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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Excellent historical fiction
I adored this. The history is richly described, and the relationship between Cai and Fen slowly, beautifully developed.
I didn't want to stop reading it.
I adored this. The history is richly described, and the relationship between Cai and Fen slowly, beautifully developed.
I didn't want to stop reading it.
Another great read (possibly even saga!) from Harper Fox.
I'm always wary of reading books set so far back in time because life was hard, the smallest thing can kill let alone armed raiders and life was short even with luck on your side. However, this was a good story, full of hope, sadness, peace, horrors.
Cai has left his family to join the Christian monks on Fara though his warrior and more heathen upbringing are making his move tricky. I liked his healing abilities and that when the chips were down, Cai stepped up. He is no mamby pamby monk!
Fen is one of the marauding vikings and is injured by Fen. After being left for dead by both his fellow vikingr and the monks, he is eventually rescued by Cai. I did like that his initial thoughts were to kill Fen, by knife and then by barely sufficient care. Fen gradually works his way into Cai's heart and life.
If only more Abbot Theo's were around but unfortunately more Aelfric's were common. This bit got a little preachy but not too in your face and melded in the story.
I didn't really get my head around the Gleipner bit but it did serve to reunite Fen and Cai and Adder's miracle was a saving grace, I was getting my hankie out in readiness!!!!
Once again, a great writing style that sucked me into the story and keeping me up far too late at night!
I'm always wary of reading books set so far back in time because life was hard, the smallest thing can kill let alone armed raiders and life was short even with luck on your side. However, this was a good story, full of hope, sadness, peace, horrors.
Cai has left his family to join the Christian monks on Fara though his warrior and more heathen upbringing are making his move tricky. I liked his healing abilities and that when the chips were down, Cai stepped up. He is no mamby pamby monk!
Fen is one of the marauding vikings and is injured by Fen. After being left for dead by both his fellow vikingr and the monks, he is eventually rescued by Cai. I did like that his initial thoughts were to kill Fen, by knife and then by barely sufficient care. Fen gradually works his way into Cai's heart and life.
If only more Abbot Theo's were around but unfortunately more Aelfric's were common. This bit got a little preachy but not too in your face and melded in the story.
I didn't really get my head around the Gleipner bit but it did serve to reunite Fen and Cai and Adder's miracle was a saving grace, I was getting my hankie out in readiness!!!!
Once again, a great writing style that sucked me into the story and keeping me up far too late at night!
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book… holy shit. I’ve never been a big reader of historical fiction or historical romance, but this… utter perfection.
4.25 stars
This was so interesting, and nothing like I was expecting. I went into it prepared for a slow start, but I was pulled into Caius' world from the very beginning.
The history: I was nervous about the far-distant time frame for some reason, but the writing style makes for an easy read without feeling anachronistic and it's really not history-heavy at all. In fact, I wanted *more* history. There's a thematic reason we don't get a whole lot of factual background, but what we did get really piqued my interest and made me desperately wish for more.
The monks: The other thing that kept me from reading this for so long. I just could not see myself getting invested into monk life, but the way Caius fits in with the brotherhood (and the ways he doesn't) and the details that set their abbey apart are a large part of what made this so interesting.
The mysticism: I skew pretty woo-woo myself, so I was fully on board with this element, but the ending didn't feel quite right after all the buildup. It felt ... too small for the epic nature of the rest of the story? The simplicity was fine, but I guess I was expecting a grander scale to the epilogue? I don't know, but it was still satisfying overall.
I also went in forewarned for tears, so I made a point not to get too invested in anyone outside of the MCs, and for once that actually worked! (Of course some days it feels like numb and detached has become my default mood to get through these strange times, so that may have helped me here...)
Highly recommended
This was so interesting, and nothing like I was expecting. I went into it prepared for a slow start, but I was pulled into Caius' world from the very beginning.
The history: I was nervous about the far-distant time frame for some reason, but the writing style makes for an easy read without feeling anachronistic and it's really not history-heavy at all. In fact, I wanted *more* history. There's a thematic reason we don't get a whole lot of factual background, but what we did get really piqued my interest and made me desperately wish for more.
The monks: The other thing that kept me from reading this for so long. I just could not see myself getting invested into monk life, but the way Caius fits in with the brotherhood (and the ways he doesn't) and the details that set their abbey apart are a large part of what made this so interesting.
The mysticism: I skew pretty woo-woo myself, so I was fully on board with this element, but the ending didn't feel quite right after all the buildup. It felt ... too small for the epic nature of the rest of the story? The simplicity was fine, but I guess I was expecting a grander scale to the epilogue? I don't know, but it was still satisfying overall.
I also went in forewarned for tears, so I made a point not to get too invested in anyone outside of the MCs, and for once that actually worked! (Of course some days it feels like numb and detached has become my default mood to get through these strange times, so that may have helped me here...)
Highly recommended
Excellent historical fiction
I adored this. The history is richly described, and the relationship between Cai and Fen slowly, beautifully developed.
I didn't want to stop reading it.
I adored this. The history is richly described, and the relationship between Cai and Fen slowly, beautifully developed.
I didn't want to stop reading it.
