Book picks similar to
Fate's Needle by Jerry Autieri
historical-fiction
vikings
fiction
norse
Mutiny
John Stack - 2018
Yet the trouble is not yet over. As mercenaries land in Carthage to claim payment for services rendered, they do not receive what they expect. Lacking a shared culture, structure and even language, this band of warriors has taken up residence in Carthage, and is becoming increasingly angry... Meanwhile, veteran Roman sailor and prefect Atticus Perennis is fighting pirates in the seas around Sicily. Perpetually an outsider, despite his Roman citizenship, due to his Greek heritage, Atticus is a fine warrior with more than one point to prove. He sails with his brother-in-law, Septimus, a Roman centurion of striking bravery and skill, and despite their grisly encounters with pirate crews, both long for some measure of peace after the wars with the Punici of Carthage. It is a vain hope. For among the pirates’ booty are Roman senators, who tell Atticus of the mercenary occupation of Carthage. Worse, the mercenaries have kidnapped the Roman proconsul to whom Atticus owes a particular debt of honour. And so, Atticus, Septimus and their crew sail for Carthage. Once there, Atticus is re-united with yet another acquaintance, Hamilcar Barca. As military commander of Carthage, Barca could do with some help. But the last person he wants help from is Atticus Perennis... Mutiny< is a meticulously rendered tale of politics and war in the Roman era, a tale that takes an unflinching look at the details of battle and occupation, and the compromises of allegiance. It will delight fans of Roman history, historical fiction and military fiction alike. John Stack was born and lives in County Cork. He is married with three children, and is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Masters of the Sea series.
Sword of Darkness
Kinley MacGregor - 2006
Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.In the heart of London...A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.Their worlds are forever changed...Kerrigan's goal is simple: barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.
The Ice-Shirt
William T. Vollmann - 1990
The newcomers are a proud and bloody-minded people whose kings once changed themselves into wolves. The Norse have advanced as implacably as a glacier from Iceland to the wastes of Greenland and from there to the place they call Vinland the Good. The natives are a bronze-skinned race who have not yet discovered iron and still see themselves as part of nature. As William T. Vollmann tells the converging stories of these two peoples and of the Norsewomen Freydis and Gudrid, whose venomous rivalry brings frost into paradise he creates a tour-de-force of speculative history, a vivid amalgam of Icelandic saga, Inuit creation myth, and contemporary travel writing that yields a new an utterly original vision of our continent and its past.--back cover
Warprize
Elizabeth Vaughan - 2005
With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders. Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't usurp her brother or negotiate a peace--but she can heal the brave ones injured in battle.But not only her countrymen are wounded, and Xylara's conscience won't let Firelander warriors die when she can do something to save them. She learns their language and their customs and tries to make them as comfortable as possible, despite their prisoner-of-war status.She never expects that these deeds, done in good faith, would lead to the handsome and mysterious Firelander Warlord demanding her in exchange for a cease-fire. Xylara knows must trade the life she has always known for the well-being of her people, and so she becomes...The Warprize
The Landing
Colin Taber - 2013
There, after tests, adventures and challenges, he will leave a legacy that will grow to become the strongest nation the world has ever seen.The Landing is the first book in The United States of Vinland series and is an alternate history that begins the saga with the establishment of the first Markland halls.Welcome to Norse America.
My Lady Mage
Alexis Morgan - 2012
A band of warriors. And one troubled kingdom.It is whispered in Agathia that the legendary warriors of the mist—cursed by the gods—can be summoned only when a champion is needed and the cause is just. Gideon, their captain, knows this to be the one path that will lead his men to redemption—lest they face an eternity of damnation.Years have passed since anyone has journeyed to the river's edge, but times are desperate. Oppressed by a cruel guardian whose dark magic threatens to destroy her people, the beautiful and courageous Merewen calls upon the bespelled warriors. In Gideon she finds more than a champion, and in his arms, more than protection. However, their enemies are fighting with a power darker than anything than they imagined, and should Gideon fail, she will lose everything she holds dear—including her heart.
