Dance of the Berserkers

by Eric L. Olson, Marlina V Vincent (Editor)

It is May 28, 1453 and Constantinople has reached the last day of its existence. Within 24 hours, the 21 year old Ottoman Turk, Sultan Mehmet II will blast through the walls of the city and the Byzantine Empire will cease to exist. Inside the palace, Leif Redbjorn, Captain of a small group of Northmen known as the Varangian Guard prepares his warriors for a final battle. The Varangian Guard has been the Empire's elite mercenary unit for over 500 years; fiercely loyal to the Emperor even unto death. These remaining few are the last of their kind. The warriors of the Varangian Guard are Northmen; mostly Vikings. Some of these Vikings are known as 'Berserkers'. In Viking battles, Berserkers were used as shock troops by the Scandinavian Kings to strike terror in the hearts of their enemies. They would consume wine or ale and work themselves into a blood lust rage or 'Odin Fury' while dancing around a bonfire. Emperor Constantine VII, The Purple Born, called it a 'Gothic Dance'. Captain Redbjorn calls his 14 year old son, Erik to his side and gives him an overwhelming task; "I have a great thing I must ask of you. Go to my chamber. Under the chest at the foot of my bed is a stone with a wolf carved into it. Pry it up and you will find a book that has been passed down through the centuries. It holds the secret of the Varangian Guard; one that was carelessly lost by our ancestors and we have been searching in vain to find it again. You must follow my instructions left within." Soon, Erik Redbjorn will find out for himself what it means to be a Varangian Guard. He will learn why hardened warriors tremble in fear when the drums begin to beat, the bonfire rages into the sky and word spreads that Berserkers are dancing...

400 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2013

About the author

amazon.com/author/eolson

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion it was a 2.5 rating I rounded down to 2. I had expected a serious historical fiction novel about the role the Varangian Guard, and more particularly Berserkers, played in the 1453 Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. This novel turned out to be a Marvel-type action/adventure hero fantasy without illustrations. It mixed a bit of history and Norse mythology with the story. It was good for its genre and I felt it was the type of book the author intended; but it just wasn't my 'cup of tea'. I'm sure it will have its fans; it was an original idea of the author's to mix the fantasy, history, and mythology. I thank him for sending me the book. I did like the Notes part near the end where different names, places, and things were listed, with blank spaces, so folks can look up the history of the period and write it in; that was a good touch.

[Kirkolson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book and it took about two chapters to get really involved in the story. Once I was sucked in to the story it was like I was watching a movie in my head. It was exciting and at the same time very interesting to see what it was like to live in those times. The story line is about this mirror which has magical powers and all these total bad ass warriors who sparred no one but there own. The Viking Race was the people who produced these Varagian Guard Warriors who were like real life super heros. The Quest began with this Kid who is the son of one of the Guards who was trained in the ancient warrior arts. Then it had a dark side element who was serching for this lost land and the mirror could tell the tale as if it were some being. (I think the Mirror is a Spirit of some ancient God of some Celtic Race) I could not put this book down. I looked forward to some alone time just to keep reading this story. I am waiting on the next book to come out. I want to see what happens to this one Warrior who is like a total champion for Vikings. Man all I can say is read this book and you will not be dissapointed. Two Thumbs up and a bag of chips. Love fantasy books and this is up there on the top of my list.

[Tanya Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set sail, and be prepared to embark on one extreme adventure!

I was gifted with Dance of the Berserkers from the author, to help me create his book trailer. Before I started reading this book, I wondered if I would have a hard time reading it. I’ve never read a book about vikings so, you can say I was a little hesitant.

By the second chapter I was hooked! You begin with one story, and without even noticing, fall deeper into another. You will meet some pretty incredible characters. Good and evil plays a huge part in this story, I wouldn’t want to meet the bad guys in this book… unless you want to be burned for sacrifice or worse, have your body taken over by demons. But the good guys are awesome, my favorite is a fourteen year old boy named Thorbjorn, who can swing an ax like no other.

The fight scene’s were written with such detail, I could almost feel the blood splatter my face from the Berserkers powerful presence as they came in to save the day. Now, there is a group I wouldn’t mind having on my side:)

I could go on and on about this book, but I want you to experience it for yourself. This book is a first in a series, and I will eagerly be waiting for the next so I can embark on this adventure again.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is new to me. The book is more historical fantasy than historical fiction. Those two facts make the book hard to rate. I gave it four stars because the mechanics of good writing were excellent. The author has good usage of the words he chose. As Erik goes on the journey of the Berserkers, every chapter reveals another character and another story. That style seems to be gaining popularity among present day authors. Chaucer would be pleased. Read the book slowly, remember that most of the characters were real, and that Constantinople, the last bastion of the Roman empire, did fall. Had I been the emperor in desperate straits, I would have been searching for help from any source on the day Constantinople fell.

