Book Review: Viking Warrior

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My Strongbow Saga

It has been quite some time since I have been unable to put a book down. I can’t even remember the last time I finished a book in less than a week. But that is precisely what happened with the series I discovered written by Judson Roberts, the Strongbow Saga.

I first picked up book one, Viking Warrior, on the recommendation of Orson Scott Card’s review. Card calls it a “serious historical novel,” but you would never know it. Although the story is extremely well researched, set within the context of actual 9th century events, and uses vivid details to bring the world of the Vikings to life, you are too caught up in the main character’s whirlwind journey to take notice.

So here’s the scoop. Halfdan, a young slave has really never known comfort in his life. The only comfort he has is occasionally spending time with his mother, who is a slave in the chieftain’s own house. This one comfort is suddenly ripped from him when he learns that his mother is to be sacrificed in order to accompany the chieftain on his journey to Valhalla, the Viking afterlife.

In a bold bargain, Halfdan’s mother uses her death to buy a new life for her son. On her deathbed, his mother reveals that she was once an Irish princess and was captured and then made a slave by the chieftain. Halfdan is not only a descendant of royalty but also the illegitimate son of the chieftain. The bargain is struck. If Halfdan’s mother is to make the journey to Valhalla, her son must be recognized as a full son and heir. Thus begins the change of fate for the 15-year-old Viking Warrior.

There are so many conflicts in this book that they are difficult to enumerate: the caste society, love and hatred, Christianity and paganism, duty and survival, honor and revenge, sacrifice, romance, betrayal, blood, and battle. There is a little bit of something for everyone.

With all of these themes and elements, it could almost be called the Viking version of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart or perhaps the lesser known Tristan and Isolde (read Dennis’ Review), starring Spiderman’s James Franco. In these two films, a young boy is taken from the comfort of his home life when his parents are killed and he is then raised by others who teach him honor, values, and of course combat skills. But this is no rehashing of a tired story, it is rich with its own culture and real-life history as a boy struggles to find himself in a man’s world. It doesn’t hurt either, that Halfdan is clever, strong, brave, and probably the best shot with a bow that anyone has ever seen. Thus the series gets its name, the Strongbow Saga.

Actual battle campaigns and historic figures are perfectly blended with clothing, weaponry, and 9th century religion and culture to weave a gripping tale. Parents should be warned that at times some of these battle scenes are gruesome but they were never gratuitous. The Viking’s everyday world was filled with violence and warfare. Still, parents of children under 12 may want to preview the books first or better yet, read it with them.

Viking Warrior was the first in the series, but I made short work of it. Truth be told, the books are all part of the same overarching tale that has yet to be concluded. When I finished Viking Warrior, I was mostly satisfied with the ending, but I had to have more. I jumped right in to book 2, Dragons from the Sea, and before I had completed that one, 2 days later, I had to have book 3, The Road to Vengeance. I was like a junkie, I had to have more; now! So be warned, book 1 could probably stand alone, but books 2 and 3 seem to be a single story split into two books. You may have to buy book 2 and book 3 at the same time.

Judson Roberts is a masterful storyteller. If I were to point out a fault in these books it would probably be that the titles tend not to attract much attention and may even scare some readers away. Viking Warrior is an especially bland title that did little to interest my 12-year-old. It has also suffered from being a book without a proper place on the shelf. As Orson Scott Card points out in his review, there isn’t much of an audience these days for historical fiction, so the book has been relegated to YA fiction obscurity, where it hasn’t quite found the right audience yet. In my opinion, this is merely due to lack of publicity.

Look on Amazon, and you will find that nearly every review for Viking Warrior, Dragons from the Sea, and The Road to Vengeance have been rated 5 stars. Orson Scott Card calls Mr. Roberts “a terrific writer.” In an e-mail conversation with Mr. Roberts, he told me that he hopes to ultimately make this series into 5 books and has “already sketched out rough outlines for the plots of books four and five” and submitted them to his publisher. But these two books may not come to life unless more people find this wonderfully written tale.

I plan to give gifts of Viking Warrior to some of my prolific reading friends. If you are even slightly intrigued by this review, I urge you to run down to Barnes & Noble or go on over to Amazon and buy it. Yes, I am shamelessly trying to get you hooked on the series, so that there will be a book 4 and 5. Save Halfdan, save the Saga. You won’t be disappointed.

By the way, if you want to try before you buy, the first chapter of all 3 books are posted at Mr. Robert’s Web site http://www.judsonroberts.com/previews.asp