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Viking Dawn
Honour delivered through steel
As Finn stood at the edge of the lush emerald cliffs of Ireland, a sense of tranquillity enveloped him. The sun danced on the shimmering waters below, casting a golden hue across the landscape. Little did he know that his peaceful existence would soon be shattered by unforeseen events that would test his courage and resolve.
When Finn lost a bet to the king's son, little did he realise the grave consequences it would bring. With the sudden invasion of ruthless Vikings, his village was engulfed in flames as chaos reigned supreme. As the Vikings established a permanent base on their land, Finn knew he had to fulfil his end of the bet and confront these formidable foes to redeem himself in the eyes of the kingdom.
Determined to restore his family's honour and rescue his beloved sister who had bravely ventured to witness his confrontation with the Vikings, Finn sets out on a perilous journey filled with uncertainty. Will he find the strength within himself to face these ruthless invaders and emerge victorious? Or will he be consumed by the overwhelming odds stacked against him, leaving his family's fate hanging in the balance?
Viking Dawn is the first book in the ‘Masters of chaos’ series.
As Finn stood at the edge of the lush emerald cliffs of Ireland, a sense of tranquillity enveloped him. The sun danced on the shimmering waters below, casting a golden hue across the landscape. Little did he know that his peaceful existence would soon be shattered by unforeseen events that would test his courage and resolve.
When Finn lost a bet to the king's son, little did he realise the grave consequences it would bring. With the sudden invasion of ruthless Vikings, his village was engulfed in flames as chaos reigned supreme. As the Vikings established a permanent base on their land, Finn knew he had to fulfil his end of the bet and confront these formidable foes to redeem himself in the eyes of the kingdom.
Determined to restore his family's honour and rescue his beloved sister who had bravely ventured to witness his confrontation with the Vikings, Finn sets out on a perilous journey filled with uncertainty. Will he find the strength within himself to face these ruthless invaders and emerge victorious? Or will he be consumed by the overwhelming odds stacked against him, leaving his family's fate hanging in the balance?
Viking Dawn is the first book in the ‘Masters of chaos’ series.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2025
About the author
C.R. Dempsey
9 books11 followersC R Dempsey is the author of Viking Dawn and Viking Oathbreaker, both set in the Viking age and the Exiles book series, set in Elizabethan Ireland. History has always been his fascination, and historical fiction was an obvious outlet for his accumulated knowledge. C R spends lots of time working on his books, mainly in the twilight hours of the morning. C R wishes he spent more time writing and less time jumping down the rabbit hole of excessive research.
C R Dempsey lives in London with his wife and cat. He was born in Dublin but has lived most of his adult life in London.
C R Dempsey lives in London with his wife and cat. He was born in Dublin but has lived most of his adult life in London.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 13, 2025
I don't usually read Viking fiction, but I saw a call out for this book and was intrigued by the premise. It's interesting, gripping and I loved the characters. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it!
November 24, 2025
This was not a bad book but there were a number of things holding it back in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the setting and glimpse into Irish medieval life and the way society was structured. I thought that the idea of watching the beginnings of Dublin being founded was pretty cool.
The plot was fast paced and busy which I liked, it didn't really come to any sort of satisfactory conclusion but it seems that it is being set up for a sequel.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, it was lacking descriptiveness in certain areas and then almost too dramatic in its descriptiveness in other moments, it made it feel inconsistent.
There was one particular detail that really dampened by enjoyment of the whole book. There was no mention of language, language barriers, or difficulties in communication between the Norse and the Hibernians. It is as if we are expected to believe that either every single Norse speaks fluent Hibernian or every single Hibernian speaks fluent Norse. There was only one scene in the very beginning where an interpreter is mentioned, so the author is certainly aware of the language barrier, but the topic is never mentioned again. I would have expected a historical fiction book to pay particular attention to something as important as language, I feel it should have been a central part of this story and could have made for some really interesting plot lines, it would have made me far more invested in the story.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
I really enjoyed the setting and glimpse into Irish medieval life and the way society was structured. I thought that the idea of watching the beginnings of Dublin being founded was pretty cool.
The plot was fast paced and busy which I liked, it didn't really come to any sort of satisfactory conclusion but it seems that it is being set up for a sequel.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, it was lacking descriptiveness in certain areas and then almost too dramatic in its descriptiveness in other moments, it made it feel inconsistent.
