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The World's Edge #1
Tyrker's Tale
Tyrker, a slave belonging to the Viking chieftain Eirik the Red, has been given the task of educating Eirik's young sons, Leif and Tosti, in the arts of weaponry. Forbidden to marry, he longs to have his own family. Instead, he must learn to live with serving another man – until one day something unexpected happens.
First in Robin Ingle's World's Edge Series of short stories, Tyrker's Tale takes place in tenth-century Iceland, in the years prior to Eirik the Red's settlement in Greenland.
First in Robin Ingle's World's Edge Series of short stories, Tyrker's Tale takes place in tenth-century Iceland, in the years prior to Eirik the Red's settlement in Greenland.
19 pages, ebook
First published May 7, 2012
1 person is currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Robin Ingle
2 books34 followersI have taken a pledge to not spam readers on Goodreads. I've had discussions with many readers who have been irritated by the proliferation of the over-eager marketing efforts of Goodreads authors, and am concerned about this phenomena is contributing to creating an unwelcoming environment. This can't be good for either readers OR writers. If you are a reader concerned about author spam, please know that you won't be getting any from me. I encourage other writers to join me in making this NO SPAM pledge.
With that in mind, here's my bio:
I love to write (and read!) about Scandinavian history, especially during the early middle ages. Yes, that means vikings.
I grew up in Florida, and have recently returned to the state to live. I used to be a statistician, but now am pursuing writing fiction full-time.
I'm working on several projects concurrently. At World's Edge is a novel about a 15-year-old girl living in tenth century Greenland.
My short story, Tyrker's Tale, is available on Amazon for the Kindle (and can also be read on Kindle for PC, Mac or many smart phones). It's the story of Tyrker, a thrall belonging to Eirik the Red, and how he came to serve Eirik's son Leif.
I always welcome comments or questions about my work.
With that in mind, here's my bio:
I love to write (and read!) about Scandinavian history, especially during the early middle ages. Yes, that means vikings.
I grew up in Florida, and have recently returned to the state to live. I used to be a statistician, but now am pursuing writing fiction full-time.
I'm working on several projects concurrently. At World's Edge is a novel about a 15-year-old girl living in tenth century Greenland.
My short story, Tyrker's Tale, is available on Amazon for the Kindle (and can also be read on Kindle for PC, Mac or many smart phones). It's the story of Tyrker, a thrall belonging to Eirik the Red, and how he came to serve Eirik's son Leif.
I always welcome comments or questions about my work.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 30, 2018
One of the most romanticized groups in history has to be the Vikings. There are countless legends, books and films about the Viking age. However, there are also countless misconceptions about the Vikings as they were certainly not as exotic and glamorous as they are frequently portrayed. While they did pillage and raid villages and monasteries which were primarily along the coastline, the Vikings also spent a great deal of time trading and farming. Also, they were very active in the slave trade and made a lot of their riches by selling the “thralls” (slaves) in the Middle East and Europe. In her short story, Tyrker’s tale, Robin Ingle provides an accurate and engaging portrayal of Viking life. If you are a fan of well-researched historical fiction, with a touch of romance and adventure thrown in, then this is the tale for you!
Essentially, the story follows the life of Tyrker, a slave who is owned by the Viking, Eirik the Red. Tyrker has a number of duties which are given to him by his “owner”, but the most important is to teach Eirik’s son’s swordsmanship and also act as a guard to his master’s son Leif. Tyrker gains the respect of his owner and sons, as well as the other thralls. He is a great warrior in his own right, and even shows his devout loyalty to Eirik by jumping into a freezing lake to save Leif and Tosti from a certain death by drowning. However, when Tyrker falls in love with the cooks’ assistant Runa, his loyalty and very survival come into question. Thralls are prohibited from entering into any type of romantic relationship and the consequence for disobeying this edict could mean a severe punishment…up to and including death. Will this secret romantic relationship be discovered? If so- what will be the ultimate fate of Tyrker and Runa?
Personally, I do not tend to be a huge fan of short stories. I find they often do not provide enough time and detail to fully present and explore the many required elements of fiction. This typically leads to less than full reader engagement. However, in this case I found Tyrker’s Tale was very effective at engrossing the reader into the story. It was a very well written tale which provided effective character, setting and plot development.
