![]() ![]() There is a real depth of knowledge that shines through from start to finish but there is also a curious balancing act in that major, exciting events seem to be given the same depth and treatment as the more mundane ones. The first book of Linnea Hartsuyker’s Norway trilogy begins as it means to go on. ![]() It's not a fate she relishes, and when the chance to leave her stepfather's cruelty comes at the hand of her brother's archrival, Svanhild is forced to make the ultimate choice: family or freedom.ĭrawing from the Icelandic Sagas, The Half-Drowned King takes inspiration from the true story of Ragnvald of Maer, the right-hand man of King Harald Fairhair, first king of all Norway, and his sister, Svanhild, as she tries to find freedom in a society where the higher her brother rises, the greater her worth as a political pawn. But where Ragnvald is expected to bleed and even die for his honour, Svanhild is simply expected to marry well. It is no easy feat in Viking-age Norway, where a hundred petty rulers kill over parcels of land, and a prophesied high king is rising. ![]() ![]() But when the captain of his ship tries to kill him on the way home from a raiding excursion, he must confront his stepfather's betrayal and find a way to protect his birthright. Since the death of Ragnvald Eysteinsson's father in battle, he has worked hard to protect his sister, Svanhild, and planned to inherit his family's land when he comes of age. ![]()
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