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Oathsworn #1
The Whale Road
DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW WITH THIS LIMITED-TIME DISCOUNT ON BOOK ONE OF THE SERIES.The first in the Oathsworn series, charting the adventures of a band of Vikings on the chase for the secret hoard of Attila the Hun.In time with the magnificent British Museum Viking exhibition, comes the Oathsworn series, called ‘enthralling’ by fiction legend Bernard Cornwell, and known for its blockbuster battles and powerful suspense.Life is savage aboard a Viking raider. Young Orm Rurikson is plucked from the snows of Norway to join his estranged father on the Fjord Elk, and becomes a member of the notorious crew – the Oathsworn. Hired as relic-hunters by the merchant rulers, and sent in search of a legendary sword of untold value to the new religion – their mission is treacherous. With only a young girl as guide, their quest will lead them on to the deep waters of the 'whale road', toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun. And to a challenge that will test the very bond that holds them together.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
156 people are currently reading
6961 people want to read
About the author
Robert Low
62 books284 followersRobert Low is a Scottish journalist and historical novelist, with novels based on the Viking Age. He was war correspondent in Vietnam and also several other locations, including Sarajevo, Romania and Kosovo, until "common-sense, age and the concerns of my wife and daughter prevailed". Now he writes novels full time. He's also a historical reenactor performing with the Scotland-based group, the Vikings.
Series:
* Oathsworn
* Kingdom
Series:
* Oathsworn
* Kingdom
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
April 10, 2022
Another re-read - it's so hard not to be utterly in love with this tale. It kickstarts the saga of Orm the White Bear Slayer perfectly. Perfectly!
Okay after re-reading this it's even better! The audiobook was not anywhere near as good as physically reading this magnificent and authentic viking-age story. I wish I was a member of the Oathsworn! 5 STARS
Check out my review for this fantastic book on Grimdark Magazine at: Grimdark Magazine
The Whale Road, a fearsome tale of a band of Vikings hunting relics, drinking hard and fighting harder. Robert Low is another of the Norse-period writers on my favourite shelf.
“By Odin's Hairy Arse!”
Rob Low has crafted a wonderful story of a Norse band sailing the whale road here. It is full to the brim of the sea-chest with authentic language, sayings, the imaginable harsh environment, the rough characters., and one that made me laugh every time I read ‘by Odin’s Hairy Arse!’.
Orm Rurikson is a young Norse raider in training and is quickly inducted into the ways of the Oathsworn, the band who sail the seas aboard the Fjord Elk. The Oathsworn are a band of sell-swords and The Whale Road is the first part of Orm’s story within the war band. The Oathsworn - in a time of the White Christ growing in popularity - have been payed to find the sword of Attila the Hun and his infamous hoard of gold and silver.
“We were still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.”
A short book at only 340 pages, The Whale Road is ram-packed with action, bloody fights, and shield-walls. There aren’t many moments to pause for breath as Orm is thrust into the new-world of relic hunting. Orm is a solid character and was well-written, with plenty of humorous and enjoyable interactions between him and the rest of the Oathsworn (well…those that last). Rob Low certainly has a way of keeping you guessing what is going to happen next and indeed, who is going to be slain next. The Oathsworn were the best part of this story, full of fun and dry humour. The audible narrator also did a cracking job.
It is hard to find a truly fantastic viking-period novel, with Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian wearing the crowns at the moment. Robert Low’s promising debut of The Whale Road certainly is treading the same path, with great characters and plenty of gritty action. I just wanted more!I will most certainly continue with the series and look forward to seeing where Orm sails to next.
“Strange how we had longed for the feel and smell of land when afloat and now longed for the touch of ship and spray now that we were ashore.”
4/5 - A stormy tale of vikings at sea, with enough hack silver and hacking of limbs to make every norse-lover smile. Robert Low’s Oathsworn starts with a mighty shield-wall bang and bearded warriors that say all sorts of profanities. For lovers of Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian, check this out!
Okay after re-reading this it's even better! The audiobook was not anywhere near as good as physically reading this magnificent and authentic viking-age story. I wish I was a member of the Oathsworn! 5 STARS
Check out my review for this fantastic book on Grimdark Magazine at: Grimdark Magazine
The Whale Road, a fearsome tale of a band of Vikings hunting relics, drinking hard and fighting harder. Robert Low is another of the Norse-period writers on my favourite shelf.
“By Odin's Hairy Arse!”
Rob Low has crafted a wonderful story of a Norse band sailing the whale road here. It is full to the brim of the sea-chest with authentic language, sayings, the imaginable harsh environment, the rough characters., and one that made me laugh every time I read ‘by Odin’s Hairy Arse!’.
Orm Rurikson is a young Norse raider in training and is quickly inducted into the ways of the Oathsworn, the band who sail the seas aboard the Fjord Elk. The Oathsworn are a band of sell-swords and The Whale Road is the first part of Orm’s story within the war band. The Oathsworn - in a time of the White Christ growing in popularity - have been payed to find the sword of Attila the Hun and his infamous hoard of gold and silver.
“We were still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.”
A short book at only 340 pages, The Whale Road is ram-packed with action, bloody fights, and shield-walls. There aren’t many moments to pause for breath as Orm is thrust into the new-world of relic hunting. Orm is a solid character and was well-written, with plenty of humorous and enjoyable interactions between him and the rest of the Oathsworn (well…those that last). Rob Low certainly has a way of keeping you guessing what is going to happen next and indeed, who is going to be slain next. The Oathsworn were the best part of this story, full of fun and dry humour. The audible narrator also did a cracking job.
It is hard to find a truly fantastic viking-period novel, with Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian wearing the crowns at the moment. Robert Low’s promising debut of The Whale Road certainly is treading the same path, with great characters and plenty of gritty action. I just wanted more!I will most certainly continue with the series and look forward to seeing where Orm sails to next.
“Strange how we had longed for the feel and smell of land when afloat and now longed for the touch of ship and spray now that we were ashore.”
4/5 - A stormy tale of vikings at sea, with enough hack silver and hacking of limbs to make every norse-lover smile. Robert Low’s Oathsworn starts with a mighty shield-wall bang and bearded warriors that say all sorts of profanities. For lovers of Bernard Cornwell and Giles Kristian, check this out!
November 2, 2023
El joven Orm Ruriksson es arrancado de su Noruega natal y embarcado en el "Alce de los Fiordos" junto a su padre convirtiéndose en miembro de una de las tripulaciones más temidas y más cohesionadas de su tiempo. Pronto se pondrá a la altura de sus nuevos compañeros a la hora de luchar, beber sin mesura y defenderse los unos a los otros como una auténtica hermandad.
La búsqueda de una enigmática reliquia llevará a la tripulación hasta el pueblo de los jázaros y a navegar en las profundas y traicioneras aguas que recorren las ballenas, unos mares endemoniados. El autor consigue transmitirnos una emocionante visión de la dura vida de estos hombres dentro y fuera de la embarcación vikinga.
Una magistral novela histórica de una banda de vikingos con todo los ingredientes que deseaba.
Barcos, mitos, dioses, batallas sangrientas en una aventura trepidante mientras un grupo de guerreros sigue el difícil y peligroso rastro de un tesoro legendario.
El conocimiento de Low sobre este período es muy bueno, sobresaliente y apasionado. Uno de los aspectos que más me ha cautivado de esta lograda trama es la enorme profundidad de los detalles del combate, la navegación, tradiciones, cultura y mitos.
Me ha transportado por completo por tierra y mar, me ha enganchado sin remedio desde el principio. Muy realista, auténtico. A través de unos personajes que sólo te hace querer leer el segundo libro. Son historias con su final.
340 dinámicas páginas vikingas puras con despiadados muros de escudos de principio a fin.
Soberbio. Una joya que si os llama debéis leer o que Odín, padre de todos, se apiade de vosotros.. ✍️🎩
La búsqueda de una enigmática reliquia llevará a la tripulación hasta el pueblo de los jázaros y a navegar en las profundas y traicioneras aguas que recorren las ballenas, unos mares endemoniados. El autor consigue transmitirnos una emocionante visión de la dura vida de estos hombres dentro y fuera de la embarcación vikinga.
Una magistral novela histórica de una banda de vikingos con todo los ingredientes que deseaba.
Barcos, mitos, dioses, batallas sangrientas en una aventura trepidante mientras un grupo de guerreros sigue el difícil y peligroso rastro de un tesoro legendario.
El conocimiento de Low sobre este período es muy bueno, sobresaliente y apasionado. Uno de los aspectos que más me ha cautivado de esta lograda trama es la enorme profundidad de los detalles del combate, la navegación, tradiciones, cultura y mitos.
Me ha transportado por completo por tierra y mar, me ha enganchado sin remedio desde el principio. Muy realista, auténtico. A través de unos personajes que sólo te hace querer leer el segundo libro. Son historias con su final.
340 dinámicas páginas vikingas puras con despiadados muros de escudos de principio a fin.
Soberbio. Una joya que si os llama debéis leer o que Odín, padre de todos, se apiade de vosotros.. ✍️🎩
September 5, 2010
Well, The Whale Road caught me quite by surprise. I had never heard of Robert Low when I came across this book, but I am glad that I found him.
