Viking Blood and Blade

By: Peter Gibbons

Narrated by: Nicholas Jordan

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

If you like Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, David Gemmell, and Giles Kristian, you will love this epic Viking adventure, packed with battles, treachery, blood and gore.

AD 865. The fierce Vikings stormed onto Saxon soil hungry for spoils, conquest, and vengeance for the death of Ragnar Lothbrok.

Hundr, a Northman with a dog's name...a crew of battle hardened warriors...and Ivar the Boneless.

Amidst the invasion of Saxon England by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, Hundr joins a crew of Viking warriors under the command of Einar the Brawler. Hundr fights to forge a warriors reputation under the glare of Ivar and his equally fearsome brothers, but to do that he must battle the Saxons and treachery from within the Viking army itself...

Hundr must navigate the invasion, survive brutal attacks, and find his place in the vicious world of the Vikings in this fast paced adventure with memorable characters.

©2021 Peter Gibbons (P)2021 Peter Gibbons

Young Hero Coming of Age kind of book

This book was great! You have a mysterious hero who is coming of age and joins a crew to make his way to the great heathen army. It has daring adventures, friendships, enemies and a love story. This book will get your blood pumping!

Choose this book!

Great story line and characters. The entire series is awesome and I would highly recommend it if you like Vikings and shield walls.

There is never a long lull without some sort of adventure or action. Enough details to set the scene without bogging down like some of the other stories I’ve read/listened to.

Very similar style to Bernard Cornewell’s Saxon Series.

I really like this series and starting the 5th book now.

If you like viking stories, you will LOVE this!

What a great read (actually listened - audio book)!!! If you are a fan of The Vikings and The Kingdom, or similar story lines, you've got to get this one! I really enjoyed it!

Amazing! Fight scenes are intense

This book kept me on the edge and wanting more. I have the rest of the series on my list. Cant wait to read

Difficult to listen to

Loved the story. The monotone reading by Jordan ruined it for me. Not sure I will purchase additional volumes

Not a bad story, but really sub par narration.

The story was not bad, and was relatively entertaining but the reader was almost like a computer. Kind of a shame as it could be so much better!

Great Book and Good Narration Accents

This book is a must read if you are into anything to do with Vikings. It is violent and glorious. The combat isn't it's only striking point however, the characters are gritty and real, and the narrator gives them each such life. There are references to the Norse gods and goddesses as well as their feats throughout the book. It is a great beginning to an even greater saga.

Good book, horrible narrator

A fun read, but the narration absolutely kills any enjoyment you may receive. There is no inflection in his voice, no emotion, nothing. It’s like he’s trying to get through the story as fast as he can- almost like a kid giving a book report. It’s really a shame, because it could have been so much better.

Great Viking story dripping with mythology.

Hundr, the man with a dog’s name, is a young man trying to make it in the world of Vikings. He starts out as a bailboy and we get to follow him as he makes his way up in the hierarchy. Although I enjoyed the start, I was a little worried that the cast was all stereotypic Vikings with no emotional range besides aggression (yes, I am looking at you ‘The Northman’), but then I met the broader cast and was happily proven wrong. The secondary characters are great; Einar Rosti, Brownlegs, Bush, Ragnhild and of course Sten Sleggya. Sten is a grumpy old giant of a warrior and easily my favourite character in the story. Getting to know him, I understood there was more depth to these fighters than first let on.

First and foremost, this is great storytelling. It is the best book I have read (or listened to) this year, and among my favourites in recent years. Such a work requires a lot of research – trust me I know – and it is brimming with Norse mythology and historical facts. At one time I thought the author guilty of name dropping as one famous historical figure after the other took stage. However, getting further along in the story I thought the mix was just right. A few familiar names just spice up the story for us history geeks.

Speaking of history, I found some discrepancies from “known facts”. I would like to underline that not much are set in stone, as the historical research from that age is not accurate. However, there is little to suggest that Vikings used leather armour as portrayed in fantasy literature, such as a leather breast plates. They probably used animal skins, but that would be more like a reindeer skin over the shoulders. The weapon shirt was probably more common, a shirt composed of many layers of fabric sewn together to a thick shirt. However, everyone gets some details wrong, and in the end, it is historical FICTION, where the aim is to tell a story. And this is a GREAT story. Even with a nice little twist towards the end.

I see that some reviewers are less than satisfied with the narrator, but I thought Jordan did a great job. It is not easy to please everyone, but I found the book to be a very pleasant listen. Jordan’s voice was clear and easy to listen to. The narration could perhaps convey more of the emotion, but that is something of a double-edged sword. Too much emotion, or emotion done badly, ruins a book. A neutral voice does not.

So, all in all, very well done Mr. Gibbons. As a fellow skald I raise my horn in a Skål to your skill as a storyteller.

Excellent listen!

Such a great entertaining book! Loved the story and the characters. So very
much fun!