One King's Way

Shef is now co-king of england, and has brought peace and prosperity to his land. He is summoned to go north, and to make a great journey around the northlands. The plot thickens in this book, and builds on the first. The charachters develop even more in this book, and continue to do so in the final book of the trilogy.

I love this trilogy, from the start of book one to the end of book three, the historical aspects are pointed out in a way that fits as part of the story and they don't overthrow the plot, lending the books a very authoritative tone. The Characters are great, (Brand is one of my favorites) and there's plenty of action. What I like best about these books is that Harrison really makes you feel inside the story, the way he handles the characters attitudes towards each other and their surroundings really makes you feel like you're right with them weather it's Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, The Frankish Empire, Muslum Spain or what's left of Rome. As for character development, Harrison has a great way of using the third-person point of view in a way that can convey things unknown to the characters yet at the same time the tone of the narrative is flavored with the particular character's personality, culture and view of their surroundings, helping the reader understand more fully the motives and inhibitions of the people he describes. I read these back in high school and loved them then as much I still do now.

This alternate history is a sequel of "The hammer and the Cross", starts with Shef going on a two level quest. The explicit one is to deter the Ragnarsons raids onto the British coasts. The second quest is more or less imposed to him, by Gods or fate or destiny, Shef alternatively complies or resist to it. In this quest new characters come to his help and tie their destiny to his. Shef's journey touches all Norse's world, their myths, legends and beliefs are shown in a thrilling story. The first book of the saga shows an accurate picture of early Middle Ages, this one starts to create a different alternate reality, evolving distinctly from new facts introduced by Harrison. The Lance Order appears in this volume and will grow step by step as an important element in the saga. Finally, the confrontation with the Ragnarsons, comes to an end somewhat abruptly without freeing all the previous mounting tension. A valuable continuation of the saga, I keep looking forward for the next and final step. Reviewed by Max Yofre.

After reading "The Hammer and the Cross" I couldn't wait for the second installment. The wait was well worth it. Harrison followed up his truly excellent beginning with an equally impressive and exciting novel. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters develop and change over the course of the story. Harrison once again delves into history and presents an exciting "what if" story line. Definate thumbs up!