If Vikings are your thing, then you will probably enjoy the tale of Olaf the Glorious, by Robert Leighton. It’s available as a free download for the Kindle reader, so you’ve got nothing to lose by taking a look.
The book tells the story of Olaf Triggvison, charting his adventures from boyhood slavery, covering his various wanderings through Europe – including his unsuccessful invasion of England – his return to his native land of Norway and his eventual demise in an epic sea battle at Svold in the year 1000 AD.
It’s worth pointing out that Olaf was a real character, not a fictional one. The author has referred to various Icelandic sagas and, for certain portions of the book, English chronicles of the time. Many of the sagas would not have been committed to writing until years after Olaf’s death – so it’s not out of the question that the tale may have grown in the telling. It certainly isn’t a dry, historical account – you should find this to be an entertaining read.
Whilst Olaf was not a fictional character, fans of Norse based literature may find him familiar. Olaf the Glorious is a very widely used reference book for many authors working in this genre. For example, Robert Low’s excellent ”Oathsworn” series features a character known as “Crowbone”, who is based upon Olaf. You may also have come across references to this book in a number of other works.
In summary, it’s a very entertaining read and historically accurate (as sagas go) into the bargain. If you like Viking novels then you will not only enjoy this book, but the background information that it provides you with will enhance your enjoyment of any further Norse type literature that you read in future.
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