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A review by pages_and_reels
Northlanders, Vol. 4: The Plague Widow by Leandro Fernández, Brian Wood
5.0
The best story so far.
This book is set in 1020 AD at a Russian settlement located on the bank of the Volga. It is about the plight of a woman after losing her husband to the plague, the harsh measures the leaders have to take to keep the disease at bay and the evil that consumes some of them from within. It is a social commentary on the position of women at a time when the males dominated every aspect of the society. Frankly, every story I have read about from that era details the invaders looting and plundering villages and cities and raping the women. That's why this story as well as "The Shield Maidens" story from the previous volume, told from the perspective of women, was a breath of fresh air for me.
Since all the volumes of this series focus on different stories, I would highly recommend picking this volume up even if one has not read the other stories.
This book is set in 1020 AD at a Russian settlement located on the bank of the Volga. It is about the plight of a woman after losing her husband to the plague, the harsh measures the leaders have to take to keep the disease at bay and the evil that consumes some of them from within. It is a social commentary on the position of women at a time when the males dominated every aspect of the society. Frankly, every story I have read about from that era details the invaders looting and plundering villages and cities and raping the women. That's why this story as well as "The Shield Maidens" story from the previous volume, told from the perspective of women, was a breath of fresh air for me.
Since all the volumes of this series focus on different stories, I would highly recommend picking this volume up even if one has not read the other stories.