Kings of the North - Hardcover

Holland, Cecelia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765321920 ISBN 13: 9780765321923

Publisher: Forge Books, 2010

Synopsis

Having fled from Constantinople, Raef Corbanson and his companions--Lief the Icelander, and Laissa, the young girl who they rescued from Constantinople--are cast up on shore in Normandy. Their goal is to return to Raef’s home in the Viking town of Jorvik in England.  Raef is back in his home territory, and his old friend and shipmate Sweyn Forkbeard is now King of Denmark--and soon to overthrow King Ethelred II of England. Raef’s connections throw him into the middle of the struggle between Sweyn, Ethelred, and Ethelred’s son Edward. Raef becomes foster father of Sweyn’s son Knut...who will become known as King Canute when he in turn takes the throne of England.

About this title

About the Author:

CECELIA HOLLAND is one of the most respected historical novelists in the world. She is the author of more than thirty novels.  Her earliest books, from The Firedrake to Great Maria, were New York Times bestsellers.  She ceased writing for many years to raise her three daughters, and then began a come-back career with Forge, with the novel Jeruselem. Her most recent novel was The High City. Holland lives in Northern California.

From Publishers Weekly:

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.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0765321920
• ISBN 13: 9780765321923
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416