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A review by kaje_harper
Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox
5.0
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.