171 ratings | 58 reviews | avg rating:4.37

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Matthew Harffy

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.matthewharffy.com

Twitter

MatthewHarffy

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction, History

Influences

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

Member Since

December 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/matthewharffy

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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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Matthew Harffy’s books

Average rating: 4.33 · 28,259 ratings · 1,918 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors

	Wolf of Wessex 4.21 avg rating — 4,300 ratings — published 2019 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Serpent Sword (The Bernicia Chronicles, #1) 4.16 avg rating — 3,797 ratings — published 2015 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Time for Swords (A Time for Swords, #1) 4.33 avg rating — 2,715 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cross and the Curse (The Bernicia Chronicles, #2) 4.25 avg rating — 2,387 ratings — published 2016 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Storm of Steel (The Bernicia Chronicles, #6) 4.48 avg rating — 1,873 ratings — published 2019 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Killer of Kings (The Bernicia Chronicles, #4) 4.41 avg rating — 1,847 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blood and Blade (The Bernicia Chronicles, #3) 4.37 avg rating — 1,848 ratings — published 2016 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Warrior of Woden (The Bernicia Chronicles, #5) 4.46 avg rating — 1,578 ratings — published 2018 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fortress of Fury (The Bernicia Chronicles, #7) 4.47 avg rating — 1,520 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	For Lord and Land (The Bernicia Chronicles, #8) 4.47 avg rating — 1,451 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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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 Bernicia Chronicles (11 books)
by

Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

4.35 avg rating — 18,272 ratings

A Time for Swords (3 books)
by

Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

4.37 avg rating — 4,963 ratings

Matthew is Currently Reading

Matthew Harffy is currently reading

Dominion of Dust (A Time for Swords, 4)

by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: written, currently-reading

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Nov 06, 2025 07:10AM

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Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord)

by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 06, 2025 07:09AM

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Bane of Bernicia (The Bernicia Chronicles Book 11)

by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 10, 2025 06:41AM

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Matthew’s Recent Updates

Matthew Harffy and 3 other people liked W. Boal's review of Dominion of Dust (A Time for Swords, 4): "What an adventure that was. wow! I make no apology for my constant 5star reviews for Matthew's books. His stories are great! Dominion of Dust, is exceptionally great. It is sorrowful in places, very much so in others, and... ... well, just go read it" Read more of this review »
Nov 10, 2025 02:06AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy started reading Dominion of Dust (A Time for Swords, 4) by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 06, 2025 07:10AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy started reading Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord) by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 06, 2025 07:09AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy and 1 other person liked Michael greenhalgh's review of Dominion of Dust: an exciting Viking-era adventure full of deadly intrigue and fierce combat (A Time for Swords Book 4): "Hunlaf Mathew continues to excell in his story telling first with the hero beo now hunlaf bernard cornwell better look out theres a new master coming"
Nov 03, 2025 04:21AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy has read Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading! (The Forest Lord) by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 07, 2025 07:59AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy made a comment on Eddie’s review of Dark Frontier " Thank you! "
Oct 07, 2025 07:51AM · see review
Matthew Harffy and 3 other people liked Eddie's review of Dark Frontier: "Awesome, didn’t expect less!!!! New series set in a different time. Historically with a new character. Hopefully this becomes a series. That’s three for him now. And The talent. the characters, the world building are perfect!! "
Oct 07, 2025 07:51AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matthew Harffy and 1 other person liked Matt's review of Dark Frontier: "I like this author and the way he writes. He says he always wanted to write a “western” novel and this is the result. There are no real surprises and in this way this book falls in with most Western based story-fodder. However, where Harffy excels is " Read more of this review »
Sep 02, 2025 01:26AM · see review
Matthew Harffy is currently reading Bane of Bernicia (The Bernicia Chronicles Book 11) by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 10, 2025 06:41AM · 3 likes · like
Matthew Harffy made a comment on David Baird’s review of A Man Dies But Once: A short novella set in the gritty world of Dark Frontier " Thanks for a great review! "
May 26, 2025 01:36PM · see review

More of Matthew's books…

Quotes by Matthew Harffy (?)

“Time is the hunter that always catches his prey.”
― Matthew Harffy, Wolf of Wessex

5 likes

“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

“I don't know what happiness is anymore”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword

4 likes

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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: 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

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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

“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

“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

“I don't know what happiness is anymore”
― Matthew Harffy, The Serpent Sword

4 likes

“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa

tags: books, humor

151109 likes

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Matthew Harffy’s Followers (738)

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Matthew Harffy

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REVIEW: Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott

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