I loved The Whale Road. Not only for the authors ability to tell a good yarn, but because it made me laugh and shocked me all at once.
It would not do to get too attached to any characters in this story (barring the main character) because Robert Low will keep you on your toes, keep you guessing, keep the cast rolling over.
Most of all the things I liked about this book, it is definitely the humour. I rarely laugh out loud when I read (and I don't mean, 'burst at the seams' laughter, I mean short, amused snorts and guffaws). In fact I don't think any other book has made me laugh out loud, other than maybe Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series. But this book is filled with small humour that some people may miss due to it's dry, subtlety. This dry humour made the book for me. I love that the Oathsworn's dynamic involved much mocking and jollity towards each other. And there are many terrific 'put downs' that tickled my fancy.
So, what else can I say about The Whale Road?
No, it is not Bernard Cornwell, but that is not a bad thing. I think Robert Low is doing his own thing and doing it well.
If Asterix and the Vikings, and, Indiana Jones had a baby this would be it.
I kid you not.
I must not forget to mention that it felt like it had two endings, which was a tad bizarre, and the first 40 pages were a little bit of a struggle to comprehend. I think for the first 5 I didn't even know what was going on.
I don't know whether it got better or I just evolved to understanding Low's writing style, but something cleared the murky waters for me at around 40 to 50 pages. It may have even been a few more than that. By page 100, I was completely hooked and didn't want to put it down.
If you like Asterix and the Vikings, and you like it mixed up with some white entrails, f$#k words and dry humping on bar tables, then this is the book for you. God knows it's the book for me! Go figure.
If I didn't already have my next book lined up to read, I would be straight on to the next book in this series, because as soon as I got halfway through The Whale Road, I bought the next three books.
I loved The Whale Road. Not only for the authors ability to tell a good yarn, but because it made me laugh and shocked me all at once.
It would not do to get too attached to any characters in this story (barring the main character) because Robert Low will keep you on your toes, keep you guessing, keep the cast rolling over.
Most of all the things I liked about this book, it is definitely the humour. I rarely laugh out loud when I read (and I don't mean, 'burst at the seams' laughter, I mean short, amused snorts and guffaws). In fact I don't think any other book has made me laugh out loud, other than maybe Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series. But this book is filled with small humour that some people may miss due to it's dry, subtlety. This dry humour made the book for me. I love that the Oathsworn's dynamic involved much mocking and jollity towards each other. And there are many terrific 'put downs' that tickled my fancy.
So, what else can I say about The Whale Road?
No, it is not Bernard Cornwell, but that is not a bad thing. I think Robert Low is doing his own thing and doing it well.
If Asterix and the Vikings, and, Indiana Jones had a baby this would be it.
I kid you not.
I must not forget to mention that it felt like it had two endings, which was a tad bizarre, and the first 40 pages were a little bit of a struggle to comprehend. I think for the first 5 I didn't even know what was going on.
I don't know whether it got better or I just evolved to understanding Low's writing style, but something cleared the murky waters for me at around 40 to 50 pages. It may have even been a few more than that. By page 100, I was completely hooked and didn't want to put it down.
If you like Asterix and the Vikings, and you like it mixed up with some white entrails, f$#k words and dry humping on bar tables, then this is the book for you. God knows it's the book for me! Go figure.
If I didn't already have my next book lined up to read, I would be straight on to the next book in this series, because as soon as I got halfway through The Whale Road, I bought the next three books.
July 9, 2020
I re-read this book recently and am reminded of what a brilliant writer Robert Low is. This is a historical novel of a band of Vikings with all that you would imagine goes with that. Long-ships, bloody battles and a rip-roaring adventure as our band of warriors follow a breadcrumb trail in search of fabled treasure. Robert Low is a Viking re-enactor and this really shines through, elevating for me this book into something truly brilliant. Low's knowledge of the time period is rich and deep, and the depth of the details of combat, weaponry, clothing and sea-faring add an authenticity which brings the world and story to life.
Low's prose is wonderful, dripping with Norse-ness, and his characters are living and breathing people. This is the perfect saga-tale to read around a crackling fire with your oar-mates all about you. Failing that, it's still brilliant from the comfort of your armchair or sofa 😁 Highly recommended.
Low's prose is wonderful, dripping with Norse-ness, and his characters are living and breathing people. This is the perfect saga-tale to read around a crackling fire with your oar-mates all about you. Failing that, it's still brilliant from the comfort of your armchair or sofa 😁 Highly recommended.
April 24, 2020
After reading and LOVING Giles Kristian’s series Raven (which you should all read) I had to find another book to satiate my thirst for the Norse world! I am saving The Rise of Sigurd series so that I still have more books by Kristian to look forward to! But its time is coming…..
The Whale Road is the first book in the Oathsworn series by Rob Low. It was great! I mean, searching for Attila the Hun’s burial chamber in a tale of sea-voyages and viking action, pretty cool!
“We were still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.”
This first addition to the Oathsworn series is a brutal, immersive and realistic coming-of-age story centred around Orm Rurikson, our protagonist of the story. He is introduced into the band by his father, and thrown into a dangerous life that takes a combination of luck and skill to survive.
The Oathsworn are a band of Norse warriors who are sell-swords that will travel far and wide working on their contracts. They are relic-hunters, sword-brothers, bound to an oath. But they are not all to be trusted...
Robert Low writes with a brutal authenticity that immerses you into this harsh and cruel world of rival bands, betrayal and loss. The prose is stripped back and creates a fast pace that sweeps you along an unguessable and fascinating plot. Filled with intriguing facts and subtle historical details, this is the perfect prose for such a story.
This is a short read, and one that I read on audible, with a fantastic narrator. But despite its short nature, there is still plenty of character growth, plenty of action, and plenty of time for tension to be built.
The only reason this was not a 5-star read is that while the characters were well developed, there were none that I loved or was especially rooting for. Unlike Raven in Giles Kristian’s series, Orm was not as easy to connect to. But that is the only reason, because everything else was great!
For any lovers of historical fiction, especially fans of Giles Kristian, this will be a thoroughly enjoyable read that does not have a dull moment. And if you have not delved into this genre or historical period, just try it. I look forward to progressing further into this series of norse goodness.
4.25/5 STARS
The Whale Road is the first book in the Oathsworn series by Rob Low. It was great! I mean, searching for Attila the Hun’s burial chamber in a tale of sea-voyages and viking action, pretty cool!
“We were still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.”
This first addition to the Oathsworn series is a brutal, immersive and realistic coming-of-age story centred around Orm Rurikson, our protagonist of the story. He is introduced into the band by his father, and thrown into a dangerous life that takes a combination of luck and skill to survive.
The Oathsworn are a band of Norse warriors who are sell-swords that will travel far and wide working on their contracts. They are relic-hunters, sword-brothers, bound to an oath. But they are not all to be trusted...
Robert Low writes with a brutal authenticity that immerses you into this harsh and cruel world of rival bands, betrayal and loss. The prose is stripped back and creates a fast pace that sweeps you along an unguessable and fascinating plot. Filled with intriguing facts and subtle historical details, this is the perfect prose for such a story.
This is a short read, and one that I read on audible, with a fantastic narrator. But despite its short nature, there is still plenty of character growth, plenty of action, and plenty of time for tension to be built.
The only reason this was not a 5-star read is that while the characters were well developed, there were none that I loved or was especially rooting for. Unlike Raven in Giles Kristian’s series, Orm was not as easy to connect to. But that is the only reason, because everything else was great!
For any lovers of historical fiction, especially fans of Giles Kristian, this will be a thoroughly enjoyable read that does not have a dull moment. And if you have not delved into this genre or historical period, just try it. I look forward to progressing further into this series of norse goodness.
4.25/5 STARS
January 15, 2025
No me ha llegado a gustar.
El caso es que lo tiene todo: vikingos, el camino del héroe, aventuras, la búsqueda del tesoro, drakkars…todo.
Pero el ritmo y la forma de narrar del autor no han conseguido engancharme. Ni los personajes.
Otra vikinga vez será.
El caso es que lo tiene todo: vikingos, el camino del héroe, aventuras, la búsqueda del tesoro, drakkars…todo.
Pero el ritmo y la forma de narrar del autor no han conseguido engancharme. Ni los personajes.
Otra vikinga vez será.
September 14, 2016
It's bloody, it's raw, it's stinky, gruesome and a bit f*king rude. I love a good viking story and even better, I love a good battle.
I had 2 issues with this book, one was that Orm was well educated, clever, smart and also a bit of a smart arse. I think I missed the bits where we got to learn how he became so wise at such a young age. The other was that I'm not certain that in 945ad "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck" was an expression used as commonly as they do in the Oathsworn gang.
Having said that, for the entertainment value, it was top notch! They should make a movie...
I had 2 issues with this book, one was that Orm was well educated, clever, smart and also a bit of a smart arse. I think I missed the bits where we got to learn how he became so wise at such a young age. The other was that I'm not certain that in 945ad "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck" was an expression used as commonly as they do in the Oathsworn gang.
Having said that, for the entertainment value, it was top notch! They should make a movie...
