Born to be king. Destined to die for glory.
1066 AD, Norway
Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, the Thunderbolt of the North, reigns supreme; undefeated on the battlefield and unchallenged at home. His banner, Land-Waster, flies triumphant everywhere he marches. Everything that was stolen from his brother, King Olaf, has been regained.
But power does not satiate. Glory does not fill the empty void in an ambitious heart. Victory is an elixir that runs dry no matter how freely it flows. No matter the height on which the triumphant stand, there, in the corner of his eye, is the glitter of another conquest.
Harald has achieved more than any man of his time, but fate is not done with him. His destiny lies on the banks of a quiet river in England’s green and pleasant land – Stamford Bridge.
To finish his great story, to forge the empire he always desired, all the last Viking conqueror must do is defeat a worthy opponent; King Harold of England, and seize his country and his crown.
His life changed nations.
His death will change the world.
My Review
The final volume of Harald Hardrada’s saga was well worth the wait. First, we witnessed the long and difficult road he had to travel through Norway before finally gaining the kingship. It wasn’t easy! We saw the ruthless, implacable side of Harald all too clearly, as he sacrificed men, trod upon others’ claims, and broke promises—all in the cause of achieving his life’s ambition. Our narrator, Eric the Follower, had actually disapproved enough of Harald’s behavior to leave the new king’s service once Harald was firmly on the throne. He felt old and used up, and wanted nothing more than to retire to the country and raise a family:
“You might think that I left because I could not forgive him, but I did. Or that I no longer loved him, but I loved him always. I left him not just because of his actions, but also my own weakness, because I could no longer bear the furnace heat of his ambitions, and what he was willing to do to achieve them. But that never changed the true nature of my bond to him.’
‘Listen carefully, for this is what I have been trying to have you understand about Hardrada. He was not a great man because he was willing to order men to die for his ambitions. He was a great man because they wanted to.”
That was it in a nutshell. Eric loved and admired Harald despite all his foibles. Fifteen years passed during which he never spoke a word to the king. That is, until Harald showed up on his doorstep, asking Eric to come and serve at his side while he journeyed with a great army to England. We are halfway through the book when the great expedition begins. The campaign ending with the battle of Stamford Bridge was everything I had hoped for. Good and thorough reading!
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