To The Last Page

The Half-Drowned King  is the first part of a trilogy set around the time of the warring Viking kingdoms that would eventually establish Harald as the first King of all Norway, but just because it is based on real history doesn't necessarily mean that it can't be worthy of comparison to Game of Thrones or other fantasy epics. It's all down to the telling of course and in whether the author can weave some mythology, magic and some relatable human interest into a story from an age that has no direct written accounts. Linnea Hartsuyker does this very well indeed, with perhaps more elaboration on character than action, but as a first book this establishes the context and motivations well for what lies ahead. Context is all-important of course, and not just for the historical background. It's important also to make a ninth-century mindset relatable and palatable to a modern readership, but not go quite so far as to completely lose any credibility by making the Vikings too e...