December 10, 2013
I am not sure why I did not enjoy this book more. It had a good back bone - a saga-worthy quest for an ancient relic that had ties to both Atilla the Hun and Christ. It had the tension between the decline of the old Gods and the rise of the new White Christ. It had great shield-wall fights. It had dark, ancient tombs where women were sacrificed in terrible pagan rites.
Unfortunately, somehow, it just didn't grab me. I really wanted to like this book and I just can't put my finger on what it was that put me off. Looking back on it after a couple of days mulling it over I think it ultimately felt soulless to me. The characters lacked enough development feeling more like cardboard props than living, breathing people with hopes, dreams and ambitions. Maybe harsh, but that's how it felt to me. I just couldn't engage with the characters. I didn't love any of them and I didn't hate any of them. That's problematic.
All of this being said, I will probably read the next book at some point. Many people seem to like these books and I may just have caught this one at the wrong moment.
Two and a half stars rounded down to two.
Unfortunately, somehow, it just didn't grab me. I really wanted to like this book and I just can't put my finger on what it was that put me off. Looking back on it after a couple of days mulling it over I think it ultimately felt soulless to me. The characters lacked enough development feeling more like cardboard props than living, breathing people with hopes, dreams and ambitions. Maybe harsh, but that's how it felt to me. I just couldn't engage with the characters. I didn't love any of them and I didn't hate any of them. That's problematic.
All of this being said, I will probably read the next book at some point. Many people seem to like these books and I may just have caught this one at the wrong moment.
Two and a half stars rounded down to two.
January 12, 2015
"Life is savage aboard a Viking raiding ship. When Orm Rurikson is plucked from the snows of Norway to brave the seas on the Fjord Elk, he becomes an unlikely member of the notorious crew. Although young, Orm must quickly become a warrior if he is to survive.
His fellow crew are the Oathsworn---named after the spoken bond that ties them in brotherhood. They fight hard, they drink hard, and they always defend their own.
But times are changing. Loyalty to the old Norse Gods is fading, and the followers of the mysterious “White Christ” are gaining power across Europe. Hired as relic hunters, the Oathsworn are sent in search of a sword believed to have killed the White Christ. Their quest will lead them onto the deep and treacherous waters of the whale road, toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun and to a challenge that presents the ultimate threat."
By Loki’s hairy arse, this book is best read with a shot or two of Akvavit to get one in the mood for death and destruction. Because there’s lots of both to go around.
Apparently the Oathsworn are like a cross between an urban street gang and the Mafia—once you’re in, it’s next to impossible to get out and your many acquired enemies will remember you forever and show up when you least expect them. Forget the whole “band of brothers” idea—these guys are held together more by an oath to Odin than to any personal loyalties.
Orm is no hero, but he keeps getting through situations that he realizes should have killed him, starting with being attacked by a formerly-captive polar bear, the accidental survival of which gives him his nickname, Bear Slayer. Unfortunately, Orm knows that the epithet isn’t deserved and yet it places a target on his back—many men will want the glory of being the one to defeat the Bear Slayer.
This is very firmly a man’s world—women feature only as wives (not seen very often), as witches (there are a couple of those), but mostly as thralls (slaves) suitable for housework and humping in the otherwise all-male camps. It is also a very violent world, filled with blood, guts, and shit—not a very glorious depiction of the battlefield. I appreciated the outlook that Low gives to Orm, that real battle is nothing like the glorious sagas of Norse culture. Other authors have explored the idea that heroes are actually people who have blundered through the danger of battle and survived only by luck (if you consider the survivors to be the lucky ones), like Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse Five, for example. Low is no Vonnegut, but he certainly takes the glamour out of the battlefield.
I was interested to note that the author participates in Viking re-enactments during the summer season. Perhaps this helps with the depictions of the parry and thrust of his battle scenes in the book, which were very realistic. Nothing like actually being part of a shield wall to give him the language to describe it.
I will definitely be reading book two, The Wolf Sea, to see where Odin leads young Orm next.
His fellow crew are the Oathsworn---named after the spoken bond that ties them in brotherhood. They fight hard, they drink hard, and they always defend their own.
But times are changing. Loyalty to the old Norse Gods is fading, and the followers of the mysterious “White Christ” are gaining power across Europe. Hired as relic hunters, the Oathsworn are sent in search of a sword believed to have killed the White Christ. Their quest will lead them onto the deep and treacherous waters of the whale road, toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun and to a challenge that presents the ultimate threat."
By Loki’s hairy arse, this book is best read with a shot or two of Akvavit to get one in the mood for death and destruction. Because there’s lots of both to go around.
Apparently the Oathsworn are like a cross between an urban street gang and the Mafia—once you’re in, it’s next to impossible to get out and your many acquired enemies will remember you forever and show up when you least expect them. Forget the whole “band of brothers” idea—these guys are held together more by an oath to Odin than to any personal loyalties.
Orm is no hero, but he keeps getting through situations that he realizes should have killed him, starting with being attacked by a formerly-captive polar bear, the accidental survival of which gives him his nickname, Bear Slayer. Unfortunately, Orm knows that the epithet isn’t deserved and yet it places a target on his back—many men will want the glory of being the one to defeat the Bear Slayer.
This is very firmly a man’s world—women feature only as wives (not seen very often), as witches (there are a couple of those), but mostly as thralls (slaves) suitable for housework and humping in the otherwise all-male camps. It is also a very violent world, filled with blood, guts, and shit—not a very glorious depiction of the battlefield. I appreciated the outlook that Low gives to Orm, that real battle is nothing like the glorious sagas of Norse culture. Other authors have explored the idea that heroes are actually people who have blundered through the danger of battle and survived only by luck (if you consider the survivors to be the lucky ones), like Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse Five, for example. Low is no Vonnegut, but he certainly takes the glamour out of the battlefield.
I was interested to note that the author participates in Viking re-enactments during the summer season. Perhaps this helps with the depictions of the parry and thrust of his battle scenes in the book, which were very realistic. Nothing like actually being part of a shield wall to give him the language to describe it.
I will definitely be reading book two, The Wolf Sea, to see where Odin leads young Orm next.
April 21, 2017
Robert Low’s The Whale Road takes us back to over a thousand years ago to experience life as a Viking raider through the voice of young Orm Rurikson. Orm becomes a member of the Oathsworn, the crew of a Viking raiding ship. The Oathsworn derive their name from an oath to Odin that binds them together in brotherhood. They are hired as relic-hunters. Through the many twists and turns of the plot, they eventually end up seeking the buried treasure of Attila the Hun.
Low firmly thrusts the reader in a man’s world. With one notable exception, women are treated as incidentals, there for the taking. The novel is replete with crashing shields, slashing swords, clanging metal, whizzing arrows, dismembered body parts, obscenities, foul smells, graphic descriptions of bodily functions, breast-thumping machismo, swinging axes, gushing blood, and fierce hand-to-hand combat.
The writing is fast-paced and vigorous—sometimes a little too fast because it was difficult at times to know what was happening and who was fighting whom. The confusion is compounded by the plethora of Nordic characters, some of whom are mentioned in a few lines or a few pages only to disappear entirely from the novel. The first few chapters are especially bewildering with their convoluted story line and flashbacks. The writing is a little choppy, but one eventually gets caught up in the rhythm of the book and gallops along with the events.
References to Norse mythology and the conflict with the “White Christ” abound. And punctuated throughout the blood and gore are moments of surprising humor. The Oathsworn tease each other mercilessly, engaging in friendly put-downs and snappy barbs that are funny.
As the narrator of events, Orm Rurikson is unflinchingly honest. He describes the battlefield as a grim and bloody killing fest, one that bears no relationship to the heroic battle descriptions in the sagas of Norse culture. Brotherhood oaths and shield walls notwithstanding, Orm recognizes survival on the battlefield may have as much to do with luck as skill.
With its vivid, gritty, and visceral descriptions, this is not a novel for the faint-hearted or for those seeking novels about polite society. But if you’re looking for an action-packed, entertaining story, a compelling page-turner that grips you into the grisly warp and weft of a Viking raider’s life, then this is a book for you.
Recommended.
Low firmly thrusts the reader in a man’s world. With one notable exception, women are treated as incidentals, there for the taking. The novel is replete with crashing shields, slashing swords, clanging metal, whizzing arrows, dismembered body parts, obscenities, foul smells, graphic descriptions of bodily functions, breast-thumping machismo, swinging axes, gushing blood, and fierce hand-to-hand combat.
The writing is fast-paced and vigorous—sometimes a little too fast because it was difficult at times to know what was happening and who was fighting whom. The confusion is compounded by the plethora of Nordic characters, some of whom are mentioned in a few lines or a few pages only to disappear entirely from the novel. The first few chapters are especially bewildering with their convoluted story line and flashbacks. The writing is a little choppy, but one eventually gets caught up in the rhythm of the book and gallops along with the events.
References to Norse mythology and the conflict with the “White Christ” abound. And punctuated throughout the blood and gore are moments of surprising humor. The Oathsworn tease each other mercilessly, engaging in friendly put-downs and snappy barbs that are funny.