There was one particular detail that really dampened by enjoyment of the whole book. There was no mention of language, language barriers, or difficulties in communication between the Norse and the Hibernians. It is as if we are expected to believe that either every single Norse speaks fluent Hibernian or every single Hibernian speaks fluent Norse. There was only one scene in the very beginning where an interpreter is mentioned, so the author is certainly aware of the language barrier, but the topic is never mentioned again. I would have expected a historical fiction book to pay particular attention to something as important as language, I feel it should have been a central part of this story and could have made for some really interesting plot lines, it would have made me far more invested in the story.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
September 22, 2025
Received the book for a voluntary and honest ARC review.
Thurgest and his Norse warriors land in Hiberia to steal the riches and start a colony.
Finn, Affraic (his sister), and Gormlaith (his mother) have to deal with an untrustworthy king and his son, Ultan, and the Norse.
Affraic is captured by the Norse. She uses her wits and marries Einar, a Norse jail, who has to bow to Thurgest.
Finn joins Aodh, a friend of his father, to join King Malachy. But ends up wearing the oath ring of Thurgest, which commits Finn to him. Finn believes Gormlaith is dead, defeats Ultan, but is betrayed by Thurgest.
Gormlaith is alive and aids Finn in escaping Thurgest. But this is only the beginnings of betrayal.
The book has plenty of plot twists that lead to the biggest at the end. I enjoyed reading the book.
Thurgest and his Norse warriors land in Hiberia to steal the riches and start a colony.
Finn, Affraic (his sister), and Gormlaith (his mother) have to deal with an untrustworthy king and his son, Ultan, and the Norse.
Affraic is captured by the Norse. She uses her wits and marries Einar, a Norse jail, who has to bow to Thurgest.
Finn joins Aodh, a friend of his father, to join King Malachy. But ends up wearing the oath ring of Thurgest, which commits Finn to him. Finn believes Gormlaith is dead, defeats Ultan, but is betrayed by Thurgest.
Gormlaith is alive and aids Finn in escaping Thurgest. But this is only the beginnings of betrayal.
The book has plenty of plot twists that lead to the biggest at the end. I enjoyed reading the book.
September 27, 2025
Oh so bloody! This story of Vikings raiding and invading Ireland is full of battles, most initiated by a completely evil leader. Although the Norsemen are known for their savagery, they also are known for their peaceful villages and farms in their own lands. Here was no peace but only savages taking everything they could and destroying bloodlines left and fight. However, this is a really good read! One Irish family features in this story with the mother being both parents, a sister that dreams of being a queen and a boy who has no magnificent dreams but is pushed into leadership every inch of the story. I have read other books by this author, Bad Blood comes to mind, which are also excellent historical fiction.
September 9, 2025
A Family Affair.
The Viking world of plunder and intrigue is not for the faint hearted. I really liked how the story revolves around Finn and his family. Watching different factions invade the land or try to maneuver for greater political gain insured the story never had a dull moment. Hearing parts of the story from various points of view allowed greater insight to motivation and potential treachery on the horizon. With some initial hurdles overcome, Finn and his family have more in store!
I received an ARC and voluntarily am sharing my honest review.
The Viking world of plunder and intrigue is not for the faint hearted. I really liked how the story revolves around Finn and his family. Watching different factions invade the land or try to maneuver for greater political gain insured the story never had a dull moment. Hearing parts of the story from various points of view allowed greater insight to motivation and potential treachery on the horizon. With some initial hurdles overcome, Finn and his family have more in store!
I received an ARC and voluntarily am sharing my honest review.
September 17, 2025
The start of another great series by Dempsey. A historical adventure with Vikings in Ireland that brings history to life. I look forward to more and highly recommend this and other C.R.Dempsey books.
November 22, 2025
Engaging characters and a gripping plot - with lots of fighting and multiple twists!
I enjoyed the story very much.
It’s well-written and definitely worth a read.
I particularly appreciated the fact that there were strong female characters who were fully realised and agents of change.
I enjoyed the story very much.
It’s well-written and definitely worth a read.
I particularly appreciated the fact that there were strong female characters who were fully realised and agents of change.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews