Viking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga)

Being a big fan of Norse mythos, I like to read historical fiction set in that time period. I find the clash of cultures and religions of the time fascinating, as a new more modern age was just beginning. I was particularly drawn to this story because it's basic premise promised to be a tense revenge story across land and sea over years until the final inevitable clash. The world building in this book is really well done. You can tell the author put a lot of time into researching the lifestyle of the 10th century Danes, in culture and lifestyle. There are no anachronistic touches, such as large cities, plate armor or weapons that weren't in use at the time. The author understands that not every person was a raider or warrior, and that artisans and farmers were part of society too. He certainly doesn't shy away from the fact the Vikings kept slaves, and their place in society. This is the crux of the story of Halfdan, after all. The characters are outstanding. Halfdan is really well written. Coming from humble beginnings as a slave, he's still been part of the Chieftan's household, and when he gains his freedom, his story really takes off. How he deals with his life turned upside down, from being a lowly slave to freed man, then to running for his life is so well done, with a fully fleshed out character arc. The need for revenge is the fuel he needs to drive his character arc, and it really works. The villain in this story is just that, a villain. He is motivated by greed and jealousy, a need for revenge for being passed over, at least in his mind. He brings a very real sense of violence and menace to the story, as well as unpredictability. He's not a cardboard cutout, he's just a bitter angry man that thinks life owes him more than it does, and he'll unleash madness to try and get his revenge. Simple motivations, but it makes for a powerfully menacing villain. Jeff Hays does an outstanding job narrating, switching between a wide variety of characters, male and female, old and young, with a variety of accents as well. He really brought the story to life for me, and his narrative pacing keeps you immersed in the story throughout. I highly recommend checking this version out. This is the kind of book that should appeal to a wide range of readers. I can see it appealing to fans of historical fiction as well as more traditional fantasy stories. It's mix of characters, worldbuilding and an action packed plot result in a book you won't be able to put down, and will move right on to the next book in the series after you finish this one. I highly recommend this book.

I was impressed by the reasonably authentic, as far as I understand it, Viking background to the story. The scene is believably drawn and there is not too much 'presentism' - that is, the characters are not simply modern people in fancy dress. They often have different attitudes towards events than what we see as normal today and the way they are explained and incorporated into the story is very well done. The most obvious flaw of this book, which is a fairly forgivable one given that it's YA, is the Gary Stu-ism in Halfdan, the protagonist. He's 14. Son of a captured Irish princess and the local chief, unacknowledged by his dad so living as a slave like his mom, but he is also the unacknowledged best woodworker (he makes better bows even if he does have to hide them!), best smith (he can take over the forge when the blacksmith is killed!), best tracker (he can show the legit, much older son how to stalk a deer!), and best archer (he never misses when he takes crucial, risky shots!) the steading has. But he's downtrodden and oppressed and spends all his time at the beck and call of the shrewish second wife of the chieftain, except, of course, for when he's sneaking off into the forest or hanging out with the craftsmen doing all the other stuff. He also picks up excellent warrior skills in a month or so after he is freed on his dad's deathbed. He knows how to read and write Latin because mom taught him because she was clearly a Mary Sue wannabe in her own back story. Yeah, right - this is getting a bit over the top. I was almost expecting violet eyes and unicorns next, but it, fortunately, never got that far from realistic. However, none of this has gone to Halfdan's head. The darn super-kid spends at least a line or two of every chapter thinking, "I was a slave and now I'm free. I'm used to being a thrall so I don't know how to be a free person." It got tedious because it didn't feel integral to either the character or the scene, just something the author thought should be stressed possibly to offset the over-the-top competence of the kid. It was just tacked on to too many scenes when Halfdan needed some reflection on what was happening. The kid was the *son of a princess* and the obvious *son of the local chieftain* - why did he have no sense of 'hey, at last!' about being freed, especially since we are told that he knows that this the doing of the Norns? That was the only place where I thought that too modern attitudes crept into the narrative. If he trusts his gods, why wouldn't he also think that they knew what they were doing when he was freed and not just 'but I was a thrall' over and over and over and over and over again. The story picked up towards the end when Halfdan and his brother went to claim Halfdan's inheritance and the series story arc finally started to come into play. The 'berserker' attitude I felt was particularly well-done because it was not just a 'shield munching frothing' madness; it was a nuanced look at a kind of charismatic person who is not honorable and only out for what is best for him. I bought this at a deep discount, and I'm not sure I'd pay full price to read any of the sequels. I am clearly not in the book's targeted demographic. However, if they were on sale or on Kindle Unlimited, I'd certainly read them. Though it's surely coincidence, since it predates The Force Awakens by quite a bit, the cover picture also has our hero, Halfdan, looking quite a bit like Adam Driver as Kylo Ren from Star Wars.