As the narrator of events, Orm Rurikson is unflinchingly honest. He describes the battlefield as a grim and bloody killing fest, one that bears no relationship to the heroic battle descriptions in the sagas of Norse culture. Brotherhood oaths and shield walls notwithstanding, Orm recognizes survival on the battlefield may have as much to do with luck as skill.
With its vivid, gritty, and visceral descriptions, this is not a novel for the faint-hearted or for those seeking novels about polite society. But if you’re looking for an action-packed, entertaining story, a compelling page-turner that grips you into the grisly warp and weft of a Viking raider’s life, then this is a book for you.
Recommended.
December 2, 2021
**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**
Read this book in 2007, and its the 1st volume of the delightful "Oathsworn" series, from the author, Robert Low.
This series starts in AD 965 and is mainly about Orm Rurikson, who's plucked from the snows of Norway by his estranged father to join the brotherhood, the "Oathsworn, on board the Viking ship the Fjord Elk.
In this world of fighting the waves, plundering people, drinking hard, and defending their own, Orm must try to fit in as best he can in this harsh Viking world.
With time changing, for the ancient Norse Gods are fading into obscurity and the followers of the "White Christ" are gaining more and more power in Europe.
Hired by merchant rulers to retrieve a precious relic, a most valuable sword belonging to the treasure of Attila the Hun, the Oathsworn set out onto the "Whale Road" in an attempt to get that most precious relic.
What is to follow is a very exciting Viking tale, in which Urm Rurikson will come quickly of age in this brutal and bloody world of the Vikings, and this story is brought to us by the author in a most fascinating fashion, with equably very believable circumstances and figures in a world that's changing from the Norse towards Christian.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful first episode of a great series, and that's why I like to call this tale: "A Very Enjoyable Oathsworn Start"!
Read this book in 2007, and its the 1st volume of the delightful "Oathsworn" series, from the author, Robert Low.
This series starts in AD 965 and is mainly about Orm Rurikson, who's plucked from the snows of Norway by his estranged father to join the brotherhood, the "Oathsworn, on board the Viking ship the Fjord Elk.
In this world of fighting the waves, plundering people, drinking hard, and defending their own, Orm must try to fit in as best he can in this harsh Viking world.
With time changing, for the ancient Norse Gods are fading into obscurity and the followers of the "White Christ" are gaining more and more power in Europe.
Hired by merchant rulers to retrieve a precious relic, a most valuable sword belonging to the treasure of Attila the Hun, the Oathsworn set out onto the "Whale Road" in an attempt to get that most precious relic.
What is to follow is a very exciting Viking tale, in which Urm Rurikson will come quickly of age in this brutal and bloody world of the Vikings, and this story is brought to us by the author in a most fascinating fashion, with equably very believable circumstances and figures in a world that's changing from the Norse towards Christian.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful first episode of a great series, and that's why I like to call this tale: "A Very Enjoyable Oathsworn Start"!
June 30, 2022
I was in the mood to start a new series about vikings and wasn't disappointed when I picked this audiobook up. Definitely going to be a series I will be continuing whenever I feel in the mood for vikings
May 3, 2018
A sweeping saga of Viking voyage and adventure, The Whale Road goes across places in Europe and the Middle East to tell the story of the Oathsworn, a band of brothers sworn to loyalty and solidarity, as they search for an ancient relic believed to have killed the White Christ. At the heart of it is a young man named Orm Rurikson, and through him he provides us a view of the thrill as well as the menace of prowling and seafaring, the palpable changes from the old ways to the new with the propagation of the White Christ religion, and their perilous chase towards the legendary treasures of Attila the Hun.
Its gritty portrayal of history and adventure is what keeps the story interesting; I admit I find it dragging in some chapters, and I also didn’t care much about the characters in this book except for Orm , but Robert Low is such an enterprising writer I couldn’t help but appreciate how he makes his narrative alive with his vivid depiction of characters and historical events. Low does not amaze me like Bernard Cornwell does, and I think his Orm of Bjornshafen seems lackluster next to Cornwell’s Uthred of Bebbanburg, too, but overall this book is a satisfying read.
My favorite passage from this book:
“We ... travel the whale road, where the sea is black or grass-green and can rear over you like a fighting stallion ... No bird flies here. Land is a memory.” (p.21)
Its gritty portrayal of history and adventure is what keeps the story interesting; I admit I find it dragging in some chapters, and I also didn’t care much about the characters in this book except for Orm , but Robert Low is such an enterprising writer I couldn’t help but appreciate how he makes his narrative alive with his vivid depiction of characters and historical events. Low does not amaze me like Bernard Cornwell does, and I think his Orm of Bjornshafen seems lackluster next to Cornwell’s Uthred of Bebbanburg, too, but overall this book is a satisfying read.
My favorite passage from this book:
“We ... travel the whale road, where the sea is black or grass-green and can rear over you like a fighting stallion ... No bird flies here. Land is a memory.” (p.21)
February 27, 2018
Liked this -- didn't love it.
Have been wanting to read this forever, as I'm a huge fan of Viking books.
Maybe I should have picked this up before reading Bernard Cornwell or Giles Kristian. The writing of this felt very...flat. I had no picture of their world. I barely knew the characters at all. And I couldn't even "see" the protagonist in my mind's eye.
That being said, this was a super-easy read with enough action and enough of a story to hold my interest. It wasn't boring. I'll check out the second book in the series just to give it a fair shake. If it doesn't get better, I'll likely drop it after that.
Have been wanting to read this forever, as I'm a huge fan of Viking books.
Maybe I should have picked this up before reading Bernard Cornwell or Giles Kristian. The writing of this felt very...flat. I had no picture of their world. I barely knew the characters at all. And I couldn't even "see" the protagonist in my mind's eye.
That being said, this was a super-easy read with enough action and enough of a story to hold my interest. It wasn't boring. I'll check out the second book in the series just to give it a fair shake. If it doesn't get better, I'll likely drop it after that.
May 22, 2010
Disappointing
The story is fairly good: the sort of plot that you would expect from the likes of Conn Iggulden. However, The Whale Road doesn’t come close to the class of Iggulden, or any other of my favourite historical fiction writers.
I really struggled my way through from beginning to end. There is plenty of action, and most of it is very gory, but the style is tedious. One feels that the author is the proud owner of a book of tenth century Norse names, and is trying to break the record for how many of them he can cram into 340 pages. He also seems to be continually trying to invent new ways for the vicious Vikings to slice up their enemies, and even some of their brothers.
The second book in the series is called The Wolf Sea. I may get around to reading it someday, but, for the moment I have had enough of Orm’s adventures. Although the storyline is good, I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend it to any of my friends.
The story is fairly good: the sort of plot that you would expect from the likes of Conn Iggulden. However, The Whale Road doesn’t come close to the class of Iggulden, or any other of my favourite historical fiction writers.
I really struggled my way through from beginning to end. There is plenty of action, and most of it is very gory, but the style is tedious. One feels that the author is the proud owner of a book of tenth century Norse names, and is trying to break the record for how many of them he can cram into 340 pages. He also seems to be continually trying to invent new ways for the vicious Vikings to slice up their enemies, and even some of their brothers.
The second book in the series is called The Wolf Sea. I may get around to reading it someday, but, for the moment I have had enough of Orm’s adventures. Although the storyline is good, I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend it to any of my friends.
September 11, 2012
Describing a historical novel based around Vikings as being a saga almost seems like a cop-out. A clichéd non-review that damns with faint praise. This really is though: the tale of a legend (I'm assuming, without having yet read the subsequent books) taking his first steps through the making of his story; not only studded with humour but in beautiful, occasionally lyrical, language that is as easy to read as it is a pleasure.
Through the all too brief 350 pages, Orm narrates his own tale with constant self-deprecation, self-awareness and honesty. He never really , it just seemed like the most logical explanation for those who found him. He rescues one enemy through a combination of teenaged foolishness and accident when his blow misses its intended target, but that too contributes to his legend.
Such episodes are entertaining but do not, in themselves, carry enough material to keep a reader's interest across the course of a whole novel: bigger story arcs are called for. Here they come in the relationships between Orm and his two fathers (?), with the infernal Hild and with Einar - the Vito Corleone of Vikings.
Einar, you see, believes in oaths, in brotherhood. When it suits him. Orm first encounters him sitting on the throne of his recently slain foster-father and he quickly makes him an offer he can't refuse: to join his band. Slowly though, Einar makes Orm into his worst enemy - all the while keeping him closer and closer.
Through the all too brief 350 pages, Orm narrates his own tale with constant self-deprecation, self-awareness and honesty. He never really , it just seemed like the most logical explanation for those who found him. He rescues one enemy through a combination of teenaged foolishness and accident when his blow misses its intended target, but that too contributes to his legend.
Such episodes are entertaining but do not, in themselves, carry enough material to keep a reader's interest across the course of a whole novel: bigger story arcs are called for. Here they come in the relationships between Orm and his two fathers (?), with the infernal Hild and with Einar - the Vito Corleone of Vikings.
