Review: Good Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2014
In the 10th century, A.D., Harald won the battle at Hafrsfjord which led to a united Norway with Harald  being its first King.  Through both fictitious and real characters, the author writes about life before the definitive battle.  I gave the book four stars because the mechanics of good writing were fine, the author was not verbose, and his descriptions of the people, their actions and their lands were excellent.  The outcome was predictable, but I want to read the next book of the series to find out what historical event Ulfrik wanders into next.  This book was hyped as being much like Bernard Cornwell's book on a similar subject.  The hype was  correct--a rarity.  The book gained one of those stars for that very reason.At the outset, the word 'apology' was used in dialogue, and the red flag went up the pole because 'apology' originated in the 15th century.  What word should have been used?  Probably a word so hard to pronounce that I would have apologized to the author  and begged him to please and thank you use any word he pleased.After brother Grim did something horrendous to Ulfrik, all Ulfrik wanted was an apology from Grim.  An apology was not a fit punishment.  That bit of action showed me that Ulfrik was both compassionate and  weak.  In the end, Grim did lose his life, but Ulfrik lost his land and his standing among other landowners.Thank you, Mr. Autieri, for a good read.