First and foremost, I really liked this story. I think the author does a really good job as a writer and storyteller, and it seems to be well-edited. I have already bought book 2 of the series, and downloaded it to my Kindle. This is clearly a book written for males, both adults and young adult. I unashamedly admit I'm a junkie for those sorts of adventure stories. I'm the guy folks write these sorts of stories for. In addition, I have a huge love of historical fiction. This book falls into both categories, so I'll enjoy even mediocre writing. That said, Mr. Roberts has clearly written a story that is well above mediocre. Like I said, it's well-written, well-told, and well-edited. It's the story of a young slave in Scandinavian culture of 1000 years ago, who rises to warrior status. It's not overly graphic in its violence, and certainly not graphic sexually. I felt it did a really great job of painting a picture of Scandinavian culture of that era that Mr Roberts appears to have researched well, often dispelling popular myths about said culture. It's right up the sweet spot of what I love to read about. I want to use this as a point of comparison to the Cave Bear series that I struggled with. In my review of those books, I admitted that I was probably not the audience - the author seemed to be aiming at women, and in particular adolescent girls. If someone were addicted to genres that targeted that audience in the same way I'm addicted to adventure stories and historical fiction, they probably overlooked a lot just because the story was written for them. Mr. Roberts has written these stories for me. If you're not a fan of either historical fiction or adventure stories, you might find many faults that I never noticed - I can't predict that. If you like either of these genres, I think you'd really enjoy this story. Now, for some additional information. If you read my blog (at NeilHanson dot com) you know I'm a writer who publishes independently. This means I write what I want and publish it myself. It also means I don't have a big publishing house providing lots of marketing muscle to get my book out in the market - I depend on loyal fans who love what I write. There are pros and cons to traditional publishing (big publishing houses and literary agents) vs the independent route I take. One of the big cons to the traditional route is the control the publishing house has over your life, your career, and what it is you write. I've already pointed out one of the pros to the publishing house route - a big gorilla pushing your book in the marketplace... That fact is relevant here. In reading Mr Roberts' website, it appears that he had a "deal" with a big publishing house to publish the first 3 books in the series, and an option on the fourth book. After 3 books, they apparently sat on the option - preventing him from publishing it - before finally releasing the option recently. This allows him to now publish the 4th book, and it will be interesting to see whether he publishes it independently or through another contract with a publishing house. I'd certainly encourage him to go independent. He has a great story and a great brand, and it seems to me he could make a good go of this on his own. Of course, here again, I have a bias toward the independent route, due to the freedom it gives an author from both a business perspective and a creative perspective. As writers, we each must decide whether we want the big sales numbers that a publishing house might bring to the table, or the freedom to give what our core audience wants from us. The key in this is the core audience - the fan base. As independents, we absolutely survive or perish based on the support we receive from you - our core fan base. If you like what we write, we really depend on you to spread the word, to "like" us on Facebook or Google+, to read and comment on our blog, and to recruit other fans who might buy what we have to offer - or at least read what we write. I'm a new fan of Mr. Roberts. I'll buy his books, and assuming they stay as good as the first one, I'll try and get others to read his stuff as he publishes more in the series (assuming he does so independently). Thanks for reading!