As the story was told from the point of view of Tyrker, we are able to get great insight into his background, feelings and emotions. His character is developed very well in quite short order. His strengths, flaws and integrity develop rapidly through the story. We are also able to see notable character development in secondary players such as Eirik. Not simply just a figurehead, Eirik is shown to be balanced, fair and wise as the tale progresses. For those who have heard Viking tales about Eirik the Red in the past, this presentation may be the exact opposite of what is expected. This ability to aptly develop these characters so well is a credit to this short story and the author.
When we are dealing with historical fiction, it is critically important to have an accurate portrayal of the time and place. Unlike many other genres, the setting does not just come from the imagination. Instead, it is the result of a great deal of research and effort. If it is erroneous, the author will lose trust, and hence a reading audience, very quickly. Once again, Robin Ingle does a great job with this in her tale. Instead of presenting a stereotypical Viking story full of violence and mayhem, she shows the very true setting of a typical Viking homestead. Much of their time was invested in farming, and they used thralls to help them in their labors. The slave trade was also a key part of their economic viability. Ms. Ingle did her homework as her story setting is described beautifully…and accurately!
The theme of this tale can most assuredly be seen as “the pursuit of love at all costs.” It is an engaging romantic theme which would attract readers from young adult and up. There are some sexually suggestive scenes, but nothing overtly explicit is presented.
I truly enjoyed this short story and it even surprised me quite a bit. Be that as it may, it left me wanting more. I want to see more of Tyrker’s life and struggles in the harsh tenth century conditions. For that very reason of a feeling of incompleteness, I would give it 4 instead of 5 stars. Make no mistake however, it is a great short story!
4 Viking Stars for this one!
Essentially, the story follows the life of Tyrker, a slave who is owned by the Viking, Eirik the Red. Tyrker has a number of duties which are given to him by his “owner”, but the most important is to teach Eirik’s son’s swordsmanship and also act as a guard to his master’s son Leif. Tyrker gains the respect of his owner and sons, as well as the other thralls. He is a great warrior in his own right, and even shows his devout loyalty to Eirik by jumping into a freezing lake to save Leif and Tosti from a certain death by drowning. However, when Tyrker falls in love with the cooks’ assistant Runa, his loyalty and very survival come into question. Thralls are prohibited from entering into any type of romantic relationship and the consequence for disobeying this edict could mean a severe punishment…up to and including death. Will this secret romantic relationship be discovered? If so- what will be the ultimate fate of Tyrker and Runa?
Personally, I do not tend to be a huge fan of short stories. I find they often do not provide enough time and detail to fully present and explore the many required elements of fiction. This typically leads to less than full reader engagement. However, in this case I found Tyrker’s Tale was very effective at engrossing the reader into the story. It was a very well written tale which provided effective character, setting and plot development.
As the story was told from the point of view of Tyrker, we are able to get great insight into his background, feelings and emotions. His character is developed very well in quite short order. His strengths, flaws and integrity develop rapidly through the story. We are also able to see notable character development in secondary players such as Eirik. Not simply just a figurehead, Eirik is shown to be balanced, fair and wise as the tale progresses. For those who have heard Viking tales about Eirik the Red in the past, this presentation may be the exact opposite of what is expected. This ability to aptly develop these characters so well is a credit to this short story and the author.
When we are dealing with historical fiction, it is critically important to have an accurate portrayal of the time and place. Unlike many other genres, the setting does not just come from the imagination. Instead, it is the result of a great deal of research and effort. If it is erroneous, the author will lose trust, and hence a reading audience, very quickly. Once again, Robin Ingle does a great job with this in her tale. Instead of presenting a stereotypical Viking story full of violence and mayhem, she shows the very true setting of a typical Viking homestead. Much of their time was invested in farming, and they used thralls to help them in their labors. The slave trade was also a key part of their economic viability. Ms. Ingle did her homework as her story setting is described beautifully…and accurately!
The theme of this tale can most assuredly be seen as “the pursuit of love at all costs.” It is an engaging romantic theme which would attract readers from young adult and up. There are some sexually suggestive scenes, but nothing overtly explicit is presented.
I truly enjoyed this short story and it even surprised me quite a bit. Be that as it may, it left me wanting more. I want to see more of Tyrker’s life and struggles in the harsh tenth century conditions. For that very reason of a feeling of incompleteness, I would give it 4 instead of 5 stars. Make no mistake however, it is a great short story!
