About this series
Young Norseman Harald Hardrede eagerly followed the hand of destiny around the world, learning much of the methods of conquerors and kings. Throughout history there have been great and lauded champions who achieved far less than the towering Viking who now rightly rules Norway. But the crown sits heavily upon Harald’s head, for the throne he occupies rests on shaky ground: Treachery is brewing in the lands of a one-time ally in the North and the conquest of Denmark remains an elusive dream. The enduring sadness of his beloved wife pains him, and the sons he sired with his tempestuous mistress remain to him perplexing mysteries. As the middle years take their toll on the greatest of all Norse champions and a magnificent era approaches its end, destiny once again summons the “Lightning of the North.” Ahead lies the king’s final adventure, one last opportunity to man the dragon-prowed ships and sail across an ocean for the prize he has coveted above all others: the fortified island called Britannia.
With The Sign of the Raven, Poul Anderson, one of the acknowledged greats of fantasy and speculative fiction, concludes his enthralling Last Viking Trilogy. Employing his exceptional storytelling skills to create a masterwork of historical fiction, he brings the eleventh-century to breathtaking life, blending action and color, poignancy and power in his chronicle of the glorious and tragic final years of Norway’s most illustrious hero.
Titles in the series (4)
- The Last Viking Trilogy: The Golden Horn, The Road of the Sea Horse, and The Sign of the Raven
The complete trilogy in one volume: An epic saga by an award-winning author about the daring life of the fierce Norse warrior-king Harald Hardrede. Harald Hardrede, last and greatest of the Norse kings, matures from an uncrowned young man hungry for battle to a ruler with dreams of expansion he is determined to realize. The Golden Horn: Only seventeen, Harald Sigurdharson—one day to be called Hardrede—covets the throne he is still too young to take. Restless, the warrior journeys to Constantinople where he becomes a member of the fabled Varangian Guard entrusted with the safety of the Byzantine emperor and romances an enticing beauty from a powerful clan. The Road of the Sea Horse: Harald Hardrede, who has spent years serving foreign rulers in faraway realms, returns to Norway, undefeated and ready to grow his empire. Harald’s task to unite the northlands will be difficult and require great sacrifice, for the people will adamantly resist his invasion. But Harald will not be deterred; he is determined to carve out his place in history. The Sign of the Raven: Harald has become a great king and a powerful conqueror, but his rule has become unstable. Treachery is brewing in the North and his conquest of Denmark is still out of reach. Unable to raise his wife’s downtrodden spirits or identify with his illegitimate sons, he sets out on his final adventure to seize the prize he has coveted above all others: the fortified island called Britannia.
- The Road of the Sea Horse
The giant Norse warrior-king Harald Hardrede strives to forge a mighty empire by conquering the North in the second volume of the epic Last Viking Trilogy He is a savior to the hordes of loyal Norsemen who would gladly give their lives battling at his side and a dreaded scourge to anyone who resists his dreams of empire. Now, Harald Hardrede—who, legend has it, has never been defeated in battle or sport—has returned to Norway, the land of his birth, after years of serving foreign rulers in faraway realms. The lessons of Constantinople are not lost on the giant Viking warrior, as he sets out to unite the northlands under his sole rule and create an empire to rival the great powers of Europe. Harald’s task will not come easily and will demand great sacrifice, for the resisting Danes love their current king, and the proud people of the Throndheimsfjord would rather die than relinquish their cherished independence. But the fabled “Lightning of the North” will not be deterred, for he is determined to carve his place in history—or die in the process. Multiple-award-winning author Poul Anderson’s thrilling three-volume series, the Last Viking Trilogy draws from Norse legend and lore to prove he is as adept at epic historical fiction as he is at science fiction and fantasy. Norway’s most glorious hero comes alive in The Road of the Sea Horse, a magnificent tale of war, adventure, bloodlust, and loyalty.
- The Golden Horn
From an award-winning author: A novel of the fierce Norse warrior who would become the lusty and powerful Viking king Harald Hardrede. At seventeen, Harald Sigurdharson—one day to be called Hardrede—tastes the bitter nectar of blood and battle for the first time, and from that day forward he will forever crave the intoxicating brew of war. Though he knows it is his destiny to conquer and to rule, he is still young and the throne he covets is beyond his grasp. In the meantime, the wide world beckons. Setting out from Norway after a great series of mercenary adventures in Sweden and Russia, the now towering seven-foot-tall Harald arrives at Constantinople on the Golden Horn. In the heart of an empire choking on its own intrigues and excesses, as a member of the Varangian Guard—the foreign warriors entrusted with the safety of the Byzantine emperor—and a tireless suitor to an enticing beauty from a powerful clan, Harald carves out his legend in flesh, bone, and blood. But his true path stretches to the other side of the world, for he must ultimately return to Norway, his homeland, to claim his royal birthright. A winner of multiple awards including the Hugo and Nebula, author Poul Anderson begins an epic trilogy of historical fiction with this novel, bringing to life the eleventh-century conqueror who was known as the last Viking.