The Faerie Ring
Kiki Hamilton - 2011
Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring is a reservoir that holds a truce between the English royals and the world of the Fey. But there are many who want the ring, including the mysterious Rieker, a handsome pickpocket who has been watching Tiki, and a rebel group of UnSeelie fey who would do anything to break the truce...A delicious blend of urban fantasy and heart-stopping suspense, the story of THE FAERIE RING takes you from the gritty slums of London to the glittering ballrooms of the Royal Palace to the menacing Otherworld - in a spellbinding tale of mystery and suspense where nothing is what it seems...
Bluebirds: A Battle of Britain Novel
Melvyn Fickling - 2018
Bluebirds, a novel based on true stories, climaxes in 1940, the world's most dangerous year. A meticulously researched Battle of Britain novel based on the true stories of an East Anglian war hero and the first American volunteer to fire guns against the Nazis, a man who became his friend and brother-in-arms. The Battle of Britain defined the future for Britain, Europe and America. Bluebirds tells the story of four ordinary young men who are thrown together as Hitler plunges the European continent into its darkest hours. Andrew Francis and Gerry Donaldson were born on different sides of the Atlantic just before The Great War. Together with the mildly psychotic Bryan Hale, they fly Spitfires through the summer of 1940. Invasion is imminent and England faces almost certain defeat after Hitler’s unstoppable armies slice through France to the Channel coast. Fighter Command risks total destruction as they rise to meet the Fuhrer’s Luftwaffe hordes in what would become The Battle of Britain. Flying with The Few - Review in FlyPast Magazine October 2017 The first part of a proposed trilogy, Bluebirds stands alone as a gripping fictionalised account of The Battle of Britain, documenting how the lives of its four central characters become intertwined. This has clearly been a labour of love for author Melvyn Fickling, who writes with great clarity about the fast-moving events of that pivotal summer, and who imbues his descriptions of flight with boundless enthusiasm. Structured in time-linear format, Melvyn adheres closely to history, creating an increasingly tense atmosphere that becomes all too tragic when the cost of war is realised. The story follows the path of four pilots, starting with the formative years of three of them, and working its way forward, documenting the fears of war in Europe, and how the threat influences the decisions of all. Andrew Francis joins the pre-war RAF - idealistic and well-mannered, he is somewhat shocked at the fiery antics of fellow pilot Bryan Hale, with whom he nevertheless becomes friends. When war erupts, they are joined at Kenley by American pilot Gerry Donaldson, a volunteer facing pressure from British authorities to document his experiences - a propaganda bid to involve the US more closely in the conflict. Eventually Vincent Drew comes under their wing. Troubled by years of childhood abuse and hiding a serious health condition, with Vincent comes tragedy. In an excellent narrative, the author captures the mood of the times - the fear of invasion, the differing attitudes to the enemy, and the carry-on-regardless spirit that kept Britain in the war. FlyPast Magazine - At the heart of aviation heritage.
Winter Pilgrims
Toby Clements - 2014
In the fight that follows, she is rescued by a young monk and the knight is defeated. But the consequences are far-reaching, and Thomas and Katherine are expelled from their religious Orders and forced to flee across a land caught in the throes of one of the most savage and bloody civil wars in history: the Wars of the Roses.Their flight will take them across the Narrow Sea to Calais where Thomas picks up his warbow, and trains alongside the Yorkist forces. Katherine, now dressed as a man, hones her talents for observation and healing both on and off the fields of battle. And all around them, friends and enemies fight and die as the future Yorkist monarch, Edward, Earl of March, and his adviser the Earl of Warwick, later to become known as the Kingmaker, prepare to do bloody battle. Encompassing the battles of Northampton, Mortimer's Cross and finally the great slaughter of Towton, this is war as experienced not by the highborn nobles of the land but by ordinary men and women who do their best just to stay alive. Filled with strong, sympathetic characters, this is a must-read series for all who like their fiction action-packed, heroic and utterly believable.
The Ocean's Daughter
Corinne Beenfield - 2020
Helen Danner is sure she will drown in it. The Nazis have taken everything from her. Laughter, light, love—they’d been so much a part of her life. Now in a home once filled with family, only her own lonely footsteps echo. Rejected from becoming a host parent during the mass child evacuation, her heart shatters once again. Thousands of children are fleeing to Wales by boat, seeking safety, comfort…and love. All she wants is one. But she’ll need to convince Stuart Adams, the handsome officer who rejected her application. When a mysterious child comes into her life, peculiar things happen that neither she nor Officer Adams can explain. As they learn more about the girl—and the strange tie she has to a world that wants her back—Helen forms a dangerous attachment to her. Can Helen risk loving the girl, knowing that losing her might destroy her completely?