4 Viking Stars for this one!
October 26, 2012
Tyker's Tale is a short about a slave named Tyrker who has been placed in charge of training his master's sons in sword combat. He's on good terms with his master Eirik due to his performance and skill, but even with that it is forbidden for him to find love. If he does, and has a child, then the child will be raised as another slave for his master; a fate considered cruel for any parent to give their child. Despite this, Tyrker falls in love with another slave. You also briefly learn about Tyrker's past, and how he ended up being a slave for Eirik, and the job he now performs.
This story was surprisingly good for a short and I even found myself interested in the fate of Tyrker. The author delivers a necessary amount of background information without making the story become boring, drawn out, or distracting too much for the main point, and the prose is not overdone which is a habit I notice of many authors today. I will say that Tyrker is probably the only character you'll really care about. His lover, his master, and his master's sons are brought up multiple times but there's wasn't enough time or information centered upon them to pull me in. That's not a bad thing though, after all this is "Tyker's Tale" not "Eirik the Red's."
I look forward to reading more from this author. After being able to make such an impression with a basic short you can expect impressive novels or even epics to follow.
This story was surprisingly good for a short and I even found myself interested in the fate of Tyrker. The author delivers a necessary amount of background information without making the story become boring, drawn out, or distracting too much for the main point, and the prose is not overdone which is a habit I notice of many authors today. I will say that Tyrker is probably the only character you'll really care about. His lover, his master, and his master's sons are brought up multiple times but there's wasn't enough time or information centered upon them to pull me in. That's not a bad thing though, after all this is "Tyker's Tale" not "Eirik the Red's."
I look forward to reading more from this author. After being able to make such an impression with a basic short you can expect impressive novels or even epics to follow.
October 5, 2012
Very fun little story. It was kind a prequel to some I've read with Tyrkr/Tyrker; so that was fun to 'see' where he came from. Engaging and cute. Fun to think of Leif as a little kid.
September 22, 2012
One doesn’t often think about the Vikings, from tenth century Iceland, so this is a great little story to spark an interest in an area of study, abandoned since the fifth grade.
Tyrker is a thrall, which is a slave, and he is training to be the guard of Eirik the Red’s son, Leif Ericson. It’s a story, in and of itself, how Tyrker becomes a thrall for Eirik the Red.
In less than twenty pages, Robin Ingle, has managed to write an exceptional, historical, piece of writing. So much occurs in this extremely short story; we get to know Tyrker, we learn about Viking women, slaves and non-slaves, and we are treated to an inside peek into the mind of Eirik the Red.
Tyrker is educating Eirik’s sons for combat, as he is a well-rounded man of warfare. He is such an interesting character, with an intriguing love life, and I am eager to read more about Tyrker, in the future.
Tyrker's Tale (The World's Edge Series), is my introduction to Robin Ingle. As a reader of historical fiction, I am thrilled to have stumbled across this author, and I’ll be looking for more of her work.
Tyrker is a thrall, which is a slave, and he is training to be the guard of Eirik the Red’s son, Leif Ericson. It’s a story, in and of itself, how Tyrker becomes a thrall for Eirik the Red.
In less than twenty pages, Robin Ingle, has managed to write an exceptional, historical, piece of writing. So much occurs in this extremely short story; we get to know Tyrker, we learn about Viking women, slaves and non-slaves, and we are treated to an inside peek into the mind of Eirik the Red.
Tyrker is educating Eirik’s sons for combat, as he is a well-rounded man of warfare. He is such an interesting character, with an intriguing love life, and I am eager to read more about Tyrker, in the future.
Tyrker's Tale (The World's Edge Series), is my introduction to Robin Ingle. As a reader of historical fiction, I am thrilled to have stumbled across this author, and I’ll be looking for more of her work.
September 8, 2012
I took a chance on this short story and was pleasantly surprised! It's a well-written and engaging tale of a slave in a difficult position. Tyrker has a lot of responsibilities and not much freedom, and this puts him in a bit of a jam. I read it in one sitting, because I was eager to see how he gets out of it. The sense of adventure that marks a lot of stories about vikings was there, and I was very interested in the depiction of life in that time and in that part of the world. Readers of historical fiction will love this.
December 2, 2012
I found this tale to be quite interesting from a historical point of view. I enjoyed learning of Tyrker and where he had come from and how he had ended up in Iceland. Tyrker's Tale may be a short story but it was not lacking in any other way. It measured up very well for me as far has historical fiction goes and I would recommend this book to anyone.
November 4, 2012
A cool little short story, with a unique setting that isn't often explored in historical fiction (to the best of my knowledge). Feels like setup for a larger story. I'm looking forward to reading more.