- The Sign of the Raven
The epic saga of Norway’s greatest hero concludes as the legendary Viking conqueror-king Harald Hardrede pursues his dreams of empire to the shores of England Young Norseman Harald Hardrede eagerly followed the hand of destiny around the world, learning much of the methods of conquerors and kings. Throughout history there have been great and lauded champions who achieved far less than the towering Viking who now rightly rules Norway. But the crown sits heavily upon Harald’s head, for the throne he occupies rests on shaky ground: Treachery is brewing in the lands of a one-time ally in the North and the conquest of Denmark remains an elusive dream. The enduring sadness of his beloved wife pains him, and the sons he sired with his tempestuous mistress remain to him perplexing mysteries. As the middle years take their toll on the greatest of all Norse champions and a magnificent era approaches its end, destiny once again summons the “Lightning of the North.” Ahead lies the king’s final adventure, one last opportunity to man the dragon-prowed ships and sail across an ocean for the prize he has coveted above all others: the fortified island called Britannia. With The Sign of the Raven, Poul Anderson, one of the acknowledged greats of fantasy and speculative fiction, concludes his enthralling Last Viking Trilogy. Employing his exceptional storytelling skills to create a masterwork of historical fiction, he brings the eleventh-century to breathtaking life, blending action and color, poignancy and power in his chronicle of the glorious and tragic final years of Norway’s most illustrious hero.
Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson (1926–2001) grew up bilingual in a Danish American family. After discovering science fiction fandom and earning a physics degree at the University of Minnesota, he found writing science fiction more satisfactory. Admired for his “hard” science fiction, mysteries, historical novels, and “fantasy with rivets,” he also excelled in humor. He was the guest of honor at the 1959 World Science Fiction Convention and at many similar events, including the 1998 Contact Japan 3 and the 1999 Strannik Conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Besides winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, he has received the Gandalf, Seiun, and Strannik, or “Wanderer,” Awards. A founder of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, he became a Grand Master, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1952 he met Karen Kruse; they married in Berkeley, California, where their daughter, Astrid, was born, and they later lived in Orinda, California. Astrid and her husband, science fiction author Greg Bear, now live with their family outside Seattle.
Read more from Poul Anderson
Brain Wave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Hearts and Three Lions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Star Fox Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Boat of a Million Years Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5War of the Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tau Zero Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After Doomsday Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Starfarers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5World Without Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Avatar Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hrolf Kraki's Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Midsummer Tempest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Broken Sword Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Orbit Unlimited Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Orion Shall Rise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother of Kings Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dancer from Atlantis Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Merman's Children Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There Will Be Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Three Tales of Time and Space: There Will Be Time, The Enemy Stars, and Fire Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New America Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Two Novels of Far-Future Apocalypse: The Winter of the World and Twilight World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Corridors of Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Genesis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Operation Chaos and Operation Luna Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo World of Their Own Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Makeshift Rocket Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vault of the Ages Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Enemy Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Last Viking Trilogy
Related ebooks
I Rescued Two Dogs: Now Who Will Rescue Me? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of Eli and Jake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJudo Girl: Silencer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNurse Best's Medicinal Cocktails and Mocktails: Over 100 Cocktail and Mocktail Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOur Dream House Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVincent Price Presents: Tinglers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOdyssey Presents: Gallery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhispers From The Word Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blue Meteor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrbit: The Cast of Doctor Who #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vincent Price Presents: Phibes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOdyssey Presents: Anthology #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPolitical Power: Michele Bachmann Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of Hallie & Ralph Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEye of the Beholder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuth & Freddy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOMWG Oh, My Wonderful God!: A Tribute in Verse to Our Lord and Savior Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrangers' Voices In My Head: A Journey Through What Made Me Who I Am from My Mind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsColonial Comics: New England: 1620 - 1750 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vincent Price Presents #04 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReach Your Dreams: Five Steps to be a Conscious Creator in Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAs I Muse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTill Death Us Do Part Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrbit: Mikhail Prokhorov Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegend of Isis: Darkness Falls Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOdyssey Presents: Anthology #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jeremiah's Path to Confirmation: And his Pocketbook of seven, nine plus three Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyals: The House of Windsor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Historical Fiction For You
Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Tender Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sold on a Monday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hang the Moon: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Light Between Oceans: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euphoria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Sea Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kitchen House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tinkers: 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Last Viking Trilogy
16 ratings0 reviews