AD 796. Sailing in search of an object of great power, Hunlaf and his comrades are far from home when they are caught up in a violent skirmish against pirates. After the bloody onslaught, an encounter with ships from Islamic Spain soon sees them escorted under guard to the city of Qadis, one of the […]
Greek Fire, the early medieval weapon of mass destruction
Matthew Harffy looks at Greek Fire (also called Roman Fire), ‘the early medieval weapon of mass destruction’, and its connection with the Vikings and al-Andalus, as featured in his novel A Day of Reckoning. Humankind has an incredible capacity for creativity. But it is a terrible reality that this talent for creation and innovation has […]
Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson
In AD436, the Burgundars are confident of destroying Rome’s legions, for the Empire is weak. Their forces are strong and they have beaten the Romans in battle before. But they are annihilated, their king killed, his people scattered. Their fabled treasure is lost. For Rome has new allies: the Huns, whose taste for bloodshed knows […]
The 5th century: the fall of Rome, the birth of legends
What links the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the invasions of Attila the Hun and many Norse sagas? The first half of the 5th century, says Tim Hodkinson, a time of tumult when legends were born; stories which still inspire us 1,600 years later. It was a time of legends… Of […]
The Sword of Cnut by Griff Hosker
Sven Saxon Sword is now a lord. He rules a small village on the river. He thinks that his service to King Cnut, now that he had helped him to gain the crown, is over. He is wrong. Not only does he have to deal with Norse raiders but he is also summoned to serve […]
The Last Viking by MJ Porter
Jarl Guthrum has been captured after the terrible events in Grantabridge. King Coelwulf knows exactly what he’d like to do to him, but those with calmer heads have other ideas. Baptised and having taken the name of Æthelstan, Guthrum is Mercia’s prisoner, and in the wake of that, Mercia must rebuild. But Jarl Guthrum is […]
Thor’s Revenge by Donovan Cook
After the bloody Battle of Jelling, Denmark’s throne lies empty and chaos reigns as Jarls jostle for power. Sven survives the bloodshed only to return home to find Ribe sacked by those he trusted and Charles, a pawn in a much bigger political game, kidnapped. Consumed by the loss of Charles, Sven is shocked by […]
Historical books to look out for in 2024
Welcome to Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) to look out for during the coming year. For 2024, there are more than 200 books covering history, biography, and historical fiction and spanning eras from Ancient Greece and Egypt to the 1980s. They sweep […]