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Matthew Harffy
171 ratings | 58 reviews | avg rating:4.37

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Matthew Harffy

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter
MatthewHarffy

Genre
Historical Fiction, Fiction, History

Influences
Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, David Gemmell, Justin Hill, Patrick O ...more

Member Since
December 2012

URL


Matthew Harffy is the author of the action-packed series of historical novels, the Bernicia Chronicles.

Matthew’s 2020 novel, Wolf of Wessex, was his first departure from the seventh century. Taking place a couple of centuries later in the early years of the Viking Age, it tells the tale of ageing warrior, Dunston, as he tries to find a man’s vicious murderers, keep the victim’s orphaned daughter alive and uncover the dark secret that threatens to plunge the kingdom into war. The book was very well received, with The Times calling it “a treat of a book”.

His A Time for Swords series is set at the dawn of the Viking Age. It follows the adventures of monk-turned-warrior, Hunlaf, who witnesses the first attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne and ...more

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Ask the Author

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Popular Answered Questions

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Matthew Harffy I guess the best thing is that you can tell the stories you really want to read. I also think that is the secret to good writing. If you like what you…moreI guess the best thing is that you can tell the stories you really want to read. I also think that is the secret to good writing. If you like what you have written and enjoy the story, then you can be sure that some other readers will. Not everyone, but you are not going to be alone in the world!(less)
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So I just ordered "The Serpent Sword" with the cool new cover and I see that "For Lord and land" has a similarly styled cover. Are the remaining books in the Bernicia Chronicles going to get new covers as well? I'd like to collect the entire series but can be patient having already read them all on Kindle. Thanks,
Matthew Harffy So the short answer is yes. I believe that all the currently published paperback versions will get a new look, like The Serpent Sword and For Lord and…moreSo the short answer is yes. I believe that all the currently published paperback versions will get a new look, like The Serpent Sword and For Lord and Land. This will happen as the paperbacks need to be reprinted, I think.

I presume that the new books that come out will have the new look covers for both hardback and paperback versions.(less)
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See all 16 answers from Matthew Harffy…

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.33 · 28,768 ratings · 1,942 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors
Wolf of Wessex
4.21 avg rating — 4,345 ratings — published 2019 — 12 editions
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The Serpent Sword (The Bern...
4.16 avg rating — 3,828 ratings — published 2015 — 19 editions
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A Time for Swords (A Time f...
4.33 avg rating — 2,741 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions
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The Cross and the Curse (Th...
4.25 avg rating — 2,412 ratings — published 2016 — 11 editions
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Storm of Steel (The Bernici...
4.48 avg rating — 1,885 ratings — published 2019 — 8 editions
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Killer of Kings (The Bernic...
4.41 avg rating — 1,865 ratings — published 2017 — 10 editions
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Blood and Blade (The Bernic...
4.37 avg rating — 1,870 ratings — published 2016 — 10 editions
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Warrior of Woden (The Berni...
4.46 avg rating — 1,593 ratings — published 2018 — 11 editions
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Fortress of Fury (The Berni...
4.47 avg rating — 1,533 ratings — published 2020 — 5 editions
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For Lord and Land (The Bern...
4.47 avg rating — 1,463 ratings — 8 editions
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More books by Matthew Harffy…

169 posts
Matthew Harffy's Blog

REVIEW: Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott

Gladiator II - Am I Not Entertained?
The first film is amazing, for many reasons. Russel Crowe in Gladiator
This one falls flat in many ways. However, I didn't hate it, as many commentators seem to have done. I enjoyed it for the spectacle of the thing. Some of the establishing shots of Rome are wonderful in the way few other directors can pull off. Ridley Scott still has an amazing eye, but his Read more of this blog post »
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Published on December 02, 2024 01:49
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Series by Matthew Harffy

The Serpent Sword The Cross and the Curse Blood and Blade Killer of Kings Warrior of Woden Storm of Steel Fortress of Fury
(11 books)
by
4.35 avg rating — 18,463 ratings

A Time for Swords A Night of Flames A Day of Reckoning
(3 books)
by
4.37 avg rating — 5,034 ratings

Matthew is Currently Reading

Dominion of Dust
Matthew Harffy is currently reading
by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)
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Nov 06, 2025 07:10AM
Swords in the Sno...
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Nov 06, 2025 07:09AM
Bane of Bernicia
Matthew Harffy is currently reading
by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading, written
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Jul 10, 2025 06:41AM

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Matthew’s Recent Updates

Matthew Harffy made a comment on Sam Graham’s review of Dark Frontier
Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy
" Thanks for the review! That you stuck with and enjoyed this after reading McMurtry's classics is all the praise I need! :-) Lonesome Dove is a masterp ...more "
Jan 14, 2026 06:37AM  · see review
Matthew Harffy and 1 other person liked Sam Graham's review of Dark Frontier:
Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy
"2025 was the year of reading western’s for me, namely the Lonesome Dove series which are widely regarded as the cream of the crop for the genre, and which are now some of my favourite books of all time.

