Rika's Jewel

by Astrid Fox

A group of female Viking warriors, Ingrid's crew, have set sail to fight the Saxons. Ingrid's lover, Rika, is determined to follow them, but soon penetrates a devious plan masterminded by Ingrid, involving a secret cult, whose devotees re-enact the Nordic creation myth. Can Rika overcome Ingrid's psychic hold, or will she succumb to the cult?

Genres: Erotica, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 1999

About the author

Astrid Fox is the pseudonym of a writer and artist living in London. She has a master's degree in Swedish and Scandinavian history.

She is the author of Rika's Jewel, Snow Blonde and Cheap Trick, available from Black Lace.

Also publishes as Leona Benkt Rhys.

Reviews

[Antonomasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Sarah Waters wrote Vikings ... but with less oppression and more sex.

Whilst you probably have to be into the Xena type (and I'm not) to find this stuff hot, the book is also a very silly and entertaining suspense-filled swords-and-sorcery adventure about a young lesbian Norse warrior.

Along the way it also manages to philosophise about the experience of war and being violent, and have a strong opinion about the effects of the introduction of Christianity on women.

The author apparently has a postgrad degree in Scandinavian history, and it shows: there is a lot of great detail about objects and material culture of a quality you wouldn't generally expect in a story like this one. She also begins the book with a paragraph about warrior women excerpted from medieval Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus: quality! She takes liberties with aspects of the setting - e.g. showing Viking mercenaries in William the Conqueror's army - but it's not like total historical accuracy is the objective here.

[auie · Rating 3 out of 5]

an erotic lesbian novel - erotic talaga. walang patawad, kahit sa gitna ng giyera. actually, pampagulo lang ang mga erotic scenes. there were feminists issues (i may say) that were presented here...like how religion perpetrates the subjugation of women. one more thing daw, religion (or the interpretation thereof) should never be left with men daw. hehehe...at least that's what i think it's saying. or else, women will always be sacrificial lambs. and the rites will always include bloodshed. for that matter, maybe men should never be allowed to rule the political scene either. for war and bloodshed will always be a course of action in settling disputes where they concern.

easy reading lang ito. para dun sa gusto lang mag aliw at di masyadong mag-isip. pero kung gusto mo rin mag-isip ng malalim, pwede rin. lahat ng bagay naman pwedeng bigyan ng mas malalim na analyis.