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| Sworn Brother: The Heroes of the North Live On (Viking Trilogy) | 
| Author: Tim Severin
Publisher: Macmillan UK
Category: Book
List Price: $12.50
Buy New: $6.06
You Save: $6.44 (52%)
New (28) from $6.06
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 27255
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0330426745
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780330426749
ASIN: 0330426745
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Delivery is usually 5 - 8 working days from order, International is by Royal Mail Airmail
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Product Description
Steeped in bloody battles and brooding Norse mythology, this epic saga follows the exploits of Viking adventurer Thorgils Leiffson. A fine, page-turning trio of tales that sweeps the reader back in time.London, 1019: a few months have passed since Thorgils escaped the clutches of the Irish Church, only to find himself at the center of a capricious love affair with Aelfgifuwife of Knut the Great, ruler of England, and one of the most powerful men of the Viking empire. As this passionate relationship between the two unlikely lovers begins to unfold, it forebodes uncontrollable consequences...When Thorgils is finally on the run again, he meets Grettir, an outlaw feared for his volatility, and the two become travel companions and sworn brothers. At the gates of Byzantium, Thorgils loyalty is put to the ultimate test...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Neat story July 11, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an interesting tale set in intriguing 11th century England. Thorgils love affair with Aelfgifu was written with subtlety and deftness, and all of the characters really came alive. Wish the author had given King Knut more dialogue, since his presence loomed throughout the novel, but it was a good read anyway!
Even Better than the First Book May 4, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the second book in the thrilling Viking trilogy and although I enjoyed the first book very much, the author seems to have really got his teeth into the adventure now and I found that I read the book in no time at all.
The year is 1020 AD the place, London. It is a few weeks since Thorgils has escaped the clutches of the Irish Church, but he now finds himself driven even further into the mire when he find himself at the centre of a love affair with none other than Aelfgifu, wife of Knut the Great, not only ruler of England but one of the most powerful and feared men in the Viking empire. As the passionate relationship unfolds it augurs nothing but trouble for Thorgils.
With Thorgils finally on the run again he meets up with an outlaw, Grettir. The pair become traveling companions and sworn brothers which binds them together not only through life, but death also. At the gates of Byzantium Thorgils' loyalty is put to the ultimate test . . .
Viking Trilogy April 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Awsome! As I read book one and then book three (Sworn Brother has been deleted in the UK) it was was a joy to read the entire series - yes I re-read Odins' Child. Can I be a Viking please?
Viking Trilogy January 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the 2nd book of the Viking Trilogy and it was as fascinating as the first book. I would suggest that you read them in order. I am now ordering the 3rd book, The King's Man. Many of the words used to describe things are authentic and make you feel you are in that time and place. I highly recommend this if you are a history buff.
 The Second Great Novel of the Viking Trilogy October 30, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the second series of the Viking trilogy, which told the story of Thorgils Leifsson. Viking was Mr. Severin's first foray into the fiction realm. He used to write exclusively non-fiction history books, which I learned from the list of books he had written (not less than ten books, excluding this novel). The first and third (last) of the trilogy: Odinn's Child and King's Man, respectively. For reviews of the other two novels, please find my separate reviews.
Sworn Brother continued the story of Thorgils Leifsson adventures and life story from his stay in England somewhere near the year 1020 AD to 1035 AD. Where Odinn's Child, the first novel told his life adventures till his early twenties, here in this second novel, Sworn Brother, he met even more people and amazing events. Eventually, he met Grettir the Strong again, and the outlaw became his sworn brother. Thorgils also met the Ski People up north, where he learned that these people live very close in touch with the nature. The Ski People experience was one of the best part of the plot, whereas Grettir part was too long and tedious. His English court life was also a bit too lengthy. It is the reason I will not give a five-star read for this book.
In order not to spoil Tim Severin's plot further, a reader must judge the book by reading it him/herself for details. If you enjoy reading history/historical fictions, Vikings cultures (including their famous sagas and runes), and not surprisingly, some British histories, and also geography/traveling; I bet you will be thrilled reading it. For me, reading this particular novel and all the remaining two novels in the trilogy is like going the History classes in college, while not having to take the test and the best of all, not realizing at all that we are being "history knowledge inseminated" into us by Mr. Severin.
Tim Severin has succeeded in distributing his very well-researched knowledge into the public domain, while making them fun by creating a non-fiction novel, as opposed to sometimes tedious, non-fiction historical books. However, there were a few of minor mistypes on names and comas in latter books. Besides that, after finishing the whole trilogy, I found that Viking could have been written into a single book, instead of now three novels. Of course, there are some psychological and financial reasons for dividing them into three parts, which I did not found very much different if it had been packaged into a single section. Some readers might be intimidated, since the total paperback trilogy that I read was about 1000 pages total. Being one of Edward Rutherfurd's fan, it was "normal" for me to read 1,000 pages one time, though most people will find it almost impossible.
Comparing to Rutherfurd's novels, I found Tim Severin's were researched in a broader scale, where typical Edward Rutherfurd's novels were more acute in terms of depth. Where Sevrin's Thorgils character was the main and sole protagonist, in Rutherfurd's there were many major characters.
Since Sworn Brother was not as good as the other two novels in this series, my final tally for Sworn Brother and Viking trilogy in general:
Book 2: Sworn Brother: 4-star read
Viking trilogy: 5-star overall
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