Einar, you see, believes in oaths, in brotherhood. When it suits him. Orm first encounters him sitting on the throne of his recently slain foster-father and he quickly makes him an offer he can't refuse: to join his band. Slowly though, Einar makes Orm into his worst enemy - all the while keeping him closer and closer.
October 14, 2014
At the beginning of the book I thought it was going to be 2 stars but it turned out to be a solid 4 star despite the first 100 pages.
Orm is a young man who has been fostered by his uncle since the age of 5. Incidents with his uncle and a white bear set him on a path with the Oathsworn, a group of Vikings traveling the known world as mercenaries. From reliquary hunters to besiegers of a fortress to treasure hunters, they travel where money and the whale road takes them and we follow Orm from untried youth to tested leader.
The beginning of the book was slow despite all the action; it was a bit convoluted with flashbacks and a large amount of character introductions. Once the book has launched into the travels it improves significantly. I admired the gritty realism of the battles, with terrible wounds and agonizing deaths, to the people of the era, from greedy rulers to thralls with nothing, it is what made this such a great book.
Orm is a young man who has been fostered by his uncle since the age of 5. Incidents with his uncle and a white bear set him on a path with the Oathsworn, a group of Vikings traveling the known world as mercenaries. From reliquary hunters to besiegers of a fortress to treasure hunters, they travel where money and the whale road takes them and we follow Orm from untried youth to tested leader.
The beginning of the book was slow despite all the action; it was a bit convoluted with flashbacks and a large amount of character introductions. Once the book has launched into the travels it improves significantly. I admired the gritty realism of the battles, with terrible wounds and agonizing deaths, to the people of the era, from greedy rulers to thralls with nothing, it is what made this such a great book.
August 17, 2014
Dull, unimaginative and a little disjointed. I went into this novel hoping for an immersive read, evocative in historic detail and rich plot. You don't get any of that with this book.
Rather than the epic re-telling of a vivid legend, it feels far more like the semi-coherent shamblings of the village elder meandering his way around things he remembers from his past.
The writing style, if you can call it that, is disjointed at times and doesn't do anything to endear you to any of the characters or even any of the action that occurs.
Disappointing and a waste of time.
Rather than the epic re-telling of a vivid legend, it feels far more like the semi-coherent shamblings of the village elder meandering his way around things he remembers from his past.
The writing style, if you can call it that, is disjointed at times and doesn't do anything to endear you to any of the characters or even any of the action that occurs.
Disappointing and a waste of time.
March 3, 2020
This first novel in the Oathsworn series is good as with most first books there are some flaws. The major flaw I feel is the first three chapters of the book, they’re written poorly, I had to struggle just to reach chapter four. However, I’m glad I did as the story progresses far and you’re drawn into the brutal world of the Vikings, their wars and raids and their thirst for adventure. We also see a different side to the Norse men and their friendship together, their honor-bound loyalty to stick by each other no matter what.
August 10, 2012
What a terrific read. Enjoyed everything about it...especially the end. Had some trouble keeping up with all the characters early on but they were continuously reinforced throughout the tale so you got a lot more familiar as the story proceeds. I hope there is more to this saga as I will certainly follow it. Thanks Mr. Low for the journey!!
July 3, 2012
The WHALE ROAD is a thumpingly good viking quest saga set in the mid-tenth century in which the oathsworn crew of the Fjord Elk, led by Einar the dark, rampage violently across the North Sea and then around the Baltic. They follow Hild, a madwoman, into the depths of Russia in search of Attila's burial hoard. Einar the luckless finds his doom in the frenzied climax which leaves young Orm the Bear Slayer to pick up the pieces as the broken band's new jarl (earl).
The WHALE ROADThe WHALE ROAD is a thumpingly good viking quest saga set in the mid-tenth century in which the oathsworn crew of the Fjord Elk, led by Einar the dark, rampage violently across the North Sea and then around the Baltic. They follow Hild, a madwoman, into the depths of Russia in search of Attila's burial hoard. Einar the luckless finds his doom in the frenzied climax which leaves young Orm the Bear Slayer to pick up the pieces as the broken band's new jarl.
The WHALE ROAD bossed my eyes from start to finish. It reads like a magic cloak around the shoulders of history making us feel that we are there, in the shield wall, rowing the ship, trudging through the grass sea of the steppes.
I felt the story was in two two parts with the first two thirds or so leading me along, preparing me for the surge of full on action in the last third.
I found the writing to be excellent and especially noted the richness of similies drawing on nature, which strongly evoked a sense of being close to the elements. Here are a few:
-- mouth like a fresh caught cod
-- thoughts in me wheeling and screaming like terns around a fresh catch
-- I shook my head scattering memories like water drops
-- his eyes grey-blue and glassed like a summer sea
-- my mouth dropped open like a droop-lipped horse
-- Einar's head came up with a snap, like a hound on a scent
-- turning now and then like a huge elk at bay
This simile-rich language was prounced in the first part of the story. My favourite among the smilies is this lovely reference to the music of the Fjord Elk powering along: '...the snake hiss of the water under the keel, the deep throat hum of the wind in the ropes, like a struck harp...'
There are many such magical dabs where the writing is so fine that we can, see, feel and hear what is happening with great acuity. Here's another. The oathsworn are about to set go over the hill to raid a Scottish Christ house: 'The sky was milk-white, shading to grey towards us. Somewhere behind that a winter sun fought to cross over the thin, black edge of the world. Trees were skeletal black ... hearing my breathing magnified by the helmet's cheekpieces into a rasp.'
We feel the setting: '...the soft, silent, smirring rain, dripped...a wet mist crept stealthily down the mountain...'
We hear: '...the black sea as is sighed on the shingle.'
We smell a viking's breath: '...strong with herring.'
We smile at: '...no cash-scatterer...' and '...thrown out of Iceland for being too cheerful'.
Being on the poetic side, I especially love this dab: 'Geir Bagnose blew the froth off his fresh horn of ale and began to skald.' Hail poet!
'...a good boar dog...' '...bossless shields...' '...a rune spelled sword...' Dabs like these convince us the author knows. We believe. We are in the Fjord Elk racing through the storm. We experience the flashes of lightning which sear through even closed eyes. We see: '...Illugi Godi, standing alone at the prow, an axe in either hand, chanting prayers. Then he throws them overboard...' We are there. 'Land is a memory,' for us, too.
Such is the exuberance of the first chapters of The WHALE ROAD. We stand with the doomed in the front row of the shield wall, are with them when boar snout slides into positon 'like a cunning toy.' We aim to chop our enemies' feet off. We feel the hurt of our own wounds. We see the hot blood spraying. We begin to dread, 'soup wounds'.
Above all we are on the whale road, can see exactly how the snakeship's sail '...bellied out like some grass-fed mare and the Elk leaped like a goosed housewife...' And we, too, are 'drunk on the sheer beauty of it.'
This is stirring writing. We love history and writing like this breathes life into its lungs. We learn from it. For some of us this is our heritage, for some of us are descended from the very real people who inspired The WHALE ROAD. More than history, they are our ancestors, are in us. And so, for some of us, The WHALE ROAD, reaches something deep within our souls.
As we read we are Orm fixing the edge of our shield, the better to deflect blows. We feel Hild braiding our hair. We smell the farts of those around us and we scratch our lice.
And when the Fjord Elk is burnt to the waterline, we feel the loss of 'our' ship.
BACK INTO THE DIM
The middle of The WHALE ROAD takes us into viking settlements, shows us their trading ways and how they range without limit through what is now Russia, hiring themselves out to local princes. Times are changing for them in one important regard with the arrival of the Christ men. But for now their old ways are only mildly challenged. Indeed, there is a linkage between the ancient viking smiths, who have a mystical status, and the pursuit of a sword thought to have been forged from the metal of the spear driven into Christ. So, too, Christ's cross is reminiscent to them of how one of their own gods was hung from a tree.
The sword is all to them: 'no prize was better than a rune-spelled sword'. This fits in perfectly with the cult of the sword, which is evident throughout literature, from Excalibur to 'biter' in The Hobbit. Swords were potent and precious, symbolic of so much. One dab captures this reverence perfectly: 'blade-bright thought'. And towards the end, 'Hild's voice was the flat of a sword struck on stone'.
And so to the business end of the book.
Einar.
Einar the luckless, Einar the oathbreaker, Einar the doomed. His 'thought-cage warped'. His eyes, 'too full of silver to see clearly'' ... 'his face hidden by the crow wings of his hair.' And this: 'the black waterfall of his hair.'
Who does Einar remind you of? Einar the doomed, flawed hero, who leads his oathsworn people to disaster in the depths of Russia on an insane quest? The thought did cross my mind, 'like a dog chasing a cat'. Most of the oathsworn die in the quest. In truth, the quest, the wild romantic adventure, ends in disaster. Orm survives to pick up what remains.
The vikings are in the midst of destruction defending a siege engine when 'a body plunges to the ground 'with a clatter of iron and breaking bones'. This made me think of Stalingrad.
They are plodding through the grass sea of the steppe following Hild, their mad seerwoman, facing 'the sick realisation that the shrinking band of the oathsworn was the safest place to be for the moment.' How many thousands of German soldiers must have felt exactly that during their retreat from Russia?