I really liked this book! However, it did take some time before I began to. I usually prefer books that start out fast, to catch the readers attention, and then trail off into a story so when Roberts started out slow I began to worry. The first half or so of the book is LOTS of back story and introductions to the characters (which I do like) but I was really wondering when the story would begin and where it was going to go. It did though, and very well done at that. The book follows the main character, Halfdan, and his journey thus making this an easy read. Dozens of different people do come and go in his life but they are wonderfully developed and it is easy to follow between them all. The dialog jumped around a lot from flat to very animated and at times it seemed hard to really get how the characters were feeling but maybe this is just the author's early writing and he improves later. The actual story makes up for this. I did read some reviews about the main character being too advanced for his age but I did not get that at all... times were very different back then so I am sure his abilities coincided with his age and the life he had to live. I was never getting the impression that he was far-fetched. He tried, failed then tried again. Nothing was automatic for him. I knew very little about Viking culture prior to this book and pictured them all as mindless drunken brutes that wreaked havoc over most of northern Europe. Roberts, however, introduces us to a very sophisticated people rich in traditions and culture (that wreaked havoc over most of Europe) then puts it all into a well written fictitious story! The maps are a bonus too! This is a book where the sample does not do it justice, so I would say skip that and go right into the whole thing. I loved it, and I bet you will too. **Edit 01/19** Finished the trilogy and label it as highly recommended. Great for a young reader, not only for the ease of it but the content. A lot of action but not extremely gory, no harsh language and no graphic sex.

When I read any book, I appreciate it for the craftsmanship that went into creating it, along with the story itself. In that regard, it's a good book. But I had a lot of trouble clicking with the main character. If you've read the blurb/reviews/description, you'll already know that Viking Warrior (book 1 of The Strongbow Saga) is an work of historical fiction - set in the times when Vikings plundered the coast of Britain & Ireland taking slaves and riches home to their longhouses. The main character, Halfdan, tells the story in past tense. It's his journey from the bastard son/slave of a Viking chieftain to a freeman and warrior. Nice concept, reasonably well written. But... Maybe I'm spoiled for choice, but I found many of the characters lacked that personal touch. Not sure how to explain it... there were too few descriptions about raised eyebrows and facial expression that help to bring a character to life. I think the author may have gotten a little lost in the side stories too. There were long detailed descriptions of battles across the seas's and his mothers background story. I love a little background detail...but it detracted from Halfdan's story, from his point of view. It was a little impersonal for my liking - for example, at one point, Halfdan's mother tells us how she came to live in this distant, heathen land....but I didn't pick up on the emotion. There were no hands shaking with nerves or distant looks as she envisioned scenes from long ago or sad smiles for her son during that story. Just the facts and Halfdan's shocked reception of them. I wanted to know more about the land itself too - I wanted descriptions about the sounds and scents of the forrest, about how the smell of cooking venison made tummies rumble & mouths salivate, about the feel of warm summer winds in the sails or sea spray in the hair. I don't even remember what colour the water of the fjord is. Maybe I'm being unfair. I wanted more history in my historical fiction.... I wanted to come away knowing more about the culture and way of life. Religious beliefs and customs were skimmed over - mentioned but not really explained. On a brighter note... It's not all bad. It's an interesting read in it's own right (I'm probably comparing it to some others I've read recently). There's plenty of bloodshed. There's a hint of romance. For the younger readers, it's a great introduction into a fascinating culture - all the facts are there along with the action. In fact, those action/battle scenes are when the author - Judson Roberts - really comes alive. Those are the scenes that have the most page turning, pulling power - those are the pages that are historically detailed and fictionally funtasic.. Overall - I've got to give it three stars. I know I've been a hard arse and this review is a little damning... it's only my opinion! See that button up there ^^^ Right up the top?? Click on it, read your sample and judge for yourself. Happy reading everyone. xx

look for Judson Roberts video interview at [...]. Excellent book! A must read! Perfect for those who love adventure reads. Did I mention that this was an excellent book? Halfdan was born a slave on the estate of chieftain Hrorik. At fourteen, he knew the toils of hard labor, knew his fate was sealed as a slave, yet he was a dreamer. He dreamed of adventure, of being free and a warrior. Then one fateful day Halfdan goes from slave to warrior, and in the process he learns his true identify, and begins to come of age. He also learns that with power comes enemy's and that Danes (Vikings) honor and vengeance are bittersweet. Roberts does a fabulous job creating a very authentic Viking world set in Denmark, 845. It has all the elements needed to captivate the reader; strong characters, interesting plot, action and adventure. The reader is instantly drawn to and empathizes with Halfdan from the beginning. His heritage lends itself to his complex character, one that is just beginning to find himself and struggles with internal conflicts of honor and duty. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 STACKS STACKGirl Stacy - who was surprised that she loved the book so much! FYI: the back of the book has a wonderful glossary of terms used throughout the book and Judson Roberts has a very informative site [...], that goes into further details about Viking culture and history.