The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion
Daniel McCoy - 2016
As you’d expect from Daniel McCoy, the creator of the enduringly popular website Norse Mythology for Smart People, it’s written to scholarly standards, but in a simple, clear, and entertaining style that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to read. It includes gripping retellings of no less than 34 epic Norse myths – more than any other book in the field – while also providing an equally comprehensive overview of the fascinating Viking religion of which Norse mythology was a part. You’ll learn about the Vikings’ gods and goddesses, their concept of fate, their views on the afterlife, their moral code, how they thought the universe was structured, how they practiced their religion, the role that magic played in their lives, and much more. With its inclusion of the latest groundbreaking research in the field, The Viking Spirit is the ultimate introduction to the timeless splendor of Norse mythology and religion for the 21st Century.
Reluctant Concubine
Dana Marton - 2012
Born into a much gentler world, she struggles to survive in a land of savage warlords and their cruel concubines. When ancient prophecies begin to come to pass, can the healer-slave save the realm and awaken the High Lord’s heart? For anyone who enjoyed the fantasy worlds of George Martin's Game of Thrones, C.L. Wilson's Lord of the Fading Lands, Elizabeth Vaughan's Warprize, or the memorably crafted healer heroines in Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, this is the next epic adventure to get lost in.
Tahn
L.A. Kelly - 2005
Trapped between his master's evil commands and his persistent conscience that tells him to do otherwise, Tahn Dorn finds himself in a twisting plot that threatens not only his life but also that of the lovely Netta.
Winter Solstice Winter
E.J. Squires - 2013
But Ailia's on the verge of discovering that she hasn't even seen the tip of the iceberg that sleeps below...On Winter Solstice Ailia visits her favorite place to ponder: a large cliff overlooking her hometown. On her way home, Eiess and an army of Vikings capture her before attacking the Northlandic Kingdom. After usurping the Northlandic Throne, Eiess immediately suspends the seasons on the darkest and coldest day of the year and begins her preparations for the prophesied battle to end all battles.Princess Lucia, sole heir to the Nothlandic Throne, is taken prisoner by Eiess and is thrown into the castle’s tower. For months, Lucia wastes away, never knowing when this nightmare of beatings, starvation and bitter cold will end. But when she miraculously escapes, she learns that she has a twin sister she must find before Eiess completely destroys the Northlandic Kingdom.Months later, Ailia wakes up in a glacier cave with no memory of how she ended up there. On her way home, a handsome, yet mysterious young man named Soren rescues her from wolves and a dangerous shape-shifter. Ailia is immediately drawn to Soren, thinking she knows him from somewhere, maybe from her dreams of another life? He reveals he is a Sentinor sent by the gods to defeat Eiess and is waiting to be reunited with his soul mate, Lucia, so they together can defeat the Empress.As Eiess continues to amass her forces, Ailia, Lucia and Soren are about to discover that their destinies are intertwined behind a veil of dark secrets and lies. If they are to take back the Northlandic Throne, they must work together and form an alliance.But their mission to overthrow the Empress is stalled when the secrets and lies surface. And when a strong love develops between two, jealousy and duplicity arise between them, causing one of them to betray the others – a betrayal which puts their lives and the lives of humanity in grave danger. WINTER SOLSTICE WINTER is a Young Adult/New Adult fantasy romance set in the Viking Era. With Suspense, Norse paranormal elements and a breathtaking soul mate love story, it's a great read for those who enjoy a page-turning story. This is the first book in its series.
Twin Passions
Miriam Minger - 1988
She and her identical twin, tomboyish Gwendolyn, are kidnapped and taken aboard a Viking ship. While the handsome captain mistakes Gwendolyn for a boy and appoints her his servant, Anora captures his heart and he vows to have her. To preserve her sister's maidenhood, Gwendolyn initiates a dangerous game. Will the twins be rescued before Gwendolyn surrenders to her own passion?