Kings of the North

by Cecelia Holland

Overview

From “a true master,” a historical fantasy featuring an Irish adventurer caught up in the epic struggle for the throne of England (Kirkus Reviews).
 
After fleeing Constantinople and the wrath of the Emperor, Raef Corbanson has washed up with his companions on the coast of Normandy. His former patron Gunnhild is dead, and Raef is commanded to return to his father’s hall in Jorvik, in England.

Duke Richard of Normandy has sent his sister Emma to be wife to Ethelred of Wessex, the King of England. But other powers have designs on the island kingdom; Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and Raef’s old shipmate, would be King of England, too. And Ethelred has other sons, older sons from his first marriage.

Raef cannot escape this web of power; he owes a debt to Emma and her brother for aiding him. He owes fealty to Ethelred, for Jorvik is part of England, and Raef intends to rule the city as his father once did. And he owes an older, stronger, loyalty to Sweyn, for they are kin.

“Holland’s battle scenes are brilliantly, viscerally detailed, and she’s even better in quieter scenes that provide illuminating contrasts . . . If you love history, do not under any circumstances overlook or underestimate Cecelia Holland.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788634434
Publisher:	Canelo
Publication date:	11/04/2022
Series:	The Life and Times of Corban Loosestrife , #6
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	773,977
File size:	761 KB

About the Author

Cecelia Holland was born in Henderson, Nevada, in 1943 and started writing at the age of twelve. Starting with The Firedrake in 1966, she has published twenty-one independent historical novels covering periods from the middle of the first millennium CE up through parts of the early twentieth century, and from Egypt, through Russia, central Europe, Scandinavia, Great Britain, and Ireland to the West Coast of the United States. Most recently, she has completed a series of five novels set in the world of the Vikings, covering a period of about fifty years during the tenth century and following the adventures of Corban Loosestrife and his descendants. The hallmark of her style is a vivid re-creation of time, place, and character, all true to known facts. She is highly regarded for her attention to detail, her insight into the characters she has researched and portrayed, and her battle scenes, which are vividly rendered and powerfully described. Holland has also published two nonfiction historical/biographic works, two children’s novels, a contemporary novel, and a science fiction novel, as well as a number of historical essays.
 Holland has three daughters. She lives in Fortuna, California, and, once a week, teaches a class in creative writing at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California. Holland's personal website is www.thefiredrake.com. 

Editorial Reviews

Raef Corbanson and his companions return to England in this Viking-era sequel to The High City. England is going through tumultuous times as power struggles first put Ethelred the Unready on the throne, then Sweyn Forkbeard, and a raging civil war follows between Ethelred's son, Edmund, and Sweyn's son, Knut. Raef has his work cut out for him: be a good foster father to Knut; struggle with his daughter, Gemma; and face his fear of the Lady of Hedeby. While Holland's novels are always immersive and set in chaotic times rife with drama, unfortunately, once again, Raef is a hopeless protagonist, too passive and far from the action. His mysterious spiritual powers destroy any dramatic tension because he can foretell the future and also mysteriously defeat his opponents. The characters around him, however, particularly hottempered Knut, are fantastic. Readers of Holland's last works will be a little confused and may finally be frustrated, assuming they have any investment in Raef as a character at all. (July)

Publishers Weekly