The Bear Slayer

Ormstunga Saga #4

by Donovan Cook

Action-packed Viking fiction from the author of the Charlemagne's Cross Series. Perfect for fans of Matthew Harffy, Bernard Cornwell and Peter Gibbons.

His family has been avenged and all he wants is peace. But the gods are not done with Ulf yet.

Four years after being banished from Vestfold, Ulf Bear-Slayer Bjørnson tries to live a life as a trader. But the peace he had hoped to find after avenging his family still eludes him.

Plagued by his temper, Ulf gets into a drunken fight with Ragnar Lothbrok and is forced to flee Jelling, the royal seat of the king of Denmark. Pursued and outnumbered, he makes a mistake that nearly costs him his life.

As Ulf recovers from his injuries, he learns of a large raid to West Francia led by Ragnar Lothbrok, a raid that would change the fate of Europe. Against his better judgment, Ulf returns to Jelling so he can join the raid and make amends for the past.

But Ragnar has not forgotten about their conflict and while Ulf fights for his life, others seek to use his anger against him.

To survive what is to come, Ulf must discover who his true enemies are.

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2025

Reviews

[Corey Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The highly-anticipated fourth book in the Ormstunga Saga, The Bear-Slayer, has finally arrived. I was emotionally devastated after traversing the third installment because I had come to the sobering realization that the series may be over. I hadn’t heard any news on a fourth offering being adapted. When I discovered that this gem was being released, I cautiously embarked on yet another journey with young Ulf wondering if this one could possibly live up to what had already been etched into the blood-lusting crevices of my yearning mind. This installment comes with a litany of moral conundrums which leaves us sharing Ulf’s frustration with the gods and their motives.

I was astounded by Ulf’s return. He was seemingly seeking peace, but the gods had other plans. His anger was not extinguished after he executed his vengeance upon those who ripped his family apart. The Bear Slayer has become his own enemy as he struggles to establish dominance over his own instincts. He even draws the cursed Ormstunga in direct sunlight, defying all he has held sacred since the death of his loved ones. Oddly, though, I don’t believe this was addressed again in this book, possibly leaving the door open for a future sequel to follow-up.

Ulf quickly learns that one cannot escape his predestined fate. “A wolf is meant to be a wolf.” Fueled by his conscience and his desire to right the wrongs of his past, Ulf once again raids Francia. He does so with reluctance, as he ponders the innocent lives that will fall to his blade. His own comrades question his motives as he tires of the senseless bloodshed.

This fourth book once again contains cryptic messages from the gods that must be discerned and acted upon. Deception has been a ubiquitous theme of this series and this offering is no exception. The author does an outstanding job of keeping the reader intrigued and postulating. This book does use some historical facts surrounding the raid of Francia and it doesn’t stray much from what’s known. By the end of this story, I was left wanting more. That’s another thing this author excels at. I will now patiently wait for yet another addition to the beautifully written Ormstunga Saga.

[Jeramy Schaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

It was a good book following along with the life of Ulf. There was not a lot of going over the previous books, just enough for back story. The story moved along at good pace to keep interesting. The author used historical events as guidelines but didn't stick strictly with it, adding his own spin, which is refreshing as some authors try to stick to historical timeliness and get key facts wrong.

[Jim Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top notch story telling.

Ormstunga Saga is an incredible story, and Ulf the Bear Slayer is an interesting and compelling character. I've enjoyed the first two series by Donovan Cook so much that I'll continue reading his books. If you are a fan of well written historical fiction, especially if its stories of sword spear and shield wall, I encourage you to give Donovan Cooks stories a serious look. Highly recommended.

[Linda Susan Garman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf

Having read the first three books in this saga, which are also so well written and full of exciting action and adventure I couldn't wait to read book four which includes the sacking of Paris. The words of Donovan Cook and his excellent writing leaves you wanting to put on your armour and grab your shield and battle axe jump in your ship and start sailing the seas sacking towns and taking prisoners.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome again

I literally couldn't stop reading this when I started. Keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. It's got a good mix of everything. Anger, deceit, violence, adventure and much much more. It's another novel that I didn't want it to end and now there will be a painful wait for the next instalment haha.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

took a few more hours than….

Took a few more hours than I figured but wonderful application of some historic facts as well as letting it seem that you’re there in same time same places as Ulf

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

- An excellent book.

[David Simms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read from start to finish, had trouble putting the book down to be honest it was that good.

Action and battles all the way through, looking forward to the next one 😬

[Susan]

Great read

I'm looking forward to reading more about Ulf in the future. I'm definitely going to look for more books by this author