'Even whales die on the whale road.' Ach, reality! Again, how many doomed Germans must have felt like Orm: 'I wasn't walking forwards, the whole steppe was moving backwards.' We learn that one of the dead, 'once kept bees in Upsala.' In the midst of the saga the soul hankers for home. The keeping of bees seems a much wiser pursuit that following Einar 'in search of a tale for children'.
Even the skald knows that doom is upon them. He, Bagnose, 'was making verses on his own death'. Doom! Doom!
But then, 'we see the wink of silver, the craft of a thousand smiths'. And Orm is 'drowning in greed'. While Einar is 'spume on a wave, as if a breath would blow him away'. And then Einar of the warped thought-cage is dead 'folded around' Orm's sword as Hilds valkyrie madness and a very real flood fills Attila's bunker-like burial howe.
Jarl Orm promises a new start: 'now we trade'. Like others after them, the vikings, 'could not set foot in the Rus lands now'.
Like others after them, they are broken: 'We had no ship and were crushed with loss'.
'The only safe place was the Great City, Rome, where we had no prospects.' Ach, the Treaty of Rome was signed on the 25th of March, 1957. No prospects indeed!
'What we need is a solid knarr.' To ship our exports around the world! 'A deep-minded plan' indeed!
The epilogue of The WHALE ROAD astonished me because it beautifully captures how we are, the eternal tension between romanace and reality.
On the one hand there is the romance, which lives still: 'You could not be a Northman, have the knowledge of a mountain of silver and leave it there.'
On the other we have the lesson learnt: 'They had not seen what I had seen'.
Depite Orm's wisdom: 'none of my tales of Hild's fetch (ghost) would keep them from going back'.
History repeats herself. We must be wary of the romance of it.
And yet we can't help feeling stirred: 'We were (are) still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.'
The last line of the story is arch: 'I swear I could hear Odin's laugh'.
There is great poetry in those ropes, that thrumming. It stirs our souls. I wrote this a day after finishing Robert Low's most enjoyable story:
JARL TORC
O hear my wind-played ropes a-thrum
Skald axes flying through the sky
To live anew in this word crew
My fetch a-kenning on your mind
My sea you are my whale road free
I swear you are my destiny
In you I am alive anew
O how life's flow through you I row
Alive! alive! alive in you!
I am the jarl of you that's gone
These raven wings on which you fly
Straight through our father's kenning eye
You bear this weight of slivered breath
In you my fetch defies dry death
R. J. Askew ~ goodreads author:
Watching Swifts
The WHALE ROADThe WHALE ROAD is a thumpingly good viking quest saga set in the mid-tenth century in which the oathsworn crew of the Fjord Elk, led by Einar the dark, rampage violently across the North Sea and then around the Baltic. They follow Hild, a madwoman, into the depths of Russia in search of Attila's burial hoard. Einar the luckless finds his doom in the frenzied climax which leaves young Orm the Bear Slayer to pick up the pieces as the broken band's new jarl.
The WHALE ROAD bossed my eyes from start to finish. It reads like a magic cloak around the shoulders of history making us feel that we are there, in the shield wall, rowing the ship, trudging through the grass sea of the steppes.
I felt the story was in two two parts with the first two thirds or so leading me along, preparing me for the surge of full on action in the last third.
I found the writing to be excellent and especially noted the richness of similies drawing on nature, which strongly evoked a sense of being close to the elements. Here are a few:
-- mouth like a fresh caught cod
-- thoughts in me wheeling and screaming like terns around a fresh catch
-- I shook my head scattering memories like water drops
-- his eyes grey-blue and glassed like a summer sea
-- my mouth dropped open like a droop-lipped horse
-- Einar's head came up with a snap, like a hound on a scent
-- turning now and then like a huge elk at bay
This simile-rich language was prounced in the first part of the story. My favourite among the smilies is this lovely reference to the music of the Fjord Elk powering along: '...the snake hiss of the water under the keel, the deep throat hum of the wind in the ropes, like a struck harp...'
There are many such magical dabs where the writing is so fine that we can, see, feel and hear what is happening with great acuity. Here's another. The oathsworn are about to set go over the hill to raid a Scottish Christ house: 'The sky was milk-white, shading to grey towards us. Somewhere behind that a winter sun fought to cross over the thin, black edge of the world. Trees were skeletal black ... hearing my breathing magnified by the helmet's cheekpieces into a rasp.'
We feel the setting: '...the soft, silent, smirring rain, dripped...a wet mist crept stealthily down the mountain...'
We hear: '...the black sea as is sighed on the shingle.'
We smell a viking's breath: '...strong with herring.'
We smile at: '...no cash-scatterer...' and '...thrown out of Iceland for being too cheerful'.
Being on the poetic side, I especially love this dab: 'Geir Bagnose blew the froth off his fresh horn of ale and began to skald.' Hail poet!
'...a good boar dog...' '...bossless shields...' '...a rune spelled sword...' Dabs like these convince us the author knows. We believe. We are in the Fjord Elk racing through the storm. We experience the flashes of lightning which sear through even closed eyes. We see: '...Illugi Godi, standing alone at the prow, an axe in either hand, chanting prayers. Then he throws them overboard...' We are there. 'Land is a memory,' for us, too.
Such is the exuberance of the first chapters of The WHALE ROAD. We stand with the doomed in the front row of the shield wall, are with them when boar snout slides into positon 'like a cunning toy.' We aim to chop our enemies' feet off. We feel the hurt of our own wounds. We see the hot blood spraying. We begin to dread, 'soup wounds'.
Above all we are on the whale road, can see exactly how the snakeship's sail '...bellied out like some grass-fed mare and the Elk leaped like a goosed housewife...' And we, too, are 'drunk on the sheer beauty of it.'
This is stirring writing. We love history and writing like this breathes life into its lungs. We learn from it. For some of us this is our heritage, for some of us are descended from the very real people who inspired The WHALE ROAD. More than history, they are our ancestors, are in us. And so, for some of us, The WHALE ROAD, reaches something deep within our souls.
As we read we are Orm fixing the edge of our shield, the better to deflect blows. We feel Hild braiding our hair. We smell the farts of those around us and we scratch our lice.
And when the Fjord Elk is burnt to the waterline, we feel the loss of 'our' ship.
BACK INTO THE DIM
The middle of The WHALE ROAD takes us into viking settlements, shows us their trading ways and how they range without limit through what is now Russia, hiring themselves out to local princes. Times are changing for them in one important regard with the arrival of the Christ men. But for now their old ways are only mildly challenged. Indeed, there is a linkage between the ancient viking smiths, who have a mystical status, and the pursuit of a sword thought to have been forged from the metal of the spear driven into Christ. So, too, Christ's cross is reminiscent to them of how one of their own gods was hung from a tree.
The sword is all to them: 'no prize was better than a rune-spelled sword'. This fits in perfectly with the cult of the sword, which is evident throughout literature, from Excalibur to 'biter' in The Hobbit. Swords were potent and precious, symbolic of so much. One dab captures this reverence perfectly: 'blade-bright thought'. And towards the end, 'Hild's voice was the flat of a sword struck on stone'.
And so to the business end of the book.
Einar.
Einar the luckless, Einar the oathbreaker, Einar the doomed. His 'thought-cage warped'. His eyes, 'too full of silver to see clearly'' ... 'his face hidden by the crow wings of his hair.' And this: 'the black waterfall of his hair.'
Who does Einar remind you of? Einar the doomed, flawed hero, who leads his oathsworn people to disaster in the depths of Russia on an insane quest? The thought did cross my mind, 'like a dog chasing a cat'. Most of the oathsworn die in the quest. In truth, the quest, the wild romantic adventure, ends in disaster. Orm survives to pick up what remains.
The vikings are in the midst of destruction defending a siege engine when 'a body plunges to the ground 'with a clatter of iron and breaking bones'. This made me think of Stalingrad.
They are plodding through the grass sea of the steppe following Hild, their mad seerwoman, facing 'the sick realisation that the shrinking band of the oathsworn was the safest place to be for the moment.' How many thousands of German soldiers must have felt exactly that during their retreat from Russia?
'Even whales die on the whale road.' Ach, reality! Again, how many doomed Germans must have felt like Orm: 'I wasn't walking forwards, the whole steppe was moving backwards.' We learn that one of the dead, 'once kept bees in Upsala.' In the midst of the saga the soul hankers for home. The keeping of bees seems a much wiser pursuit that following Einar 'in search of a tale for children'.
Even the skald knows that doom is upon them. He, Bagnose, 'was making verses on his own death'. Doom! Doom!
But then, 'we see the wink of silver, the craft of a thousand smiths'. And Orm is 'drowning in greed'. While Einar is 'spume on a wave, as if a breath would blow him away'. And then Einar of the warped thought-cage is dead 'folded around' Orm's sword as Hilds valkyrie madness and a very real flood fills Attila's bunker-like burial howe.
Jarl Orm promises a new start: 'now we trade'. Like others after them, the vikings, 'could not set foot in the Rus lands now'.
Like others after them, they are broken: 'We had no ship and were crushed with loss'.
