrelenting. . . . The series is among the best adventure historical fiction today."--Fantasy Book Critic"An excellent read which compares favourably with writers like Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden."--Historical Novels Review"Gripping . . . splendidly conjures up the sounds, sights, and smells of Dark Age Britain."--Harry Sidebottom, author of the Warrior of Rome series, on "Raven: Blood Eye"About the AuthorHaving Viking ancestors himself, Giles Kristian believes that the story of Raven has always been in his blood-waiting, like the Norsemen, for the right time to burst upon the world. The Raven series has been published to great acclaim by Transworld in the UK. Giles Kristian currently lives in Leicestershire, where he writes full-time, though he enjoys nothing better than working in his family cottage that overlooks the mist-shrouded Norwegian fjords.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter OneYou do not betray a Fellowship and live to see your hair turn white. For a Fellowship is an honor- and oath-forged thing, as strong as a bear, as fast as a dragon ship, and as vengeful as the sea. If you betray a Fellowship, you are a dead man, and Ealdorman Ealdred of Wessex had betrayed us.With the sail up and the spruce oars stowed, the men looked to their gear. They took whetstones to sword edges, patiently working out the notches carved in battle, and the rhythmic scraping was to me a soothing sound above their murmured conversations and the wet whisper of Serpents bow through the sea. Men laid mail brynjas across their knees, checking for damaged rings, which they replaced with ones taken from brynjas stripped from the dead. Two of the Norsemen were throwing a heavy-looking sack back and forth, grunting with the effort. The sack was filled with coarse sand, and if you put your mail in it and threw it around, the sand would clean the rust from the mail and make it like new again. Other men were smearing their brynjas with sheep grease, winding new leather and fine copper wire around sword grips, mending shield straps, and stretching new hides across the limewood planks. Dents were hammered out of helmets, spear blades were honed to wicked points slender enough to skewer a snail from its shell, and ax heads were checked to make sure they would not fly off at the first swing. Silver was weighed, furs were examined, and men argued or grumbled or boasted about the booty they had piled in their journey chests. We combed fleas from our beards and hair, relived fights, exaggerating our deeds and prowess, played tafl, c