Review: Stunning Historic Novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2013
Harper Fox has rendered another stunning historic novel.  This one is set in 7th century Britain and deals with the impact of Viking raids on a monastery on the east coast of Britain.  Fox depicts the lives and values of both the Vikings and the monks with considerable detail and this augments interest in the milieu.  I have no reason to suggest that Fox's depiction of life and mores is not historically accurate.  As always, Fox carefully depicts the increasing maturity and development of each character, particularly Fen and Cai.  For me, Brothers of the Wild North Sea was neither a quick nor easy read.  Throughout the novel both Fen and Cai make excruciatingly difficult decisions.  The last meeting between Fen and Gunnar is a case in point.  I had to let the book "rest" at a number of points so I could recover emotionally.  That makes this a truly "bargain" book as compared with many M/M novels where boy meets boy and they ride off into the sunset with just a glitch or two.  As a scientifically-trained person,  you'd think I would be critical of some of the "paranormal" events.  But as the outcomes of these events are fortuitous, I welcomed them.  This is a novel after all!  Again, this is a stunning book not to be missed.  And I did not say one thing about the plot!