A great sea-battle ends John Snow's Viking series.

TO MY READERS:

My historical Viking series has come to an end. The final book has its own plot and story-line, but threads are also picked up from earlier books. Some of you may have wondered what happened to Odd the Squinter and the Body from book two, or to Earl Hakon and Yljali from book three. And where is Harald Grenske, Sigve's old enemy? And what about Sigrunn Silkyhair: will she find happiness at last? And Sigve himself, will he survive?

A great battle ends "The Viking Series" and old threads are picked up
and woven into a surprising conclusion in "The Viking War".

In “The Viking War” the story moves to Jelling in Denmark where King Harald Bluetooth is in conflict with Gold-Harald, his nephew, who claims the throne. The book follows the events that lead up to the great sea-battle at Hals, in which Sigve the Awful plays a decisive role.

At the beginning of the book, Sigve the Awful serves King Greycloak and his mother in Norway. At the king's farm, he has met a woman called Life. She is the king's pet, a prey from a Viking raid in the far north, and Sigve's grudge against King Greycloak turns into hatred when he hears Queen Life's story. When he is sent with his longship to Denmark a battle is approaching and Sigve seeks opportunities to solve both his own and Queen Life's problems.

USA, Denmark, Norway: The Viking War at Amazon

United Kingdom: The Viking War at Amazon

Sigve the Awful sails with Harald Greycloak to Denmark ...

... and a great sea-battle ensues in Limfjord at Hals.

"The Viking War" moves to Denmark

In my historical Viking series, the story moves to Jelling in Denmark where King Harald Bluetooth is in conflict with Gold-Harald, his nephew, who claims the throne. The story dives into the events that lead up to the great sea-battle at Hals, in which Sigve the Awful plays a decisive role.

At the beginning of the book, Sigve, rather unwillingly, serves King Greycloak and his mother, Queen Gunnhild, at Avaldsnes in Norway. At the king's farm, he has met a woman called Life. She is the king's pet, a prey from a Viking raid in the far north, and Sigve's grudge against King Greycloak turns into hatred when he hears Queen Life's story.

Sigve owns a very fast longship, the Sea Serpent. When the king asks him to escort an envoy to Denmark, he meets old enemies and old friends, among them Earl Hakon, the great schemer. In the tense situation – a battle is approaching – Sigve seeks opportunities to solve both his own and Queen Life's problems.

Sigve the Awful and Harald Greycloak sail to Denmark

The conflict between Harald Bluetooth and Gold-Harald

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGYQXFY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DGYQXFY

John Snow bestseller in UK with "The Slayer Rune"

Will "The Bitch Queen" by John Snow do just as well as "The Slayer Rune?

This year has started very well for the books in the Viking Series. Again and again, "The Slayer Rune" has been no.1 on the UK Kindle bestseller-list in the category "Historical Norse & Icelandic". Now I hope my new book "The Bitch Queen" will do just as well!

"The Bitch Queen" can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
"The Slayer Rune" can be bought here Amazon.com and here Amazon.co.uk

John Snow and The Slayer Rune available on Google Play

I am glad to be able to announce that the three first books in The Viking Series are available on Google Play. Go to Google Play Books (on a smart-phone, tablet, lap-top or PC) and search for "The Slayer Rune", "The Lethal Oath", or "John Snow". Find the books, click TRY FREE, and have a look.

See also: John Snow on Google play

Or this link: Books on Google Play

John Snow on Google Play.

John Snow, also known as Terje Hillesund, is now available
at all major e-book stores: Google Play, Amazon,
Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

With these new uploads, my e-books are now distributed to the entire world and available on Google Play, Amazon, Apple iBook, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. This means I can concentrate on writing the fourth book in the series. I have the book's story-line in my head, and I have written a few chapters, but I haven't decided on a title yet.

In the fourth book Kalv Kolson, the old enemy of Vik, returns to the country, and Sigve the Awful has to defend his people. He seeks support from Gunnhild ("The Mother of Kings"), who is Erik Bloodaxe's widow and mother of Harald Greycloak, the new King of Norway. I can promise my readers that the meeting with Gunnhild will be a very special one indeed. Queen Gunnhild, as many will know, was famous for her cruelty, magic skills, and lasciviousness.


About the availability of my books, see:
John Snow available on Barnes & Noble (NOOK) and on Apple iBooks (iPad, iPhone),
and
The Red Gold by John Snow is now available at Amazon.