I stumbled on this without a recommendation and" Read more of this review »
Jan 14, 2026 06:35AM  · see review ·  preview book
Matthew Harffy and 1 other person liked Ben Fox's review of Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord):
Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy
"What's better than reading a story written by one of your favourite authors? Reading a story written by two of your favourite authors!!

Being a big fan of both Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay, I knew that I would enjoy this novella. The pair have c" Read more of this review »
Jan 08, 2026 04:26AM  · see review ·  preview book
Matthew Harffy and 1 other person liked Khurram's review of Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord):
Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy
"A cold Christmas adventure

A great book, and an excellent collaboration between the two authors. An interesting way to do it to have one person write their heroes and the other to write their villains. Also great that both sets of characters had a cha" Read more of this review »
Jan 08, 2026 04:26AM  · see review ·  preview book
Matthew Harffy liked Richard West's review of Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord):
Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy
"For starters, let's clear up the authorship: This is a collaborative effort between Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay, so let's give credit where credit is due. But Goodreads tends to be good about screwing things up - -the last book I went to write" Read more of this review »
Jan 08, 2026 04:26AM  · see review ·  preview book
Matthew Harffy made a comment on Angus Bailey’s review of Dark Frontier
Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy
" Thanks for the lovely review! "
Jan 08, 2026 04:19AM  · see review
Matthew Harffy started reading
Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy
Dominion of Dust (A Time for Swords, 4)
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Nov 06, 2025 07:10AM  · 1 like ·   ·  preview book
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Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord)
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Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord)
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Oct 07, 2025 07:59AM  · 2 likes ·   ·  preview book
Matthew Harffy made a comment on Eddie’s review of Dark Frontier
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" Thank you! "
Oct 07, 2025 07:51AM  · see review
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Quotes by Matthew Harffy  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Time is the hunter that always catches his prey.”
― Matthew Harffy, Wolf of Wessex
5 likes
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“The sword is like a serpent. You can try to tame it, but it is venomous and will often bite the hand that holds it.”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword
5 likes
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“I don't know what happiness is anymore”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
A Good Thriller: 25,000 Pages Read in 2017 436 244 Jan 01, 2018 02:20AM  
A Good Thriller: Can 1,750,000 Pages Be Read In 2017? 2429 444 Jan 10, 2018 01:06PM  
The Not a Book Cl...: If you liked Uthred, you may like Bernicia Chronicles 3 13 May 03, 2018 02:37AM  
Historical Novel ...: What historical novel have you read recently? 37 47 Aug 28, 2020 01:26PM  
NetGalley Readers: This topic has been closed to new comments. What NG Books have you just read? Any recommendations? 11585 1735 Jan 18, 2021 05:18PM  
English Translati...: Matthew Harffy - A Night of Flames 1 6 Jan 20, 2022 06:06AM  
English Translati...: March 2022 - read-along 4 15 Mar 01, 2022 12:26PM  

Matthew’s Quotes

“But fate, as Merlin always taught us, is inexorable. Life is a jest of the Gods, Merlin liked to claim, and there is no justice. You must learn to laugh, he once told me, or else you'll just weep yourself to death.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King
tags: laugh, life, religion, weep
265 likes
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“Don't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
― Bernard Cornwall
tags: on-writing, readers-and-writers, writing, writing-craft
126 likes
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“The sword is like a serpent. You can try to tame it, but it is venomous and will often bite the hand that holds it.”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword
5 likes
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“I don't know what happiness is anymore”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword
4 likes
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“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa
tags: books, humor
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Matthew’s Groups

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 309011 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
22454 Historical Fictionistas — 15938 members — last activity 3 hours, 45 min ago
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better. ...more
54239 Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction — 6139 members — last activity Jan 13, 2026 10:23AM
The focus of this group is historical fiction set in Ancient and Medieval eras(with some post Medieval), in any geographical location. Preference is g ...more

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