Viking Week

Welcome to Viking Week

This week we’ll be reviewing books and movies that can lay claim to the slightest bit of Viking/Norse/ Icelandic traces within their pages. Obviously it’s only a week long so we can’t really cover all the good books and movies out there as part of Viking Week but we’re sure gonna try. We've got a shelf of books and movies that we read and re-read and watch and re-watch. I don't know why. Maybe it's the high concept and the improbability of a man, his crew and a boat raging against the storm and nature, with a mixture of superstition and awe tossed in for good measure. It asks for good storytelling and there has been some good stories told and we're hoping to showcase them this week. Apart from the pic above, this week will be sans any horned helmets!

First up will be a full review of Wolfsangel by MD Lachlan, later this evening.

But before I review it, I just wanted to say that reading Wolfsangel made me realise a) MDL can in fact write a blood good yarn and that he would make the skalds from back in the day, very happy indeed, b) there aren't enough books about werewolves and Vikings, and c) I am so glad this is a series because looking at b, I'm keen for this to be amended.

Out of all the books that's come out thus far, this year, Wolfsangel has been a personal favourite of mine. I was keen to see how it got "done" and how he was going to pull it off.

I read part of it whilst on holiday in South Africa and then finished it off here in the UK and I can't press it upon enough people that if you are a genre fan, a werewolf fan, a history buff or a Viking fan, then this is definitely one for you. It breaks boundaries and is a piece of anchor-tough writing. New writers can do worse than check it out on how to handle exposition, back story and writing tough gritty fantasy-slash-historical fiction with elements of the supernatural and not lose plot or voice.

But, much more later this evening!

**artwork from robflc1892's deviant art page