Read also this article about my writing on ThorNews:
Norse Fantasy Author John Snow: Self-Published, Successful – and Norwegian!

The Red Gold by John Snow is now available at Amazon

"John's newest is out. Like Vikings? Like great characters? Like vivid imaging? Like adventure? Like drama? Like passion? Then get John Snow 's latest installment. In fact, get the whole series." 

(Steven Malone)

The Red Gold (The Viking Series Book 3) is now available in the Kindle format at Amazon shops around the world, and beneath I bring a list of links. I will also thank all of my readers who pre-ordered the book. I hope you'll all enjoy it and that some of you will review the book at Amazon or Goodreads.

The Red Gold can be read on all kinds of devices: laptops, iPads, IPhones,
smartphones, tablets and on Kindle readers.

USA (and many other countries)

United Kingdom

Canada

Germany

France

Australia

India

Italy

The Netherlands

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland

New edition of The Slayer Rune

A second edition of The Slayer Rune is now available on Amazon (with The Lethal Oath soon to follow). The new edition of The Slayer Rune is thoroughly copyedited by Karen Conlin, who has done wonders to my text. The book has also got a new cover designed by Stephen Mulcahey who has made covers for Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth and other great authors. Stephen has also made new cover for The Lethal Oath and the third book in the series: The Red Gold.

BUY THE BOOK AND ENJOY!

The Slayer Rune on Amazon.com
The Slayer Rune on Amazon.co.uk

Swords in Rock and Harald Fairhair

The "Swords in Rock" monument seems to be an everlasting motif in the online Viking communities. I took this picture this evening just an hour before sunset. Spring is coming to Norway – now the days are longer than the nights – but only a week ago the weather still was grey, as shown in the photo below. 

"Swords in Rock" is a sculpture made by Fritz Røed. It is placed in Møllebukta (the Miller's Bay), which is a very popular recreation area in Stavanger. I often take an evening stroll along the seaside in Miller's Bay, experiencing the nature and the historical surroundings.

The Miller's Bay and the monument lie at the bottom of Hafrsfjord, where the famous King Harald Fairhair won a great battle in 872 AD. Having defeated a lot of petty kings supported by the Danes, he is regarded as the king who united Norway into one kingdom.

Could Harald Fairhair have
looked like this?

King Harald Fairhair had several wives and fathered a lot of sons, who after his death fought among themselves for supremacy. Eric Bloodaxe were among the sons, and so was Hakon the Good, who was fostered by King Æthelstan in England. Coming home from England, Hakon defeated Eirik Bloodaxe, his brother, who fled to Northumbria where he later became king. After a few years Eirik's sons took revenge and killed Hakon the Good in a fierce battle on the West Coast of Norway.

Among Eirik Bloodaxe's sons, Harald Greycloak was the most prominent, and he is a major figure in "The Viking Series" (in which "The Slayer Rune" and "The Lethal Oath" are the first books, and Sigurd (who is later to be called Sigve The Awful) is the main character).

In the books, set a hundred years after the Battle of Hafrsfjord, the descendents of Harald Fairhair still fight over lands and power, and Sigve the Awful finds himself squeezed in the middle between Harald Greycloak and Godred Bjornson, another of Fairhair's powerful grandsons.

At this time in history, the Norwegian kings had close relations to the kings in England, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, and Sigve the Awful, who becomes a great warrior and swordsman, will in the Viking Series soon have his hands full in the struggles between the mighty kings. Exactly how Sigve will manoeuvre in these struggles are among the things I ponder when I stroll along the beaches in Hafrsfjord watching the Swords in Rock sculpture.

In the first two books, young Sigurd is still trying to find his place in his Viking world. A task that becomes very complicated when he falls in love with the mysterious thrall girl Yljali.

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Film trilogy about Harald Hardrada: A real game of thrones

If last autumn's rumours are true, a tree-part movie - a film trilogy - will be made about Harald Hardrada. That is a rumour that I - with my choice of profile image - really hope is true. Harald Hardrada (hard ruler) is one of my favourite Viking figures; he lived a fantastic life and died a most spectacular death. He was the great Norwegian warrior king who tried to conquer England in 1066.

