Viking: Sworn Brother

I loved the first book and couldn't wait to start the second and was very pleased with the second offering of the Viking series! Again, instead of a long winded review I'll liste some pros and cons to the book.Pros:- A lot of the character introductions were made in the first book which made room for the book to really move into the adventures of Thorgils.- There was a lot of action in this book and it was written very well!- As in the first book the characterization was excelent- A lot of the book is firmly rooted in well researched history! A plus seeing as how a lot of "historical fiction" tends to really stray for actual history- This book takes it on an even larger scale as it takes Thorgils on many more adventures in much further off and elaborate lands!Cons:- Again, very very very long paragraphs that really slow down the flow of the book at times- VERY poor editing. There are typos all over the place! It's not the authors fault, it's the publishers. One of the huscarls you meet in England spells his name with an "N" sometimes and "M" others. It's little things like that but they are quite numerousAnd really, that's the only cons I can think of in this book.

After finishing this second of the trilogy (the first was soft cover) I believe is better than most anything on Netflix. I enjoy how the stories, like all historical fiction, is a spin off of history. What is better is when you have been to some of the story settings and provide your own backstory. Yes I will read the third and most like be disappointed that the story will then be over.

This novel is the second of a trilogy about the life of Thorgils Leifsson, an illegitimate son of Leif Eriksson. In this novel Thorgils has escaped from the monks in Ireland and finds himself in England, where he promptly has a love affair with Aelfgifu, the young wife of King Knut, the Scandinavian King of England. The story continues to be roughly faithful to the sagas, and I enjoyed this novel a lot. Having said that, I thought that the first novel was better. No matter, this one holds the reader's interest and certainly constitutes a good and satisfying read. I found the sub-plot about Grettir the Strong to be somewhat plodding, but it is in the sagas and so the author obviously felt compelled to include it here. Grettir's situation certainly is one of the key components of much of the plot of this second novel.As in the first installment of the series, the author does an outstanding job bringing the tenth century Viking Age to life. These stories really give the reader insight as to how people of that age thought and what their lives were like. That is the real point of these excellent stories. RJB.

I loved the descriptions of the various places visited and people met. I don't care for Thorgils, he seems to exist purely on luck and has no honor/morals to make him likable or skillset to make him interesting. His one gift, second sight, is totally useless to him because he constantly fails to acknowledge the warnings they provide him until after the calamity has concluded.

Didn't want this one to end but it was a quick read and felt a bit like a continuation of the less than fully developed plot from the last chapters of Odin's Child. These are still great books and i cant wait to read the third. Perfect for a Charlotte to Seattle non-stop.

I had enjoyed Severin's Viking 1 - Odinn's Child, and continued the tale with Viking 2.I only have a few pages left, and can't wait to get through it - it has gotten tedious. Thorgils, now in his 20's, has survived so many deadly scrapes, it has become predictable and boring. I will not be venturing into Viking #3.

A page turner, not because of intense action but because of an excellent blend of thought, history, action and a level of suspens

I enjoyed this historical novel centered around what at times seems mystical. It was a good read which I recommend.

Read this book in 2006, and its the 2nd volume of the wonderful "Viking" trilogy.This starts off in the year AD 1020, and Thorgils after having escaped the Irish Church, he finds himself at the court of King Cnut the Great of England, one of the most powerful men of the Viking empire, and having an affair with the King's wife, Aelfgifu.When their relationship is discovered Thorgils must flee the realm and during his flight he will meet with a certain outlaw called, Grettir.They decide to travel together and will become "Sworn Brothers", binding them together until death.Their bond will be finally tested at the gates of Byzantium, where they will have to fight to the death and Thorgils' loyalty will reach the ultimate test.What is to follow is a terrific Viking tale, in which Thorgils is wonderfully pictured in his dealings with people and circumstances, in peace and war, but always busy living and fighting the Viking way, and all this is brought to us by the author in a excellent fashion.Highly recommended, for this is a great addition to this wonderful Viking trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Superb Viking Sequel"!

Great condition for a used book!!! My favourite so far in trilogy...odins child sets the scene whilst sworn brother delivers and great journey which keeps you wanting more... A third through the final book whi h is continuing a great story of historical viking fiction.

From the start the book draws the reader in, with the writings of a monk(the lead character and narrator of the story, Thorgils) and that his life entailed much more than living in a monastery.We follow the life of Thorgils, his childhood, and his parents and his adventuring far and wide in the era of the Vikings and on into manhood, with his worldly views chopping and changing as he tries to find himself. It's brilliant to see a book take the step of bringing to life the settlements on Greenland and the interconnections and intrigues of all the Scandinavian countries. There's even a phase of the book set in Ireland!In reading this book it's hard not to feel like you are experiencing all the travels by the side of Thorgils and seeing what he's seeing. There is a rich depth to the "old ways" versus the new religion of Christianity. If you didn't know much about norse mythology before reading this book, you will be searching out books on the subject afterwards. The Vikings are prortrayed in a wonderful earthy and in some cases mystical tone, making for great reading.It's a strong story, and you're never entirely sure where the trilogy is going to go, but you feel you have to stick to it and find out. The book is written in a good style that flows easily and makes for a great fast "page-turner" volume! The characters have depth and you get to love and hate many of them along Thorgils' journey.I'm well into reading book 2, "Sworn Brother" now, and I'm still of the opinion that this is an excellent triology, refreshing and gripping! 5 Stars!

Perfect second hand copy nearly new condition

Much better than the first book - less rambly and flitting around - still find the long ramblings on religion a bit tedious and the second sight pointless, but it's a good read. Yes it's convenient that Thorgils ends up in so many places at the right time - a bit like a Flashman for the 9th Century without the cowardly debauchery - but hey that's what stories are for ! I agree with other that Thorgils himself is a bit of an earnest bore and....he's still not a viking - a couple of weeks serving at Jomsburg does not make him that ! I see from the reviews the Saxon series is equally mis-named ! On the final book now, glad I stuck it out !