'The only safe place was the Great City, Rome, where we had no prospects.' Ach, the Treaty of Rome was signed on the 25th of March, 1957. No prospects indeed!
'What we need is a solid knarr.' To ship our exports around the world! 'A deep-minded plan' indeed!
The epilogue of The WHALE ROAD astonished me because it beautifully captures how we are, the eternal tension between romanace and reality.
On the one hand there is the romance, which lives still: 'You could not be a Northman, have the knowledge of a mountain of silver and leave it there.'
On the other we have the lesson learnt: 'They had not seen what I had seen'.
Depite Orm's wisdom: 'none of my tales of Hild's fetch (ghost) would keep them from going back'.
History repeats herself. We must be wary of the romance of it.
And yet we can't help feeling stirred: 'We were (are) still on the whale road, in the wind that keened and thrummed the ropes.'
The last line of the story is arch: 'I swear I could hear Odin's laugh'.
There is great poetry in those ropes, that thrumming. It stirs our souls. I wrote this a day after finishing Robert Low's most enjoyable story:
JARL TORC
O hear my wind-played ropes a-thrum
Skald axes flying through the sky
To live anew in this word crew
My fetch a-kenning on your mind
My sea you are my whale road free
I swear you are my destiny
In you I am alive anew
O how life's flow through you I row
Alive! alive! alive in you!
I am the jarl of you that's gone
These raven wings on which you fly
Straight through our father's kenning eye
You bear this weight of slivered breath
In you my fetch defies dry death
R. J. Askew ~ goodreads author:
Watching Swifts
January 25, 2023
The first few pages are challenging -- it was almost like the author was writing through a bit of Scandinavian haze while you have to make sense of a seemingly endless roll of Nordic names. Difficult for regrettably sometimes passive readers (like me) used to reading northern European and Latin cultural names, thoughts, and viewpoints. But I was quickly engaged and the story quickly became a page turner.
Unique for me was that this story is from the perspective of the Scandinavian raiders who spent endless days at sea going from harbor to harbor. Hence the name of the book, the Whale Road. All my prior reads were from the perspectives of those being raided. But these people were far from the base savages that have been labeled (rightly from the viewpoint of those taking the hammer axe in the head) by the Frankish propaganda machines. Brutal? Yes. Hard living? Certainly. But unlearned and lacking culture? No. Indeed, the traveling nordic raiders were probably the best navigators that humanity has ever produced. I can not fathom living a day in their world. Low's descriptive words vibrantly bring alive the sites, smells (oh God the smells), and texture of their day-to-day hardscrabble life.
I also enjoyed the place-name and event history sprinkled throughout the story. It sent me to reference sources several times and the appendix I found especially helpful. I learned more about the early formation of the Rus on the river steppes from the swarm of different peoples than I ever did before.
At the outset of writing this review, I was going to give The Whale Road a solid four stars, taking one off for the hard-to-get-through first part. But the more I think of it, the tale deserves a five-star rating no matter the ramifications to my averages.
Quotable quotes I highlighted include:
"All sagas are snake-knots, for the story of a life does not always start with birth and end with death."
‘You have too many years for one so young,’ he muttered tersely and left, leaving the salves behind.
"It seems to me that a witless girl is about to lead us into the sea of grass. I never trusted women and that has always stood me in good stead."
Unique for me was that this story is from the perspective of the Scandinavian raiders who spent endless days at sea going from harbor to harbor. Hence the name of the book, the Whale Road. All my prior reads were from the perspectives of those being raided. But these people were far from the base savages that have been labeled (rightly from the viewpoint of those taking the hammer axe in the head) by the Frankish propaganda machines. Brutal? Yes. Hard living? Certainly. But unlearned and lacking culture? No. Indeed, the traveling nordic raiders were probably the best navigators that humanity has ever produced. I can not fathom living a day in their world. Low's descriptive words vibrantly bring alive the sites, smells (oh God the smells), and texture of their day-to-day hardscrabble life.
I also enjoyed the place-name and event history sprinkled throughout the story. It sent me to reference sources several times and the appendix I found especially helpful. I learned more about the early formation of the Rus on the river steppes from the swarm of different peoples than I ever did before.
At the outset of writing this review, I was going to give The Whale Road a solid four stars, taking one off for the hard-to-get-through first part. But the more I think of it, the tale deserves a five-star rating no matter the ramifications to my averages.
Quotable quotes I highlighted include:
"All sagas are snake-knots, for the story of a life does not always start with birth and end with death."
‘You have too many years for one so young,’ he muttered tersely and left, leaving the salves behind.
"It seems to me that a witless girl is about to lead us into the sea of grass. I never trusted women and that has always stood me in good stead."
July 23, 2020
This book took me 3 years to finish. It has to be one of the most difficult books to get into. I didn't pass page 100 for most of those years. It turns out the book doesn't actually get good until about page 120. After that things pick up and you actually become invested in the story but only just. You follow a young viking named Orm as he becomes entangled with the Oathsworn led by Einar. The book felt oddly inspired partly by Elric of Melnibone in regards to a special sword and the quest for revenge. There is some neat mythology I wasn't aware of existing such as Fetch where bad souls posess others. This book is unfortunately a chore to read and even when things were getting good I felt my eyes glazing over. It doesn't help that events take a place faster than the speed of sound. This is an epic but it's treated like flash fiction which is really offputting and makes it hard to focus. They travel from event to event like a teleporter. You do feel for certain characters but the one we follow feels like an unreliable narrator in the way he weaves the tale.
We are led to believe Orm is wise but his horns are coming in so a lot of the time it feels confusing. He's angry at a particular character for the way he behaves but was not entirely honest in regards to his nickname the bear slayer. He's a a juvenile when things matter but takes things too far when they feel trivial. Like they wouldn't matter any other time but Orm has to be the prick who slaps the sunburn. Or with Hild, she's beautiful but she's scary and other times fragile, and then she's crazy, and then she's trying to warn him, but she's crazy again, feral even. I guess all teenage boys find girls scary when their horns are coming in but still... obsess much.
The Oathsworn are more intriguing than our narrator is and I have no idea how that is going to translate into the next book considering everything that happens in this one. Anyway water warbles.
There it is and there you have it.
We are led to believe Orm is wise but his horns are coming in so a lot of the time it feels confusing. He's angry at a particular character for the way he behaves but was not entirely honest in regards to his nickname the bear slayer. He's a a juvenile when things matter but takes things too far when they feel trivial. Like they wouldn't matter any other time but Orm has to be the prick who slaps the sunburn. Or with Hild, she's beautiful but she's scary and other times fragile, and then she's crazy, and then she's trying to warn him, but she's crazy again, feral even. I guess all teenage boys find girls scary when their horns are coming in but still... obsess much.
The Oathsworn are more intriguing than our narrator is and I have no idea how that is going to translate into the next book considering everything that happens in this one. Anyway water warbles.
There it is and there you have it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2012
A good, solid, historical adventure. THE WHALE ROAD is the first in a series by Robert Low concerning the adventures of Orm and the Oathsworn, a band of vicious Vikings whose journeys take them all around the world.
The first thing you notice about this story is the level of violence. It makes Bernard Cornwell's writing look positively tame in comparison. There's death, destruction and hand-to-hand combat on every page, with an emphasis on the visual and visceral. There's also an incredibly high body count, the highest I've ever encountered in a book, and you start wondering whether anybody will make it out alive come the end.
The plotting and backstory isn't as important to Low as living in the moment, detailing a life set in miserable, cold surroundings punctuated by moments of extreme violence. The essence of the adventure is a hunt for the treasure of Attila the Hun, but at times it feels like a Macguffin, designed to keep the characters ever-moving.
There are flaws, particularly early on. The opening chapter is muddled, introducing a large cast while at the same time portraying some back story involving a fight with a polar bear. This makes for very confusing reading, but thankfully the rest of the story takes place in the present. The supporting cast is filled with larger than life characters, although the best is Hild, the sole female in the book who casts a long shadow over all the rest.
At its best, the story reminded me of Herzog's AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD, depicting a dwindling group of survivors seeking out their doom, with the presence of death ever near. Low's writing is excellent when it comes to describing action, and a rooftop chase is a particular highlight. Now my appetite has been whetted, I'll be on the lookout for the follow up, THE WOLF SEA.
The first thing you notice about this story is the level of violence. It makes Bernard Cornwell's writing look positively tame in comparison. There's death, destruction and hand-to-hand combat on every page, with an emphasis on the visual and visceral. There's also an incredibly high body count, the highest I've ever encountered in a book, and you start wondering whether anybody will make it out alive come the end.
The plotting and backstory isn't as important to Low as living in the moment, detailing a life set in miserable, cold surroundings punctuated by moments of extreme violence. The essence of the adventure is a hunt for the treasure of Attila the Hun, but at times it feels like a Macguffin, designed to keep the characters ever-moving.
There are flaws, particularly early on. The opening chapter is muddled, introducing a large cast while at the same time portraying some back story involving a fight with a polar bear. This makes for very confusing reading, but thankfully the rest of the story takes place in the present. The supporting cast is filled with larger than life characters, although the best is Hild, the sole female in the book who casts a long shadow over all the rest.
