Just consider how much of literature dwells upon betrayal. How often dramatic conflict depends upon a charismatic villain that the virtuous hero (or heroine) both loves and hates. Without betrayal, loyalty and honor would never be divided.
It’s no coincidence, then, that many great tales begin with a betrayal. Linnea Hartsuyker'sThe Half-Drowned King, a fictional retelling of the saga of Norway’s first king, Harald Fairhair, begins her story with the attempted murder of her protagonist, Ragnvald and ends it with Ragnvald's sister, Svanhild, married to the man who tried to kill her brother.
Taking her inspiration from the Heimskringla of the Icelandic skald, Snorri Sturluson, The Half-Drowned King is based on the story of Ragnvald of Maer, the right hand man of King Harald Fairhair, first king of all Norway, and his sister, Svanhild. Ninth century Norway had no written language other than the runes used on marker stones. Snorri Sturluson wrote his "histories" some four centuries later, with only oral traditions as sources.
This is the first in a projected trilogy about that time when Norway was first united under one ruler. The second book in the trilogy, The Sea Queen, is scheduled for publication later this year.
Click HERE to read the review from Publishers Weekly.
Click HERE to read the review from Kirkus Reviews.
Click HERE to read a review from tor.com.
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