Halfdan, the main character of this novel, was born a slave. His mother was a kidnapped Irish princess. His father was the chieftain of their settlement who never recognized Halfdan as his son. When the chieftain returns from a raid mortally wounded, Halfdan's mother makes a terrible bargain which elevates Halfdan to the status of a free man. He is accepted as an equal by the chieftain's son and daughter. Halfdan then learns the ways of a Viking warrior. Due to his upbringing as a slave, Halfdan knows the ways of the forest, and is an expert hunter. Soon, he is adept with the use of a sword and spear. When he and his brother go to visit the lands that Halfdan has inherited, Halfdan's fate changes. By treachery Halfdan loses his birthright and gains a terrible enemy. He vows to avenge the deaths of his brother and their kinsmen. This novel is a good first novel of a series. We learn about the main character, his quest, and his enemy. I enjoyed reading about Halfdan and his experiences. I think the author presented an accurate depiction of Viking life and customs. I liked his use of some Viking vocabulary. Fortunately, Roberts included a glossary of these terms. Roberts writing style is easy to read, and the plot moves along. Overall, I found it to be an entertaining story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I read this series a few years a ago and ever since I've been waiting for the book 4 to come out. I judge the worth of a fictional series based on if I can put down long enough to sleep....With this series, I slept about 6 hours total by the time I finished the third book. The Strongbow Saga is an excellent historical fiction novel from the viewpoint of a slave boy turned Viking. I especially like the perspective of the main characters strength is primarily as an Archer. Robert Judson does an a great job of being realistic with the Main Character's strength and weaknesses; making the story believable in that the Character himself is also aware of his own strengths with a bow and current weakness with sword/shield in fighting up close with full grown/experienced opponents. Since the timeline is shortening for the tentative release of book 4, I have been checking Amazon and his website (judsonroberts.com) at least twice a day. I fully expect to read this next book in one sitting. Excellent novels Mr. Roberts.

It is a good book that you can read easyly and fastly, there are moments so low, but finally is a great book of adventures and you want to read more.

A good historical fiction novel set in "viking" times. The characters are interesting and the story is reasonable. The author seems to have put some effort into researching the era. The writing style makes for an easy read. I put my money where my mouth is and immediately bought and read the next book in the series.

Great yarb

i read the book on one day and enjoyed it really much there isnt an overpowerd hero and the rituals of the danes are discript very good and before the book was written the auother got information over the stuff he wanted to write and i have to say he did a good research, i alredy finished the two following books and now i am waiting for the 4th apologize for writting mistakes isn't my native language

Disapproval has been voiced that the first three books are really short enough to actually be one book. That said, this is a cracking good read. For me the negative was Halfdan's age (fourteen when this saga starts). At fifteen Halfdan is ordering men twice his age about and threatening veteran warriors, not to mention killing them, like a far more experienced man. In less than twelve months Halfdan has gone from a slave to an extremely talented young man, learning skills that others can only dream of after years of training and dedication. However, don't be put off. If you can forget Halfdan's age, and Jud Roberts doesn't remind the reader of it too often, the story reads well as it captures the reader and carries you along in this compelling tale. The story doesn't unfold at a pace that will leave you breathless; the tempo is more measured than that and thoroughly engrossing because of it. In Viking Warrior we meet Halfdan, a slave, and his slave Mother, and the remarkable chain of events that sees Halfdan freed. As the sole survivor of the ambush and treachery that saw the death of his new brother, Harald, and the small band of warriors accompanying them, Halfdan's quest for vengeance begins as he is pursued through the forest where he sets about turning the tables on his hunters. Like others, having read the first book in the series, I immediately went on to read books two and three, and now eagerly await book four, which according to Jud Roberts' website should be with us in the early part of 2012. In spite of my disquiet at Halfdan's age, I haven't down graded my Star Rating of the series because I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of this tale, and I would happily recommend it to you.