Harald Hardrada talking with Sweyn Estridsson while they
were still friends. Sweyn later became King of Denmark and
Harald's enemy. Harald, who became King of Norway,
 meant he had a legitimate claim to the Danish throne.
(This drawing is from Snorri's Heimskringla and the
observant reader will see that my profile image (illustrating
 John Snow, my pen name) is built on this drawing.)

According to the Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad, Barrie Osborne will produce a film trilogy based on Harald Hardrada's life. Barrie Osborne is the well-known producer of Matrix and The Lord of the Rings. It is not clear if this film project is the same as Warner Brother's King Harald in which Leonardi DiCaprio is rumoured to play Harald Hardrada.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Harald
Hardrada in planned movie?

Congratulations Tone Almhjell!

Norwegian author Tone Almhjell 

Tone Almhjell is a Norwegian author who has written the children fantasy book The Twistrose Key. The debut novel has been praised by Amazon.com and the Kirkus review begins in this way: "Skillfully blending facets of classic high fantasy, this debut novel will captivate readers with its rich plot and detailed worldbuilding." Tone Almhjell writes in English, and being a Norwegian writer who does the same, Tone's success is definitely an inspiration for me. Again: Congratulations!


The publishers book description:

"Something is wrong in the house that Lin's family has rented; Lin is sure of it. The clocks tick too slowly. Frost covers the flower bed, even in a rain storm. And when a secret key marked 'Twistrose' arrives for her, Lin finds a crack in the cellar, a gate to the world of Sylver.

This frozen realm is the home of every dead animal who ever loved a child. Lin is overjoyed to be reunited with Rufus, the pet she buried under the rosebush. But together they must find the missing Winter Prince that night in order to save Sylver from destruction. They are not the only ones hunting for the boy. In the dark hides a shadow-lipped man, waiting for this last Winter Prince to be delivered into his hands.

Exhilarating suspense and unforgettable characters awaits the readers of this magical adventure, destined to become a classic."

The Twistrose Key

Buy The Twistrose Key on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

"Saga Oseberg" sails to Kaupang

Kaupang was an important Viking trading town in northern part of Denmark (today's south-eastern part of Norway). This summer "Saga Oseberg", an exact replica of the Oseberg ship, sailed in Viksfjord to Kaupang. See more pictures in the local newspaper Østlands-Posten and read my review of a beautiful Kaupang book below.

Saga Oseberg's rowers

Saga Oseberg with captain and crew

Kaupang

KAUPANG: The Viking Town. The Kaupang Exhibition at UKM, Oslo, 2004-2005 by Dagfinn Skre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This s a gem of a book. It tells the story of Kaupang, the trading place at Skiringssal in the south-eastern part or Norway. Kaupang was an urban centre or town in the 9th and 10th centuries, and the book places Kaupang among the most important trading centres in the Scandinavian Viking age, along with Ribe, Birka, and Hedesby.

Images of "Saga Oseberg"

I'm back from my vacation, I've been relaxing on our cottage with my family and I've been sailing in the same waters as Saga Oseberg, the new replica of the famous Oseberg ship. I saw the ship being built, but I still haven't seen here sailing, unfortunately. But here are beautiful photos of her on her way to Risør Wooden Boat Festival.

The Last Viking

Harald plots with Svein. (Click the
images to get a larger picture.)

Harald Hardrada (hard ruler) was a Norwegian king, who tried to conquer England in 1066. He lost and died in the Battle of Stamford Bridge. He was defeated by Harold Godwinson, who a week later lost the Battle of Hastings to William the Conquerer. The events in 1066 ended the Viking Age, and Harald Hardrada is often called The Last Viking. Some may recognize Harald in my profile image.

Then Sigrid said, "This could very
well be your bane!"

Another famous Norwegian king was Olav Tryggvason. In the image to the left, he quarrels with Sigrid the Haughty, a Swedish queen, known for killing her suitors by burning. Among them was Harald Grenske, who plays a major role in my book The Lethal Oath.

Olav Tryggvason is the model for Crowbone in Robert Low's Oathsworn series. In my third book, Gold, Olav is a toddler, hidden at Vik by his mother.

Vik

"Earlier this morning, the first knorr had arrived. Now, the crew were busy unloading the ship. The men were wading the water, carrying barrels and bales on their shoulders. Vik was a trading centre and the landing a shallow beach with poles driven into the sands at deeper waters."
(From The Slayer Rune)

This is a photo from present-day Vik, the place where Sigve the Awful lived and where the action in the first books in The Awful Saga takes place. More images and maps here.