When I read a book by Harper Fox, I know I'll be swept out of my reality into a vivid world that engages my senses. This book opens to the tang of sea air, the sand and salt-grasses and open spaces of a barren northern peninsula. Here Cai has escaped the brutish life of his chieftain father's holding for a monastic Christian community... with a difference.
The abbot of this small group is a man of science and learning, and not in the least fixated on doctrine. The monks learn about the movement of the earth along with the life of Christ, and live and labor together to create a sanctuary where the best of faith and discovery can exist side by side. There is prayer and tradition, but the abbot is also a practical man, and work is not interrupted constantly for monastic hours. And relationships between the brothers, although frowned upon as a breach of chastity, are not anathema. Unfortunately, there are rumors that their impoverished monastery conceals a treasure, and those rumors are enough to bring the vikingr raiding.
Caius learned sword-fighting at his father's knee. He may be a man of God, but when the lives of his brethren are threatened, he will fight. They manage to drive off the first raid, and one of the raiders is left behind, critically wounded. Cai is tempted to kill the man, in retribution for the men the monastery has lost, including his friend and bedmate, but he is at heart a healer, and the heat of battle is over. So he brings the injured viking into his care. And instead of dying, the man, Fenrir, lives.
This story progresses very slowly, through Fen's recovery and a gradual sea change in Fen's view of the world, and Cai's view of Fen. There is loss and adventure, in an almost cyclic rhythm. There is a touch of religion, with a gloss of the mystical, almost the paranormal. The old herb witch, the saintly hermit, prophetic dreams and curious animals, come together to give the story just a hint of the otherworldly, over an otherwise deeply reality-grounded base. The scents and sounds and feel of the era pervade the story, and the men are wonderful characters with strengths that truly complement each other.
Cai's humility, honor, curiosity and compassion, are a match for Fen's bravery, energy, reckless enthusiasm and fondness for violence. When the Church back in Europe sends an intolerant new bishop with teachings of hell-fire for heresy, Cai must decide how best to honor his old mentor. And when the Vikings raid again, Fen must decide which side he is on.
I really liked the slow sweep of this story, which allowed the time for these men to change and grow, and become who they were meant to be. It is not the most intense of Harper Fox's books, or my absolute favorite (still [b:Scrap Metal|13157635|Scrap Metal|Harper Fox|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328327742s/13157635.jpg|18336044]), but it stands well among them. There is a touch of the possible-paranormal in a plot thread that I can't decide whether I like or feel cheated by. Another reread will be required to decide (ah, the sacrifice ;) Readers who have loved the more atmospheric, slow-building stories by this author will find themselves delightfully immersed in this one.
The abbot of this small group is a man of science and learning, and not in the least fixated on doctrine. The monks learn about the movement of the earth along with the life of Christ, and live and labor together to create a sanctuary where the best of faith and discovery can exist side by side. There is prayer and tradition, but the abbot is also a practical man, and work is not interrupted constantly for monastic hours. And relationships between the brothers, although frowned upon as a breach of chastity, are not anathema. Unfortunately, there are rumors that their impoverished monastery conceals a treasure, and those rumors are enough to bring the vikingr raiding.
Caius learned sword-fighting at his father's knee. He may be a man of God, but when the lives of his brethren are threatened, he will fight. They manage to drive off the first raid, and one of the raiders is left behind, critically wounded. Cai is tempted to kill the man, in retribution for the men the monastery has lost, including his friend and bedmate, but he is at heart a healer, and the heat of battle is over. So he brings the injured viking into his care. And instead of dying, the man, Fenrir, lives.
This story progresses very slowly, through Fen's recovery and a gradual sea change in Fen's view of the world, and Cai's view of Fen. There is loss and adventure, in an almost cyclic rhythm. There is a touch of religion, with a gloss of the mystical, almost the paranormal. The old herb witch, the saintly hermit, prophetic dreams and curious animals, come together to give the story just a hint of the otherworldly, over an otherwise deeply reality-grounded base. The scents and sounds and feel of the era pervade the story, and the men are wonderful characters with strengths that truly complement each other.
Cai's humility, honor, curiosity and compassion, are a match for Fen's bravery, energy, reckless enthusiasm and fondness for violence. When the Church back in Europe sends an intolerant new bishop with teachings of hell-fire for heresy, Cai must decide how best to honor his old mentor. And when the Vikings raid again, Fen must decide which side he is on.
I really liked the slow sweep of this story, which allowed the time for these men to change and grow, and become who they were meant to be. It is not the most intense of Harper Fox's books, or my absolute favorite (still [b:Scrap Metal|13157635|Scrap Metal|Harper Fox|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328327742s/13157635.jpg|18336044]), but it stands well among them. There is a touch of the possible-paranormal in a plot thread that I can't decide whether I like or feel cheated by. Another reread will be required to decide (ah, the sacrifice ;) Readers who have loved the more atmospheric, slow-building stories by this author will find themselves delightfully immersed in this one.
È un libro molto semplice nella sua trama lineare, senza grandi colpi di scena o paesaggi evocativi che ti trasportano altrove. E dunque, perché queste quattro stelle? Perché mi ha fatto sorridere teneramente molte volte. Il racconto di due amanti tanto diversi tra di loro l'ho trovato emozionante. È sicuramente uno di quei libri che vi può fare compagnia in momenti in cui avrete bisogno di un po' di leggerezza, un po' di tenerezza e tanto calore.