"We like to believe that our fate is not in our hands, that the gods and the Norns decide what becomes of us. I don't know what they have in store for you, but your story is far from finished. And I think you will learn much about yourself that you didn't know before."
"He glanced at the pouch in his hands, feeling the weight of the cross and the Mjöllnir. Two symbols of different fates together in the pouch, just like the five of them."
Odin't Betrayal by Donovan Cook is a gripping historical adventure novel set in Francia and Denmark in AD854.
Blurb:
Two kingdoms destined for war, one boy caught in the eye of the storm...
Francia AD 853.
After a failed Viking raid on the Frankish coast over 20 years ago, Jarl Sven the Boar is forced to leave his only son, Torkel, as a hostage and warned never to raid Francia again or his son will die.
In Hüdelburg, a small town in East Francia, Torkel and his 9-year-old son Charles are ambushed at home.
Before dying, Torkel thrusts a package into young Charles's hands and tells him to flee Francia for Denmark in search of his grandfather Sven the Boar's protection.
But the man Charles eventually finds is not who he expects, and Charles must put his fate in the hands of a man betrayed by Odin.
Together they must uncover the significance of the package and why the Kings of Francia want Charles dead.
From the start, we are plunged abruptly into a battle scene between the Frankish army and the Danish raiders led by Sven the Boar.
During the battle, Sven's son Torkel is taken hostage. The leader of the Franks commands, "Take your ships and what's left of your men. Leave these shores and never return. Your son will be my hostage to ensure your compliance". Parting with his son, Sven swears that he will come back for him, whatever it takes.
Twenty years later, Torkel is living among the Franks. He is a Christian now, yet he and his son Charles are treated as outcasts, because of the things his own father and kin did in the past. Charles doesn't know his mother, as his father never talks about her.
One evening, they are ambushed in their own home by the Frankish warriors, bent on revenge.
Torkel orders Charles to flee to Denmark and try finding his grandfather, old Sven the Boar. He also entrusts him with a package, which contains two symbols of different faiths, a Mjöllnir pendant and a large golden cross, decorated with gems and an emblem.
Charles doesn't understand the significance of these two objects.
While fleeing to Denmark, he is helped by a sixteen-year-old slave Gerold, who accompanies him all the way to Hedeby, the trading jewel of the Danes.
Charles is a naive and trusting boy, he is not a warrior material. Before his flight to Denmark, he was hoping to become a priest one day. Without Gerold's protection, it would have been impossible for him to survive on a long perilous journey.
Arriving to Denmark is a shock. "A few days ago, everything was still normal. Now he found himself in a land that mocked his God and believed in false idols".
He begins to question his identity. Charles was bullied by the Franks for having the Danish father. "The Franks in his home had never really accepted his father, and neither had they accepted him. Only Bishop Bernard had been a friend to him, but now he wondered if that had always been an act".
Losing his only son to the Franks, among the other tragic events of his past, Sven feels betrayed by Odin. "The All-Father was a bastard and would kill Sven just to amuse himself".
Sven is drowning his sorrows in drink, and presents a pathetic figure, ridiculed and bullied by the citizens of Hedeby. He made an oath to Odin never to fight again.
To keep his grandson alive and discover the secret of the golden cross, Sven has to find his inner strength and re-awaken "the old Sven". "The boy is a chance for redemption, if not from the gods, then from Eydis [his late wife]. She'd want me to do everything I can to protect our grandson... But the only way I can do that is if I become the man I used to be".
Sven is not a likeable character. He's a typical Norse raider, used to savagery, who has killed and enslaved many people during his raids. A man of his times and culture, definitely. His faith is a very personal affair. Odin is a constant presence in Sven's thoughts, a live entity, who loves chaos and enjoys tormenting him. "Odin does not want me dead. He wants me to suffer".
Burdened with the persistent sense of guilt for failing his only son, and wife, Sven punishes himself by not fighting the bullies back, and living as a figure of ridicule. He believes he deserves this.
When Charles suddenly appears in his life - a vulnerable and sensitive child - Sven must break free from his demons and find out who and what they are up against.
Odin't Betrayal is a fast-paced adventure, both action-packed and contemplative. It makes you think of the clashing religious identities, and intolerance against the different beliefs.
The author evokes the sense of the social and political strife of the historical period. The period detail is vivid, recreating the background with its smells, sounds and sights.
Full of twists and turns, it's a heady mix of historical adventure, mystery and political intrigues of the perilous times
I enjoyed this historical adventure very much, and can't wait for the next book in the series.
This book review is part of the blog tour for Odin's Betrayal.
Many thanks to Donovan Cook and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3k4cGsh
Author Bio –
Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology. He lives in Lancashire and his first title in a new series for Boldwood will be published in Spring 2023.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonovanCookAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonovanCook20
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donovan-cook
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