Viking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga)

This is the first of a four book series. The first book (this one) is pretty good. However, it does not stand alone. None of the books do. They all end in “cliff hangers” and for my money, each following book is not as good as the preceding book. Worst of all, the series has never been finished so you’ll never know how it all ends. A preview for a fifth book was posted in 2010, but nothing since.

An extremely well written young adult book that thoroughly immerses the reader in Viking society and thought process.This is the first in a series of books, I believe. Normally I am vehemently against such things. The author, however, provides a satisfying mini-conclusion while leaving it open for more story to be told.Recommended for readers aged 10 and up. Be aware, though, that there are1. Many descriptions of killing, and not being bothered about it.2. Mention (but not description) of masters forcing themselves on slaves3. Description of attempted rapeThere will be ample opportunity to talk about Stockholm Syndrome, slavery, abuse, etc.I would read the book *to* ages 10-12, and *with* ages 13-14.

First and foremost, I really liked this story. I think the author does a really good job as a writer and storyteller, and it seems to be well-edited. I have already bought book 2 of the series, and downloaded it to my Kindle.This is clearly a book written for males, both adults and young adult. I unashamedly admit I'm a junkie for those sorts of adventure stories. I'm the guy folks write these sorts of stories for. In addition, I have a huge love of historical fiction. This book falls into both categories, so I'll enjoy even mediocre writing.That said, Mr. Roberts has clearly written a story that is well above mediocre. Like I said, it's well-written, well-told, and well-edited. It's the story of a young slave in Scandinavian culture of 1000 years ago, who rises to warrior status. It's not overly graphic in its violence, and certainly not graphic sexually. I felt it did a really great job of painting a picture of Scandinavian culture of that era that Mr Roberts appears to have researched well, often dispelling popular myths about said culture. It's right up the sweet spot of what I love to read about.I want to use this as a point of comparison to the Cave Bear series that I struggled with. In my review of those books, I admitted that I was probably not the audience - the author seemed to be aiming at women, and in particular adolescent girls. If someone were addicted to genres that targeted that audience in the same way I'm addicted to adventure stories and historical fiction, they probably overlooked a lot just because the story was written for them.Mr. Roberts has written these stories for me. If you're not a fan of either historical fiction or adventure stories, you might find many faults that I never noticed - I can't predict that. If you like either of these genres, I think you'd really enjoy this story.Now, for some additional information. If you read my blog (at NeilHanson dot com) you know I'm a writer who publishes independently. This means I write what I want and publish it myself. It also means I don't have a big publishing house providing lots of marketing muscle to get my book out in the market - I depend on loyal fans who love what I write.There are pros and cons to traditional publishing (big publishing houses and literary agents) vs the independent route I take. One of the big cons to the traditional route is the control the publishing house has over your life, your career, and what it is you write. I've already pointed out one of the pros to the publishing house route - a big gorilla pushing your book in the marketplace...That fact is relevant here. In reading Mr Roberts' website, it appears that he had a "deal" with a big publishing house to publish the first 3 books in the series, and an option on the fourth book. After 3 books, they apparently sat on the option - preventing him from publishing it - before finally releasing the option recently. This allows him to now publish the 4th book, and it will be interesting to see whether he publishes it independently or through another contract with a publishing house.I'd certainly encourage him to go independent. He has a great story and a great brand, and it seems to me he could make a good go of this on his own. Of course, here again, I have a bias toward the independent route, due to the freedom it gives an author from both a business perspective and a creative perspective. As writers, we each must decide whether we want the big sales numbers that a publishing house might bring to the table, or the freedom to give what our core audience wants from us.The key in this is the core audience - the fan base. As independents, we absolutely survive or perish based on the support we receive from you - our core fan base. If you like what we write, we really depend on you to spread the word, to "like" us on Facebook or Google+, to read and comment on our blog, and to recruit other fans who might buy what we have to offer - or at least read what we write.I'm a new fan of Mr. Roberts. I'll buy his books, and assuming they stay as good as the first one, I'll try and get others to read his stuff as he publishes more in the series (assuming he does so independently).Thanks for reading!

I'd bought a hardcover of this book back when it was published by Harper-Collins. I later sold those books, and just recently purchased the newly re-published Kindle versions that are now being published by the author's own company. As I alluded to in my review of the Beast of Dublin preview, I don't know if my old brain is playing tricks on me or there really is some improvements made by revisions, but I enjoyed this book much more in reading this Kindle version, than I did in the old version. I tore through this book in record time, and couldn't get enough. Now, I'm ready for Book #2, and am anxiously looking forward to reading it! Judson Roberts is without question one of the best writers of Viking Age fiction.