At its best, the story reminded me of Herzog's AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD, depicting a dwindling group of survivors seeking out their doom, with the presence of death ever near. Low's writing is excellent when it comes to describing action, and a rooftop chase is a particular highlight. Now my appetite has been whetted, I'll be on the lookout for the follow up, THE WOLF SEA.
March 8, 2014
I enjoyed this book. Low paints a violent, vivid world of Vikings selling their swords to the highest bidder and scheming to find hidden treasures. The ship's crew would be at home sailing alongside Giles Kristian's Vikings from his Raven series, and there are a lot of similarities between the two writers' stories and characters.
The language in this book is often exquisite. Low shows moments of real brilliance in places.
He also suffers from trying to stuff too much into one book. The main characters are strong, and the overall story arc is clear, but the wealth of locations and secondary characters are impossible to keep up with, and I couldn't really see the need for naming some of the warriors. One character gets added in the last chapter, as far as I could tell, and there seemed no good reason to name him.
It is a good thing that the writing and setting are both fun and engaging, as I almost gave up after reading the first few pages. They are a real muddle that seemed to have been edited into a single chapter from perhaps two original chapters or scenes. Luckily though, after that initial confusing section, the book gets underway and is a fun read.
It settles down into a nice rhythm. It is well-written and enjoyable for the most part. The plot could be a bit tighter and I was a little put off by it turning into "Indiana Jones in the Dark Ages" at the end of the book, even though I have to say I enjoyed reading some of the last scenes very much. There did seem to be a distinct difference in tone between the early part of the book and the second half. Perhaps Low decided to add some more supernatural elements as he progressed.
If you are interested in ripping adventures set in the Dark Ages, particularly featuring blood-letting Vikings, this book is well worth a read.
The language in this book is often exquisite. Low shows moments of real brilliance in places.
He also suffers from trying to stuff too much into one book. The main characters are strong, and the overall story arc is clear, but the wealth of locations and secondary characters are impossible to keep up with, and I couldn't really see the need for naming some of the warriors. One character gets added in the last chapter, as far as I could tell, and there seemed no good reason to name him.
It is a good thing that the writing and setting are both fun and engaging, as I almost gave up after reading the first few pages. They are a real muddle that seemed to have been edited into a single chapter from perhaps two original chapters or scenes. Luckily though, after that initial confusing section, the book gets underway and is a fun read.
It settles down into a nice rhythm. It is well-written and enjoyable for the most part. The plot could be a bit tighter and I was a little put off by it turning into "Indiana Jones in the Dark Ages" at the end of the book, even though I have to say I enjoyed reading some of the last scenes very much. There did seem to be a distinct difference in tone between the early part of the book and the second half. Perhaps Low decided to add some more supernatural elements as he progressed.
If you are interested in ripping adventures set in the Dark Ages, particularly featuring blood-letting Vikings, this book is well worth a read.
June 16, 2016
Onaj, koga Bernard Cornwell hvali, ne može da bude loš. Štaviše, od Roberta Lowa sam dobio upravo ono što sam i očekivao. Za razliku od Cornwella, u čijem se pisanju oseća aristokratski duh, i koji piše o kraljevima i visokom plemstvu, te je, stoga, i rečnik koji koristi probran, Robert Low je odabrao arhetipske vikinge - zemljoradnike i seljake, te je u tom pogledu, negde, bliskiji Timu Severinu. Ovaj prvi deo sage ne vrvi od krvavih bitaka i otimanja zemlje (što je, po mom mišljenju, odlično i van klišea), ali je izuzetno dinamičan i proavanturistički (nešto slično kao Hagardovi Rudnici cara Solomona). Dakako, ne izostaju ni bitke, po kojima su vikinzi poznati, ali one su, za razliku od onih organizovanih i utreniranih kod Cornwella vrlo randomizovane i vođene po principu fight or flight, jer su i situacije u kojima su se junaci nalazili takve. Takav je i rečnik - prost i prostački, ali to daje posebnu draž svemu. Znoj, krv i balega su mirisi koji su sve vreme prisutni. Robert Low je u svoje pripovedanje daleko više upleo i nordijsku mitologiju, nego što to Cornwell čini u svojim delima. Štaviše - osim nordijske mitologije, bavio se i slovenskom, budući da je kao novinar-istraživač proputovao i Rusiju, ali i Bosnu i Kosovo za vreme proteklih ratova. Originalan i vrlo interesantan početak sage, i očekujem u sledećim delovima, da se utisci pojačavaju gradacijski.
August 31, 2015
The adventures of a young Viking, Orm the White Bear Slayer, who joins the Oathsworn, a group of Viking mercenaries as they seek their fortune, specifically the one buried with Atilla the Hun.
I enjoyed reading this, but was slightly blindsided by the intricate plot and the plethora of characters - at any one time I was never quite clear on who was doing what to who, and why, but equally this could be down to my own inattention to detail (I do tend to read quite quickly).
I was also struck by the book's changes in tone. For most of the time we're deep in the gritty, authentic (and well researched) lives of early medieval Scandinavians, but for some of the large set pieces (particularly the tomb-based ones) we're taken to fantastical locations that would have felt at home in any Conan the Barbarian novel. Despite being a big fan of Robert E. Howard, I found this a little disconcerting.
Top marks for the vocabulary. I loved the use of Scots dialect words, many of which have a Scandinavian origin.
I'll definitely pick up the second in the series.
I enjoyed reading this, but was slightly blindsided by the intricate plot and the plethora of characters - at any one time I was never quite clear on who was doing what to who, and why, but equally this could be down to my own inattention to detail (I do tend to read quite quickly).
I was also struck by the book's changes in tone. For most of the time we're deep in the gritty, authentic (and well researched) lives of early medieval Scandinavians, but for some of the large set pieces (particularly the tomb-based ones) we're taken to fantastical locations that would have felt at home in any Conan the Barbarian novel. Despite being a big fan of Robert E. Howard, I found this a little disconcerting.
Top marks for the vocabulary. I loved the use of Scots dialect words, many of which have a Scandinavian origin.
I'll definitely pick up the second in the series.
November 3, 2017
UKUPNA OCENA (overall rating) - 6/10
Radnja (story) - 6/10
Likovi (characters) - 6/10
Pripovedanje (writing style) - 6/10
Okruženje (setting) - 7/10
Radnja (story) - 6/10
Likovi (characters) - 6/10
Pripovedanje (writing style) - 6/10
Okruženje (setting) - 7/10
February 27, 2014
Writing 4/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 5/5
Characters 4.5/5
My Overall Enjoyment 5/5
Everything I look for in a book; strong characters, superb writing, intriguing plot, grittiness, realism, violence and action, and extreme plot twists. I never heard of this author until a friend recommended it and I am so glad she did! Not a long book, but it did take awhile to get through. And in this case, that is not a bad thing as I did not want it to end it was so good.
The first night after reading this book, I had dark, bleak dreams of sailing and plundering with Vikings. This world was so vividly drawn it sucked me in and crossed into Dream, something few books can accomplish. I absolutely loved the conflict between the priests and followers of the Norse pantheon of gods and the same of the "White Christ".
This is most cleanly fits into the genre historical fantasy, as was set in our world and contains a good deal of Norse Mythology, but if you like darker themed fantasy, you will love this. Highly recommended for readers who like grimdark, Norse Mythology, or the time period of the Vikings. This is the first book of five in the Oathsworn series so I am very excited to catch up. Very underrated author! One of the best Viking books I have read.
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 5/5
Characters 4.5/5
My Overall Enjoyment 5/5
Everything I look for in a book; strong characters, superb writing, intriguing plot, grittiness, realism, violence and action, and extreme plot twists. I never heard of this author until a friend recommended it and I am so glad she did! Not a long book, but it did take awhile to get through. And in this case, that is not a bad thing as I did not want it to end it was so good.
The first night after reading this book, I had dark, bleak dreams of sailing and plundering with Vikings. This world was so vividly drawn it sucked me in and crossed into Dream, something few books can accomplish. I absolutely loved the conflict between the priests and followers of the Norse pantheon of gods and the same of the "White Christ".
This is most cleanly fits into the genre historical fantasy, as was set in our world and contains a good deal of Norse Mythology, but if you like darker themed fantasy, you will love this. Highly recommended for readers who like grimdark, Norse Mythology, or the time period of the Vikings. This is the first book of five in the Oathsworn series so I am very excited to catch up. Very underrated author! One of the best Viking books I have read.
February 19, 2014
This is one of those books that you don't realize you love until you finish it.
I had my doubts going through it. I wanted so much for this to be like Cornwell's Saxon Stories, and I think that was my initial problem.
But this is its own story, and it is told extremely well. The action is nearly non-stop, and the main character is immediately relatable and intriguing.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, though I think I shall take a break between books so that the starkness and brutality of the stories won't drive me mad.
I had my doubts going through it. I wanted so much for this to be like Cornwell's Saxon Stories, and I think that was my initial problem.
But this is its own story, and it is told extremely well. The action is nearly non-stop, and the main character is immediately relatable and intriguing.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, though I think I shall take a break between books so that the starkness and brutality of the stories won't drive me mad.
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