Chez Maximka: Warrior Prince by J.C. Duncan

Friday, 27 October 2023

Warrior Prince by J.C. Duncan

"You probably expected glory, eh? Well, the truth is never as glorious as we wish it could be."

"He had entered the great game of leaders and conquerors, where success brings only more enemies and failure gives only death. It is not something I have ever wanted for myself, but it was what he was born to do. And so, tied by love and by oath, I followed him without regret".

Warrior Prince by J.C. Duncan is a thrilling historical adventure story about one of the greatest warriors.

Blurb:

1030AD

Some men are gifted a crown. Others have to fight to claim it.

Exiled from Norway, Harald Sigurdsson, brother to murdered King Olaf, must battle mercilessly for survival in the lands of the Kievan Rus.

His brother's legacy gifts him a warband of hardened warriors and entry to the court of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. By his wits, sword and skill in battle, Harald must learn not just to survive but to triumph.

He fights for glory, for fame, and to regain his family's battle-stolen throne. But his greatest challenge may not come from battlefield foes but from those who stand by his side.

Warrior Prince is the story of the legendary Harald Hardrada Sigurdsson, as narrated by an old warrior Eric Alvarsson, known among the warriors as "Sveitungr" (The Follower).

In his twentieth year Eric returns to Sweden with King Olaf from the lands of the Rus. Eric is Olaf's kin, and loves him dearly. Olaf asks Eric to stay with his younger brother Harald, and "look after him, in whatever follows". And thus he becomes the right hand and confidante of the young prince.

"I lost my king that day, but I saw Olaf's strength arise in Harald. It was his first battle and he was barely a man, but while others despaired he never showed fear".

Exiled from Norway, Harald and his warband travel to the land of the Rus, gaining friends and enemies along the way.

"Harald Sigurdsson had gone into that marsh as an irrelevant exile, one of many Norse forced to sell their sword to pay for their failures at home. He left as a man who commanded respect, and had the power to take it where it was not given".

Tied by love and by oath, Eric follows him without regret. Telling the adventures of his youth, The Follower as an elderly man is a wise protagonist. Looking back at the decisions he has taken and mistakes he has made, Eric is a good storyteller, still devoted to Harald, but also sagacious enough to see his flaws and failings.

There are scenes of numerous skirmishes and battles, cruelty meted towards friends and foes alike. We follow Harald and Eric from one battlefield to another.

I was curious to read this book because it is partly set in Kievan/Kyivan Rus, which is currently a bone of contention among the Eastern European historians. We meet Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Prince of Kiev/Kyiv, who was a ruthless and cunning politician, and get to learn the ways and the intrigues of his court.

The story is set during a complicated historical period for the Norse. Harald was not destined to be a king by his birthright. He earned his riches and position, having faced many challenges and death.

Eric recounts the past without glorifying it. He doesn't romanticise the past or spare us any gory details of the battles.

"The sagas don't tell of the inglorious parts of these stories, the parts where everything nearly failed simply because men thought maybe they didn't want to die, or thought there was better silver or better food somewhere else. It's not all glorious". In fact, hardly anything of it is. Being led by the avaricious leaders who don't value the price of human lives and are ready to sacrifice their military forces as well as innocent civilians for the sake of their ambition is not worthy of admiration.

Warrior Prince is an immersive, absorbing story, which gives an in-depth vision of the convoluted politics, intrigues and treacherous exploits of the times. The historical characters blend seamlessly with the fictional ones.

Duncan brings the brutal historical period to life with gritty realism, without embellishments and glamorising.

This review is part of the blog tour for Warrior Prince. Many thanks to J.C. Duncan, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!