#bookreview ~ God’s Hammer #HistFic #Vikings @DarkAgeScribe

God’s Hammer

It is 935 A.D. and the North is in turmoil. The Norse king, Harald Fairhair, has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his rule, Erik ruthlessly kills all claimants to his throne, save one: his teenage brother Hakon, who is being raised in the Christian courts of Engla-lond. Summoned by the enemies of Erik, young Hakon returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright, only to learn that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest nightmares.

                     

 What did I make of the book?

Eric Schumacher has created the most evocative tale in his

 stunning novel — God's Hammer.

Set in 935 AD, God's Hammer tells the story of Hakon Haraldsson (Haakon the Good), from the moment he arrived at King Athelstan of England's Kingdom as a young boy, to the harrowing battle with his eldest brother, Eric Bloodaxe.

This book completely drew me in. The research that has gone into God's Hammer has to be commended, and it is incredibly rich in historical detail. It was as if I was looking through a window into the past as I read the pages of this remarkable story.

Hakon's portrayal is both realistic and believable. Schumacher has obviously researched the life of Hakon in great detail, and this certainly came through in the writing. Schumacher brought Hakon back to life. Well Done!

There are a lot of interesting characters that you meet in this book, and Schumacher has given them all the same attention as Hakon — they are all well-fleshed, and they just work. Everything fits, so well. This book was so refreshing and so realistic, it was an absolute joy to read.

I thought the story itself was gripping and very fast in the telling. It is not an effort to read this book at all. I made a mistake of not giving myself enough time to read it in one sitting because God's Hammer deserves that much attention. It is definitely a sit down and finish book.

I Highly Recommend.

Links for Purchase

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author

  

I grew up in modern Los Angeles but I've had a lifelong love affair with Dark Age Europe. It is a love affair that began as a child, and has persisted through my almost forty years of studying, researching and writing about the subject.

While I've written a number of articles about technology and travel, God's Hammer is my first novel. The novel tells the true story of King Hakon Haraldsson's bitter fight against his ruthless brother Erik for the Norwegian throne.

I now live in Santa Barbara, a small beach town about 100 miles north of Los Angeles with his family, and split time between writing and managing my own communications agency, Neology.

 Useful Links

Author website

Publisher:  Creativia