Synopses & Reviews
Corban Loosestrife's life changed one clear morning years ago, when he returned from hunting to his family steading in Ireland and found it destroyed by Vikings and his father, mother, and brothers, slain. But his twin sister Mav was not among the dead, and so he knew that she had been taken as a slave. Corban set out to find her and redeem her, if he could, and in doing so became a man. Corban found his sister through blood and battle, now the property of the sorcerous Lady of Hedeby and pregnant with Eric Bloodaxe's child, gotten in rape. Corban took his revenge; he killed Eric, then the King of Jorvik, and in doing so he became bound in the net of alliances and blood debt that marked the battles for kingship among the Vikings.
Upon the death of Eric Bloodaxe, Corban Loosestrife and his wife Benna fled into the west with Corban's sister Mav and her son. There they made a home for themselves in Vinland, hunting, fishing, raising crops to support themselves and their growing family. There they were happy, until one day when a ship appeared on the horizon, bringing Benna's sister and her husband, bringing a summons to Corban to return to Jorvik and intrigues of those who would be King.
With Corban goes his son Conn and his sister-son Raef, young men now, ready to prove themselves in war. Waiting for them in Denmark is Gunnhild Kings-mother, a woman of great power, who was Eric's wife. Her son Harald Ericsson is now King of Norway, and he has become a Christian. In Jorvik, there is no King, just an Archbishop who owes fealty to Harald. And in Hedeby there awaits the unquiet spirit of the Lady, to whom Corban swore an oath.
It is a clash of clan against clan, and army against army, in the coming war of succession, while the new power of the Christ strives with the ancient worship of Thor. Corban must tread a careful path between those who hate him, and those would be his ally, while concealing Raef's true parentage. And meanwhile, in Vinland, the native tribes are eyeing Corban's fortified island, and wondering if the strangers can finally be driven away.
Synopsis
Holland continues the saga of Corban Loose-Strife in this absorbing sequel to"The Soul Thief," set in the terrible and wonderful world of the Vikings.
Synopsis
Cecelia Holland continues the saga of Corban Loose-Strife in this absorbing sequel to The Soul Thief.
Upon the death of Eric Bloodaxe, Corban, his wife, his sister, and her newborn son fled to a quiet life in Vinland. There they were happy, until the day a ship appeared on the horizon, bringing a summons to Corban to return to Jorvik and the intrigues of those who would be King.
The coming war of succession will be a clash of clan against clan and army against army. Corban must tread a careful path between those who hate him and those who would be his allies, while concealing his nephew's true parentage. For though Corban is bound to the women's side--the witches' kitchen--in this power struggle, the boys are not, and they see only the glory of battle and the promise of bright gold. Meanwhile, in Vinland, the native tribes are eyeing Corban's fortified island and wondering if the strangers can finally be driven away.
From Vinland to Jorvik, to the great trading town of Hedeby, Holland conjures up the terrible and wonderful world of the Vikings, in a time when men battled with swords and women ruled with quiet power behind closed doors.
About the Author
Cecelia Holland has been writing since she was 12, and spends a good deal of every day writing. She chose to write historical fiction, because, being 12, she had precious few stories of her own, and history seemed to her then, as it still does, an endless fund of material.
She was encouraged to write by the poet William Meredith and the short story writer David Jackson. Her first novel was The Firedrake, and it was published by Atheneum in 1966. Since then, Cecelia has written a lot, read a lot, and raised three daughters. She lived in northern California, in the country. Once a week, she teaches creative writing at Pelican Baystate Prison in Crescent City, and, every day, she takes care of a small menagerie of little animals.