Winter's Fire

The Rise of Sigurd 2

By: Giles Kristian

Narrated by: Philip Stevens

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Sigurd Haraldarson has proven himself a great Viking warrior and a dangerous enemy. He has gone a long way towards avenging the murder of his family. Yet his vengeance is not complete. The oath breaker King Gorm - who betrayed Sigurd's father - still lives, and, so long as the king draws breath, the scales remain unbalanced.

But Sigurd and his wolf pack of warriors are not at full strength, and to confront the king now would mean death. And so they sail west to Sweden, where a local warlord employs them as mercenaries, but in a brutal siege Sigurd, Floki and Valgerd are taken by the enemy, their fate to be sacrificed in return for the gods' favour. Escaping the priest's knife at the last moment, they steal a sacred treasure: Gungnir, the legendary spear of Odin.

The journey Sigurd and his colleagues are destined to take is punctuated by blood and betrayal. Uneasy alliances are made; silver, fame-lust and the Odin spear draw men to Sigurd's banner until he commands a war host of his own. It is time to return to Norway to face the oath breaker. When storms rip the sky, men say that it is Odin, the Wild Huntsman, summoning the souls of the dead. And Sigurd's course is set.

His return to his homeland foretells death. He will lead his warriors against King Gorm in an epic fight to the death, and the clash of ax and sword and shield will shake the timbers of Valhalla itself, for Sigurd's bloodlust is like the Spear God's passing, and his revenge will be the Wings of the Storm....

©2016 Giles Kristian (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks

Not really a spoiler... but just in case.

I enjoyed the vast majority of this book save the whole 'Freya-Maiden' chapters. I know shield maidens were not entirely unheard of in the sagas, but these chapters felt a little force. Outside of this, I was very much entertained!!

Another Triumph

A worthy sequel to the first book in the trilogy. Although not as meaty as the first book, it is still a very good read for its vivid battle scenes and colorful dialogue. It should prove a great set-up for the finale which I am about to greedily devour. I will most certainly keep my eye on this author and expect him to have a sterling storytelling career!

Transporting

The story was well written and expertly told so as to have enwrapped the listeners as if they had been hearing it from a Bard's lips while warming by a winters hearth.

Great book!

It is a very good story of Sigurd and seamlessly picks up where the last left off. It is a gripping story of a young man doing what he feels is right and as a viking making many enemies even if he tries not to. I love this story and the insults they use, oh they make me laugh. Old Norse story till the end!

A good solid story.

When I first started listening to this series, it seemed like it was going to be your generic "Viking tale". You know lot's of raiding, killing, drinking, sex and talk about the gods. I figured there would be that one character who wasn't quite like the rest and that character would turn out to be our hero/ adventurer with a better moral compass then his companions. But this story is so much more then that. It's deep and thought provoking. It really feels like your right next to them on this adventure. The characters are all compelling and diverse, and yes you have that one character who is set a part from the rest, but every character in this book brings life too it. I would compare this read/ listen to the great Bernard Cornwell stories. It really is a good solid story, and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

As good as Giles other books.

Has me dreaming of the sword song. Gets you away from the constant repetitive lifestyle human beings live in now. We used to live for adventure , and the norse knew that better then most.

Fun, fast and enjoyable!

Interesting fast moving believable story with well developed characters with vivid destinations. I look forward to reading the next story upon its release.

Another Homerun

Great book already dying for next book. Couldn't stop listening. Every book is even better than the last

Fantastic!

Third listen .... Amazing reread fireside saga tale. It will get your blood up and keep you in the gym for sure🤘SKOL!

Skald-worthy Saga of Sigurd

Action-packed, non-stop, from the Prologue to the last Chapter.

The battle scenes, animal and/or human sacrifices are a bit on the gory, graphic side, but other than that, it’s an excellent read and the narrator does phenomenally well.

Do not recommend these novels for long road trips with the family, especially with young children.

More Bloody Vikings!

Yes Giles Kristian has continued in “Winter’s Fire” where he left off in “God of Vengeance”, with more bloody Vikings! And let’s be honest that’s just how we like our Vikings, drinking, swearing and fighting at the drop of a horned helmet. The action is frequent though maybe not quite so much as the first book and remains violent and graphic. The narration is extremely good and well-matched to the story. It feels authentic with both the Vikings and the mysterious character from Alba being voiced with consummate expertise.

So, the book delivers on the Primal Scream level, is well written and engaging but it would be a big mistake to write it off just as an action story. Kristian is clever in a number of important ways above and beyond the basic story telling. The way that the vocabulary of the narrative switches to be appropriate to each character’s particular view point is meticulously observed and as we have come to expect there is great respect paid to the historical detail. There are some interesting tactics deployed to get Sigurd and his crew through some of the scrapes that they find themselves in.

I would also add though that in what could have been a male-dominated series Kristian finds room for several very strong female characters who play leading roles in their own right. A mysterious witch, the shield-maiden Valgerd and particularly Sigurd’s sister Runa all play prominent parts. It wasn’t all just about Odin back then . . .

In summary these first two books have been an excellent ride. The story is genuinely satisfying in itself even though this part leaves Sigurd with much to do to in order to fulfil his oath of vengeance. The scene is now set for a fabulous end to the series and I simply can’t wait!

Vikings brought to life

Winter's fire carries in the tale superbly. I have listened / read a few in this genre & Giles Christian's books have so far been my favourites.

Excellent characters & a quite wonderful tale brought to life excellently by Philip Stevens.

I steamed through this audiobook. Always the sign of being riveted. I really look forward to part III.

Highly recommended.

Chaos always catches the eye of the All father.

Book 2 & we're getting battle hardened!
Let's see what becomes of of the Odin kissed?

FILM WORTHY!!

I have the hardback edition; I've heard the story; WHERE ARE THE FILMS?
Outstanding work, Giles!!!! And brilliant Philip Stevens!

Great read

Story is griping from start the hrs fly by when listening . Simaler is style to TVs seris Vikings

An enjoyable, well organized and researched story.

Clear, well articulated reading By Phillip Stevens. I could not ask for more in a performance. No mumbling, awful pronunciation, cheesy character voices or HIGH, lo, HIGH, lo volume roller coaster. Good job.

Giles Kristian storyline is a solid and traditional Vengeance Saga. To this he has added some nice personalities, none of whom are ridiculous or boilerplate. Female presence is developing nicely in part 2 and is more than "quivering loins".

The use of historical references is nice and as always appreciated in historical fiction.

I will be reading part 3.

listened to this many times now and will do again

loved it. Will listen to it again and again. makes you feel like your there one of the pack.

Just brilliant.

I have now listen to 5 of these books and have not fail to impress.

Vikings.

Loved every moment. Stunning telling of how the vikings lived and died. Great retelling of how the battles were fought. Really great story and it was like you were in the battles yourself. Excellent.

winter's Fire.

outstanding. looking forward to next book. will give better review after the last book.