It’s 451 and in Britainnia Octa has returned from the Saxon lands with the army he promised — battle-hardened warriors ready to face Prince Vortimer and his allies.
After a savage conflict, Prince Vortimer’s dream of becoming High King of Britannia lies in ruins. For Octa and his people, victory offers something rare: peace and a chance to build a new life.
But the gods have other plans.
Whispering to the desperate and the broken, they turn Badulf toward war. Driven by their will, he gathers a vast Pictish host that sweeps across the north in fire and blood, hunting Gungnir, Woden’s legendary spear.
Now a warlord, Octa must march north once more to aid his old foederati allies beyond the crumbling Roman wall.
As gods and men are drawn into a struggle that could consume Britannia, he faces an impossible choice: protect the people he leads or defend the spear that could unleash ruin.
Can Octa stop the Picts before the gods claim Gungnir — and give Woden the war he craves?
Woden’s War by Donovan Cook is published on 2 October, 2026.
To discover more new historical fiction, look at Historia’s list of over 200 books coming out in 2026.
