171 ratings | 58 reviews | avg rating:4.37

Matthew’s Year In Books

Matthew’s 2025 Year in Books

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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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Combine Editions
Matthew Harffy’s books

Average rating: 4.34 · 29,369 ratings · 1,973 reviews · 27 distinct works • Similar authors

	Wolf of Wessex 4.21 avg rating — 4,416 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 — 3,864 ratings — published 2015	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 — 2,788 ratings — published 2020	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 — 2,433 ratings — published 2016 — 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
	Storm of Steel (The Bernicia Chronicles, #6) 4.48 avg rating — 1,907 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 — 1,884 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Blood and Blade (The Bernicia Chronicles, #3) 4.38 avg rating — 1,890 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 — 1,613 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 — 1,555 ratings — published 2020 — 6 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 — 1,486 ratings — 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

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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 Bernicia Chronicles (11 books)
by

Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

4.36 avg rating — 18,697 ratings

A Time for Swords (4 books)
by

Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

4.37 avg rating — 5,407 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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Feb 22, 2026 04:12AM

Matthew Harffy is currently reading

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

by Matthew Harffy (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: written, currently-reading

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Nov 06, 2025 07:09AM

Matthew Harffy is currently reading

Bane of Bernicia

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 Terry Rudge’s review of Bane of Bernicia " Thanks for this great review! And another first for you! :-) "
Apr 02, 2026 01:53AM · see review
Matthew Harffy and 4 other people liked Terry Rudge's review of Bane of Bernicia: "Book 11!!!! By now, Matthew Harffy knows exactly what his readers are here for and he delivers it with the confidence of a warrior who’s been through a dozen shield walls and lived to tell the tale. Beobrand is still as grumpy and short tempered as eve" Read more of this review »
Apr 02, 2026 01:53AM · see review
Matthew Harffy and 2 other people liked Donna Bull's review of Dominion of Dust (A Time for Swords, 4): "Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the ARC. 4.5/5 "I have lived a violent life, filled with blood and battle. I am a sinner and weak of flesh. I have revelled in the blood-lust of the shield-din and rejoiced at the death of my enemies." Once again" Read more of this review »
Mar 16, 2026 01:09PM · see review
Matthew Harffy made a comment on Fiona Scovell’s review of Dark Frontier " :-) "
Mar 16, 2026 12:54PM · see review
Matthew Harffy and 4 other people liked Fiona Scovell's review of Dark Frontier: "Whilst not in the same league as Lonesome Dove, this was an exciting western, filled with the usual characters one would expect from the genre. Adding the English police inspector, created an unusual character twist. Enjoyable read."
Mar 11, 2026 07:56AM · see review
Matthew Harffy liked Elora's review of Wolf of Wessex: "An easy escape - the last of us meets historical fiction "
Feb 09, 2026 12:03PM · see review
Matthew Harffy made a comment on Sam Graham’s review of Dark Frontier " 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 made a comment on Angus Bailey’s review of Dark Frontier " Thanks for the lovely review! "
Jan 08, 2026 04:19AM · see review
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
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

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

See all Matthew Harffy's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
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
Ancient & Medieva...: Freebie/Giveaway/On Sale Historical Fiction Books - eBook and Audio	2625	1369	Dec 23, 2022 05:20AM
Ancient & Medieva...: The Saxons	328	784	Jan 02, 2024 07:29PM

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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

128 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

152128 likes

More of Matthew’s quotes…