Attila's Treasure

This book is a companion to Rhinegold and details the events of the life of Hagan, who is sent to live with Atilla as a foster-hostage. Well written and researched like any of Grundy's novles, you find yourself transported into the time he writes of, and find yourself empathising with the charachters. Hagan, the ultimate introvert, is portraied in a sensitive and understanding way, showing the intense emotion which is felt by those who are often misunderstood, and thought to be without feeling and less than human.The strong history in this book and wonderful descriptions of surroundings show the culture clashes experienced by the charachters within. It's a story of cross-culture friendships, and tolerance and understanding of your friends even when you don't understand or nesicarily agree with practices of your friends. It is also a story of dangerous forbidden love and longing.As one who practices Asatru, norse religion, I was delighted at the realistic and true way in which the religions and magic are portraied. Those who enjoyed this may also be interrested to know that the author of these books is a scholar who has also writen books on Asatru under the penname 'Kveldulf Gundarsson' and his books are "Teutonic Magic" and "Teutonic Religion".

I really liked this book, and I find it somewhat upsetting that only a few years after it's release it is no longer in print. If you are interested in Norse/Germanic mythology or late Roman and early medieval history, you would do well in finding this book and it's author's other work "Rhinegold". There a few tiny inaccuracies, my main complaint being weak etymology. There is enough written about the Gothic language and its relationship to other Germanic languages that the author could have easily avoided preposterous reconstructions like 'Donars' for ON Þórr, OE Þunor. But such mistakes are trivial minutia and I'm really just being picky. It was interesting to see (for the first time in a fictional novel that I'm aware of) a character who exhibited the male/female inversion typical in ancient Germanic belief of the practice of seidr - or *saiþs as the Goths may have called it (if they called it at all). It was a highly engrossing book with a grim and unsettling tone when dealing with the otherworld (a nice touch). The somber and archaic atmosphere fits the main character and setting perfectly. Pick it up, you won't be dissapointed.

It had everything I like; historical information tied with a historical fable and actual events, similar views of religion, battles, politics, and a darker side of story telling e.g. good and bad die. That might be a run on sentence but, I do not care. It was a very good book. I would read this book first though. I say this because Hagan will not appear such an evil person read this way. It will also get you ready for the explantions of the gods in Rhinegold. Both Rhinegold and Attila's Treasure intertwine a lot.

This is better than Rhinegold. Grundy does better when dealing with a shorter time span (several years). Hagan's bisexual feelings for Saganova and Waldhari are portrayed sensitively; as a bisexual myself, I appreciated this. Also, his wariness of Attila and loyalty to the Gebicung house are very understandable. Grundy clearly shows how Hagan got shafted; he was sent as a hostage to Attila to keep the peace, yet was recalled to marry a Christian woman and was not allowed to take the official place of the Sinwist (high priest) as he requested. Grundy shows the conflicts between the Romans and the tribes, between the Christians and pagans. He sensitively treats the love between Hildegund and Waldhari. I highly recommend this book.

Readers looking for heroic adventures and mighty warriors set against the turmoil of the Migration Age will not be disappointed. But it is the struggle of Hagan, a young man coming to age in a time of great upheavals in politics, religion and culture that makes this story so compelling. We see beyond the dark and brooding Hagan of Grundy's earlier Rhinegold, into the heart of the man who must learn to balance honor and loyalty to his people with his own spiritual journey. Grundy lets us share the journey as Hagan grows into his dual birthright of princely duty and shamanistic power. If you liked Rhinegold, you will love Attila's treasure.