Viking Warrior, book 1 of a multi-book saga, is an exciting and enjoyable way to glean a bit of European history about a time known as the "dark ages." Set in 9th century Scandinavia with sojourns into England and Ireland, we learn of Viking raids and pillaging as well as of local customs and values, all packaged into a riveting tale of a young protagonist who is freed from slavery through a hair-raising sacrifice. Burdened by the weight of that sacrifice he soon finds himself seeking vengeance for broken oaths and dishonorable killings, just occasionally slipping and acting like the teenager he really is. Luckily, these latter periods are short-lived.Please note that the setting is authentic though the characters are fictional.This volume was a fun read (haven't read the others yet), the aftermath of which left me much more knowledgeable about the historical era it covers.

"Viking Warrior" is without a doubt the best Viking novel that I have come across. It takes the reader inside of Viking society and really brings that ancient civilization back to life. This is the story of a strong and intelligent young man who was born into slavery "thralldom" as the illegitimate son of a Viking lord. Through his mother's grit and toughness he becomes a free man, and the adventure begins. I was gripped by this novel from the very first, and few readers will fail to read all three novels in this "Strongbow" series.Once again, the distinguishing feature of this novel and this series is its realism. There is nothing implausible about the story in this novel, and in fact it is true to history. Strongly recommended. RJB.

Another attempt to put flesh and bones on an historical period from the dark ages. This book is a simplistic tale of a Viking boy's transition into manhood and the dramatic events which lead to his quest for vengeance, which fills the next books in the Saga. It shows, as do other books of it's type a stylised picture of Nordic life, bad people are very very bad and goodies are likewise good. The author purports to stick closely to what we know of the period. It is quite a short book with three more in the Saga already published. However a quick peek at reviews of later books suggest that by book 4 the tale has time still to run. As successive books seem to get dearer and dearer and this is not as good as other Viking books I have read, this will be my first and last of this Saga.

As per previous reviews, this third installment follows the previous two in being rather short; two hundred and something pages on the Kindle. Nonetheless, the story of Halfdan continues to trot along at a decent pace, and certain threads begin to tie up.I do, however, have a number of gripes with this series. Fundamentally it is very like Cornwell's Thomas Hookton trilogy, rather too much in fact. I won't throw in any spoilers here, but if you've read the Cornwell work you'll see the similarity. This isn't an accusation of plagiarism - far from it - but it does mean you'll draw a comparison with Cornwell's works.Where Roberts' story-telling begins to falter in comparison is twofold; Firstly, despite the obvious knowledge of the period, the language used in discourse between the protagonists can be jarringly modern. Whilst I don't expect the story to be told in old Danish, the appearance of the word 'Rendezvous' between two hairy Danish Jarls is very strange. It is notable in appearance because most other historic novelists avoid these like the plague.Secondly, although the tale seems to be a novel retelling of a Norse saga, it frequently crosses the border from fantastic into silly. Through book two and into this one, Halfdan basically morphs into a Viking Rambo. Indeed, the whole transition from Thrall to stone cold killing machine is rather swift. Where Cornwell's usual heroes (Uhtred, Derfel, etc) have an extended period of learning their trade, Rambodan is fighting like a god after a few short months. Although this in itself it not implausible, the muscle development required to shot a longbow repeatedly in combat takes more than a few months to develop, similarly with spear and shield.This, combined with the relative pence-per-page, detracts from the overall enjoyment of the series. I hadn't realised these books were print-edition as well until now (I wonder if these are aimed at the teenage boy market?), but if down in the 99p for Kindle category I'd rate them higher.Having spent what amounts to a tenner on 700 Kindle pages, I've come away disappointed. First book started slowly, the second was the best of the lot, and third went rather silly. Have to say I only really got this far because I'd invested time in the first two.Overall, I'm not terribly enthused to find out what happens to Halfdan. Given the previous installments I don't doubt he'll continue his one-man war machine path to justice over the bad guy, get the girl, and no doubt win great renown/land/whatever. The apparent historic accuracy doesn't do enough to pull it back.Oh, and despite the knowledge of the period, there's some really odd stuff going on; the Danish and Franks campaign for months at a time without Dysentery ever rearing it's head (a problem which has haunted armies on campaign from the dawn of time right up to the mid 20th century), and a pitched battle with 10,000 horsemen on one side alone in 845AD is, usually regarded as highly improbable - given the population of the period - by historians; Hastings, Agincourt, and Crecy, for example, were much smaller.

