Sigurd’s Swords (Olaf’s Saga, Book 2) by Eric Schumacher is one of the most atmospheric novels that I have ever read. The harrowing sounds of a hundred horses charging towards you while you hid behind a shield wall must have been nothing short of harrowing. Reading this novel was like stepping through a portal in time. The sights, the sounds, the fear has been captured with an extraordinary amount of skill. Eric Schumacher is one of those authors that can, through the written word, quite literally, make history come alive.
What gives this novel even more clout is that it is written in the first person from Torgil's—he is honour bound to Olaf—point of view. Torgil is a Norse warrior, an exceptionally good one at that, but he finds himself caught in a power struggle, and he witnesses, and is part of, some of the most violent years in the history of the Rus. Torgil was a character that I instantly connected with. He is brave, loyal but above everything else he is extremely honest. He is, for want of a better word, an extremely likeable character and he would certainly be someone you would want on your side during a fight. I really enjoyed reading about him.
Another character I really enjoyed getting to know was Turid. Turid is a very brave and courageous woman who is determined to find her place in the world and she thinks that that place can be found in the heat of battle. Turid faces many challenges, but she approaches each one with a headstrong determination that I could not help but admire. She reminded me very much of Lagertha from Vikings.
Although the title suggests that this novel is about Olaf I found it rather surprising that he was very much a secondary character in the story. Saying that however, Olaf seems to have a nose for trouble and because Torgil is honour bound to keep him safe, he ends up getting into trouble as well. Olaf was a character I was in two minds about. He is incredibly arrogant, but that arrogance has something of a boyish charm about it. I liked him one moment, then I did not the next.
This novel is fabulous from start to finish. Having not read the first book, I was slightly concerned that I would not be able to catch up, but that was certainly not the case for the story stands very firmly on its own two feet. Saying that, however, I will certainly be reading Book 1 and I cannot wait to get my hands on Book 3.
Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for sending me an ARC of this novel. I was under no obligation to leave a review.
From best-selling historical fiction novelist, Eric Schumacher, comes the second volume in Olaf’s Saga: the adrenaline-charged story of Olaf Tryggvason and his adventures in the kingdom of the Rus.
AD 968. It has been ten summers since the noble sons of the North, Olaf and Torgil, were driven from their homeland by the treachery of the Norse king, Harald Eriksson. Having then escaped the horrors of slavery in Estland, they now fight among the Rus in the company of Olaf’s uncle, Sigurd.
It will be some of the bloodiest years in Rus history. The Grand Prince, Sviatoslav, is hungry for land, riches, and power, but his unending campaigns are leaving the corpses of thousands in their wakes. From the siege of Konugard to the battlefields of ancient Bulgaria, Olaf and Torgil struggle to stay alive in Sigurd’s Swords, the riveting sequel to Forged by Iron.
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Eric Schumacher (1968 - ) is an American historical novelist who currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and two children. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended college at the University of San Diego.
At a very early age, Schumacher discovered his love for writing and medieval European history, as well as authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Those discoveries continue to fuel his imagination and influence the stories he tells. His first novel, God's Hammer, was published in 2005.
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