Thank you, Mr. Olson, for a good read.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great novel by a new author, and worth reading! Especially for those who love historical fiction, since it seems the author did a lot of research. The beginning of the book stirs interest right away, however it takes a couple of chapters to understand and start to identify all the characters in the story (mostly, for me, because a lot of their names end in "bjorn" - which became a little convoluted until I sorted out who was who). Overall, it was a fast paced, well detailed story. I thought the "glossary" at the end for the readers to do their own research of the characters was a plus for history lovers. I would recommend this book for YA and older who love myths and history.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I love historical novels, this action-packed viking story is not my usual read, so I was surprised to find myself sucked into the story and the characters. The author's style of writing is captivating and it played out like a movie in my head. It was exciting and hard to pull away from as I just had to know what happened next. I really enjoyed this read and would love to see it in a movie form.

[James Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a giveaway from the author so i wasn't sure what to expect. Since I am a fan of historical fiction and fantasy novels I really enjoyed this book. It has interesting characters, a mix of historical facts and fiction, and a storyline that flowed very well. The research project the author gives the reader at the back of the book is a nice touch also. I think I am going to have to pick up a copy of his other novel, SNOW WHITE, THE VIKING PRINCESS.

[Kimi Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. This is a good book, you would want to get past the first few chapters, after that it picks up and you are on your way to a good ride and a wonderful book. Watch out you will get hooked and want to read longer than you can stay awake.

[Jessica Bindt · Rating 4 out of 5]

got this as a good read first reads book. I took me a while to read this due school ending for the year and other stuff going on.
it's a good history adventure read.

[Lili · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received this books through Goodreads First Reads Program in exchange for an unbiased review*

I really, really, wanted to enjoy this book. It is a historical fiction/fantasy set in a time period that I have not seen covered that often. I will say this, the book is well researched, in fact if this writer ever put out a history book I would definitively read it. The pacing feels more like it wants to be a history and not fiction, I felt that while nothing seems to happen the story's pacing manages to be very stilted. There are long stretches where we are given detailed descriptions of battle planning and setting details, and suddenly we are days in the future tackling an entirely different problem. It is a bit jarring.

And with that we come to my biggest complaint of the book, nothing happens. The first 20 pages deal with Erik Redbjorn, the titular 'main character' that the book description has us believe will be the focus. After that we meet the plot devise mirror which sends us back in time where we meet captain of the Varangian Guards, Leo Spartiates. Along with him we get our real villains the Mystic druid monks (posing as real monks of course) and Cernunnos, the druid god. I will say that I enjoyed seeing Cernunnos as a Cthulhu-esque unimaginable horror from another plane, Celtic gods make for some awesome villains because so little is recorded about them, what with the Celts mostly having oral traditions. After collecting some Berserkers and visiting an island of lost Spartans, one things leads to another and we finally have our climax...which amounts to nothing. Cernunnos is just knocked out of the dude he is possessing so there is no real victory. Back in the present day the Turks have captured the city and Erik is the main character again for the last two chapters. Again nothing happens, and yet the book manages to end on a rather unsatisfying cliff-hanger.

I will not say this book is bad, it has some serious pacing issues and the story seems to never go anywhere. I found the characters mostly pretty one note, but that one note was clear. I will say this book is the absence of good, I found myself struggling to finish it because it bored me.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like... it was fairly well-researched, and had the *bones* of a good story in it somewhere, but it was... very clumsily written. It was written in the present tense, and the author wasn't skilled enough to pull it off smoothly. The dialogue had something of the feel of a bad grade-school play. The descriptions of people seemed to come in awkward blocks instead of being worked in smoothly. The author pretty severely underused commas. At least twice in the first 40 pages, an incorrect homonym was used (creek vs creak, tale vs tail). And so on.

I probably could have forced my way through it, but I'm far enough behind on my reading pile that I didn't bother. I suspect it would really only be of interest to someone with an interest in Byzantine-era military history and/or Vikings, and a higher tolerance for bad prose than I have, unless it gets in the hands of a good editor...

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won the book as my first goodreads new authors giveaways. I liked the story but it seemed to rush through the chapter and was lean on character development. It took a long time before I got most of the characters straight. I could no seem to read more than a chapter or two at a time. The book did end making you want to see the next story that would develop. I will probably read the next book by this author to see where the characters go. The story line did make me want to research and learn more about the history of the Norse and Greek in the region the book took place.