Disapproval has been voiced that the first three books are really short enough to actually be one book. That said, this is a cracking good read.For me the negative was Halfdan's age (fourteen when this saga starts). At fifteen Halfdan is ordering men twice his age about and threatening veteran warriors, not to mention killing them, like a far more experienced man. In less than twelve months Halfdan has gone from a slave to an extremely talented young man, learning skills that others can only dream of after years of training and dedication.However, don't be put off. If you can forget Halfdan's age, and Jud Roberts doesn't remind the reader of it too often, the story reads well as it captures the reader and carries you along in this compelling tale. The story doesn't unfold at a pace that will leave you breathless; the tempo is more measured than that and thoroughly engrossing because of it.In Viking Warrior we meet Halfdan, a slave, and his slave Mother, and the remarkable chain of events that sees Halfdan freed. As the sole survivor of the ambush and treachery that saw the death of his new brother, Harald, and the small band of warriors accompanying them, Halfdan's quest for vengeance begins as he is pursued through the forest where he sets about turning the tables on his hunters.Like others, having read the first book in the series, I immediately went on to read books two and three, and now eagerly await book four, which according to Jud Roberts' website should be with us in the early part of 2012. In spite of my disquiet at Halfdan's age, I haven't down graded my Star Rating of the series because I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of this tale, and I would happily recommend it to you.

I started this book not knowing it was part of a saga but; the book started off slowly but gave me the chance to get to know the Viking in question. Once the story started to pick up and become more intense I was hooked,The characters are well described and I soon got to relate to each one. As I neared the end of the book I got to realise that there was no way the story could end with so few pages left, I was right but I do believe the next book I buy could well be the next in this series, I do need to know what happens next! An easy read and not too taxing on the brain, a good story that builds and builds.

I have read books 1 to 4 and then....... nothing. When will book 5 be released? If you enjoy being left high and dry - although the end is predictable, recommended. If you like to finish the story, don't bother with these books.

The author has obviously researched and studied the history and legends of the subject. Whilst the historical facts are entwined with the authors " poetic licence " to create a thoroughly absorbing read ,sometimes I thought that too much information took away the pace of the action. However I cannot wait for the next in the series is available.

Judson Roberts has wrote a very beliveble story of the Viking History and made it a riveting read.I like the Viking Warrior so much that I just had to buy the next two books in the saga and carnt wait for the next book to read it was the first book by Judson Roberts and now that I have read his books I am a FanKind RegardsLiberty CoachesViking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga) Viking Warrior (The Strongbow Saga)

Shows an excellent depth of research into social history of the period, use of language, food and weaponry particularly good. oF course it is also a ripping yarn so the book altogether makes a very pleasant read for anyone with an interest in social history. Quandary the Vikingsin particular.

A very enjoyable Story,i liked it so much i ordered the next two books and devoured them in record time.The story is a simple tried and tested formula very much in the bernard cornwall vein.Pick a period in time,do enough research to make it as historicaly correct as possible,then create an underdog that rises for one reason or other above their station.The underdog has to be goodlooking,ruthless but fair.I dont care if its simple,it makes for a very good trilogy so far and i am looking forward to the next books to conclude the story.My only crititism would be is the books are a litlle to short.

A GOOD READ -IMMEDIATELY DOWN LOADED VOLUME 2 & 3The minus point is that the total price of volumes 1,2 & 3 is over £9the volumes are so short they should have been one book would you pay over £9 for one download?Notice a preview of volume 4 is also available if you pay £0.77!

The writer Judson Roberts is one of the best authors i have ever read! His ability to enthrall and capture his readers are second to none! I found myself addicted to his saga and needing more!

Listened and loved this series of 4 books, the audio narration is very good.

Well worth a read. I came across this book, the first of five, whilst trawling through Amazon's recommendations and I'm glad I discovered it. Onto the second book...

See my comments in The Road to Vengeance - enjoyable atmospheric romp through an interesting period. A bit brief and the hero is a bit modern in his views but that does not spoil a good read.

Good story and easy to follow