November 2, 2012
I enjoyed reading Tyrker’s Tale and look forward to additional books in the series. The story is written well and holds the readers interest. Love the cover Graphics!
This is the story of Malik ad-Din Qasim, a warrior in his homeland, the empire Anatolia. He and his three brothers were captured and sold to slave traders.
Later, two of the brothers were sold together, and Malik was sold to Danes as they travelled to Dublin. One brother was ransomed. This causes me to question why one son would be ransomed and the other three left to the slave traders. So, possibly there will be more forthcoming about this in the next tale. That is interesting!
Although Malik ad-Din Qasim was trained all of his life to be a soldier, he is now a slave or ‘Thrall’ in Iceland. When it is discovered Malik has a gift for diplomacy and knowledge of different languages, he is purchased by Erik the Red. Erik is a prominent past warrior, now a business man and land owner with two young sons. Erik changes Malik’s name to Tyrker and gives him the commission to train sons, Tosti and his brother Leif, in the art of fighting with weapons and in war. There is an incident when Tyrker has to jump into a freezing lake in order the save Tosti and Leif from a drowning.
Read of the surprising results when Tyrker falls in love with the widow Runa, the cook’s assistant in the house of Erik. The consequences of his relationship with a freed woman could bring his death, imprisonment, or a flogging. So, what will the thrall warrior do when faced with the possibility of giving up the love of his life or losing his own life for his choice?
This is the story of Malik ad-Din Qasim, a warrior in his homeland, the empire Anatolia. He and his three brothers were captured and sold to slave traders.
Later, two of the brothers were sold together, and Malik was sold to Danes as they travelled to Dublin. One brother was ransomed. This causes me to question why one son would be ransomed and the other three left to the slave traders. So, possibly there will be more forthcoming about this in the next tale. That is interesting!
Although Malik ad-Din Qasim was trained all of his life to be a soldier, he is now a slave or ‘Thrall’ in Iceland. When it is discovered Malik has a gift for diplomacy and knowledge of different languages, he is purchased by Erik the Red. Erik is a prominent past warrior, now a business man and land owner with two young sons. Erik changes Malik’s name to Tyrker and gives him the commission to train sons, Tosti and his brother Leif, in the art of fighting with weapons and in war. There is an incident when Tyrker has to jump into a freezing lake in order the save Tosti and Leif from a drowning.
Read of the surprising results when Tyrker falls in love with the widow Runa, the cook’s assistant in the house of Erik. The consequences of his relationship with a freed woman could bring his death, imprisonment, or a flogging. So, what will the thrall warrior do when faced with the possibility of giving up the love of his life or losing his own life for his choice?
November 3, 2012
Leif and Tosti are the sons of Eirik. Tyrker is a slave of Eirik, and it is job to take care of the boys, in addition to his other slave duties. He teaches them swordsmanship and tells them tales to keep them amused. In addition, they usually visit Runa, the cooks assistant, who gives them small treats. In a time and place of slaves, it is usually best not to anger your master.
Very short quick read, almost like an essay. This could actually be an opening chapter for more to come, rather than it’s own story. While the characters blend well, it needs to be expanded more, with a bit more of a plot. Overall very good, but you leave wanting more.
Very short quick read, almost like an essay. This could actually be an opening chapter for more to come, rather than it’s own story. While the characters blend well, it needs to be expanded more, with a bit more of a plot. Overall very good, but you leave wanting more.
November 4, 2012
A pretty good story, told in the form of a memoir of a slave called Tyrker (or "The Turk"). He is owned by a war-mongerer called Eirik the Red, and is in charge to teaching Eirik's two sons how to fight. Tyrker is in love with a woman and wishes to marry her, but that's forbidden for a thrall.
Ms Ingle clearly knows the setting well, and obviously has a passion for vikings. It was a good story, with a fair amount of backstory and foreshadowing, but not too much that I thought I was missing anything. It's well written, and the pacing's pretty good. Can't wait to read the next one! :)
Ms Ingle clearly knows the setting well, and obviously has a passion for vikings. It was a good story, with a fair amount of backstory and foreshadowing, but not too much that I thought I was missing anything. It's well written, and the pacing's pretty good. Can't wait to read the next one! :)
December 19, 2012
Enjoyable Christian fiction. Ms. Ingle weaves an intricate tale in this well written Fantasy type novel.
March 27, 2017
Nice tale of Vikings in Iceland, I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews