What do you think?
Rate this book
Beowulf: Sword of Woden #2
Wraecca
BEOWULF - EVERY LEGEND HAS A BEGINNINGGeatland – Late Summer 517 AD Fresh from the desperate defence of the Northern borders of the Kingdom, Beowulf is appointed by King Hythcyn to lead the greatest ship army in the history of his people, carrying fire and sword to the ‘Black Heart’ of their enemies. But all is not as it seems. Hythcyn’s actions have thrust a flaming brand into the delicate balance of power in the Scandinavian lands, setting a series of events in motion which quickly spiral out of control. As Beowulf begins to understand that the Allfather is carefully grooming him to confront the Grendel, a mysterious affliction begins to cast its long dark shadow across his soul, causing him to fear for his sanity. In an enthralling tale of brutal battles, love and betrayal, Beowulf and his closest kin are swept up by the storm and scattered to the winds. From the mountainous rollers of the North Atlantic to the frozen forests of Swede Land and the bloody temple at Uppsala, Beowulf and his fellow exiles, the Wraeccan, gather their strength and prepare to confront King Hythcyn in the final battle for Geatland.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
338 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2013
119 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 6, 2016
The adventures of Beowulf continue. He is now an exile and finds himself in the land of his enemies while he plans to take revenge on the men who usurped the Geat throne. A short historical note for the unwashed masses (I was once one of them)...there were many groups/nations/peoples that have come under the term viking....viking was an activity (raiding for instance) that was practiced by Jutes, Danes, Norse, Geats, Swedes...etc etc... The author does the reader a service in that regard while he brings to life the times and practices of the differing groups. Beowulf is portrayed as a warrior of great ability; a leader who honors and values his men and his gods. It has been a treat watching him grow into his position among not only the Geats but with his hosts(I will not say who they are...kind of a spoiler)... Given that this story is about warriors, there are battles and skirmishes...there are heroic deeds performed...there are visitations form the gods...but most of all there is Beowulf; growing steadily in battle skills and learning how to be an honorable man in a time of deadly uncertainty. Kudos to C.R. May for his lively and entertaining interpretation of the Beowulf saga. 4.3 stars Book 3, Monsters, is already on my Kindle. :-)
October 14, 2018
If you ask me, I reckon to the peoples of Scandinavia (and later their cousins, children and ancestors in England), when the poem Beowulf was first told - only later written down - it was as real as today's news. It was as real as a relative, friend or a fellow warrior telling you of what they, personally, had seen and heard. It is only nowadays, with our insatiable, cynical deconstruction of what our ancestors saw as magic all around us, and our search for the 'real' truth behind legends that our ancestors for generation upon generation took as the truthful reporting of actual events, that we say "well, that couldn't have happened!" What if it was, as the peoples of Scandinavia and Britain of the 5th to 10th Centuries surely believed, all true? How would it be presented to their descendants alive today? Like this. Like Sorrow Hill and like Wræcca. That's what this superb series of books is about, making true, the legend.
The Speesh Reads Medieval Fact Dept reports: Wræcca is an Old English, Anglo Saxon word that means - amongst other things - one driven from his own lands, a wanderer in foreign (to him) lands, an exile, a stranger, a pilgrim.
It did take a chapter or two to get into, but then suddenly, from the edges of my vision, I began to 'see' Beowulf, Finn, Cola, Gunnar, Hrothgar, Heardred and all the other characters materialising from the mists of the centuries around me. The reader is then thrown and thrust deep into the tumultuous 6th Century world of the early Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Geats, Danes, Wulfings, Swedes. Proto-Vikings all.
Wræcca, as with Sorrow Hill before it, follows a real(istic) imagining of the Beowulf legend. The part that isn't in the orignal heroic poem, but is hinted at: the earlier life, forming and adventures of a pre-monster, Grendel, Beowulf. His transformation from Royal fostered son, to young war leader, to fully fulfilled legendary hero. Tough, as uncompromising, as you'd expect a legendary hero to be, C.R. May's Beowulf is this timeless legend made real living, loving, breathing, dreaming, fighting flesh. He leaps from the pages, stealing every scene, as a true leading man should.
C.R. May has though, through all his wonderful imaginings, remained the epic qualities of the original legend and its poem. Its formation from the mists of history, the dark places, the frightening places we fear to know and go. It is primal and elemental, a legend. Beowulf is so elemental, so much a part of who we are, so much a tale of human nature, of the imagination run wild and the fear of the unknown, that it surely appeals to us, as it did to the Scandinavian peoples back then. It is the classic fireside tale told late at night, to frighten children and warriors alike, about them, out there. It surely requires a very brave writer to take it on and a very good writer to make it their own. Luckily for us, C.R. May is just such a writer and has done just that. Sword of Woden (Wræecca, as with Sorrow Hill - and very likely Monsters (Sword of Woden III), has become a must-read series for me, an exceptionally well-written, provocatively interesting and incredibly enjoyable read, put together by someone who clearly thoroughly understands the Dark Age of Europe period and can impart the respect for it in the most entertaining way.
"Beowulf has thought of a plan to protect our coast, make the men rich and fulfil our original mission. It must be something in the porridge!"
He leaned forward, spooned another dollop into his bowl and leaned back.
"Luckily for me, I got the good looks in the family!"
As The Sword of Woden series is proving, the tale of Beowulf is as exciting and as powerfully enthralling today as it was back when it was first told round the hearth-fires in hushed halls, late at night. It still has the magical quality to mix the real with the darker recesses of the unconscious mind and capture generation after generation.
C.R. May, is in agreement with Michael Crichton's thoughts in his book Eaters of the Dead.
"One of Beowulf's boasts in Heorot, is that he raided a Trolls nest. I chose to base the Trolls on Neanderthals...it made sense to me that they would have retreated northwards with the ice sheets under increasing pressure from populations of 'modern humans.' Perhaps evidence for their survival in Northern Scandinavia still awaits discovery?"
Well, circumstantial evidence is perhaps there. In Eaters of the Dead, Crichton says thus:
From here, it is a short step to what some anthropologists already believe: that Neanderthal man, as an anatomical variant of modern man, has never disappeared at all, but is still with us.
The general reassessment of Neanderthal man coincides with the rediscovery of Ibn Fadlan's contact with the "mist monsters;" his description of these creatures is suggestive of Neanderthal anatomy and raises the question of whether the Neanderthal form did, infact, disappear from the earth thousands of years ago, or whether these early men persisted into historic times.
Geoffrey Wrightwood, of Oxford University, writing in 1971, said: "The account of Ibn Fadlan provides us with a perfectly serviceable description of Neanderthal man...objectively, there is no a priori reason to deny that a group of Neanderthals might have survived very late in an isolated region of Scandinavia. In any case, this assumption best fits the Arabic text."
There's much more on the Blog: Speesh Reads
Facebook: Speesh Reads
I've put together a Pinterest board for Wræcca as well: Speesh Reads
The Speesh Reads Medieval Fact Dept reports: Wræcca is an Old English, Anglo Saxon word that means - amongst other things - one driven from his own lands, a wanderer in foreign (to him) lands, an exile, a stranger, a pilgrim.
It did take a chapter or two to get into, but then suddenly, from the edges of my vision, I began to 'see' Beowulf, Finn, Cola, Gunnar, Hrothgar, Heardred and all the other characters materialising from the mists of the centuries around me. The reader is then thrown and thrust deep into the tumultuous 6th Century world of the early Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Geats, Danes, Wulfings, Swedes. Proto-Vikings all.
Wræcca, as with Sorrow Hill before it, follows a real(istic) imagining of the Beowulf legend. The part that isn't in the orignal heroic poem, but is hinted at: the earlier life, forming and adventures of a pre-monster, Grendel, Beowulf. His transformation from Royal fostered son, to young war leader, to fully fulfilled legendary hero. Tough, as uncompromising, as you'd expect a legendary hero to be, C.R. May's Beowulf is this timeless legend made real living, loving, breathing, dreaming, fighting flesh. He leaps from the pages, stealing every scene, as a true leading man should.
C.R. May has though, through all his wonderful imaginings, remained the epic qualities of the original legend and its poem. Its formation from the mists of history, the dark places, the frightening places we fear to know and go. It is primal and elemental, a legend. Beowulf is so elemental, so much a part of who we are, so much a tale of human nature, of the imagination run wild and the fear of the unknown, that it surely appeals to us, as it did to the Scandinavian peoples back then. It is the classic fireside tale told late at night, to frighten children and warriors alike, about them, out there. It surely requires a very brave writer to take it on and a very good writer to make it their own. Luckily for us, C.R. May is just such a writer and has done just that. Sword of Woden (Wræecca, as with Sorrow Hill - and very likely Monsters (Sword of Woden III), has become a must-read series for me, an exceptionally well-written, provocatively interesting and incredibly enjoyable read, put together by someone who clearly thoroughly understands the Dark Age of Europe period and can impart the respect for it in the most entertaining way.
"Beowulf has thought of a plan to protect our coast, make the men rich and fulfil our original mission. It must be something in the porridge!"
He leaned forward, spooned another dollop into his bowl and leaned back.
"Luckily for me, I got the good looks in the family!"
As The Sword of Woden series is proving, the tale of Beowulf is as exciting and as powerfully enthralling today as it was back when it was first told round the hearth-fires in hushed halls, late at night. It still has the magical quality to mix the real with the darker recesses of the unconscious mind and capture generation after generation.
C.R. May, is in agreement with Michael Crichton's thoughts in his book Eaters of the Dead.
"One of Beowulf's boasts in Heorot, is that he raided a Trolls nest. I chose to base the Trolls on Neanderthals...it made sense to me that they would have retreated northwards with the ice sheets under increasing pressure from populations of 'modern humans.' Perhaps evidence for their survival in Northern Scandinavia still awaits discovery?"
Well, circumstantial evidence is perhaps there. In Eaters of the Dead, Crichton says thus:
From here, it is a short step to what some anthropologists already believe: that Neanderthal man, as an anatomical variant of modern man, has never disappeared at all, but is still with us.
The general reassessment of Neanderthal man coincides with the rediscovery of Ibn Fadlan's contact with the "mist monsters;" his description of these creatures is suggestive of Neanderthal anatomy and raises the question of whether the Neanderthal form did, infact, disappear from the earth thousands of years ago, or whether these early men persisted into historic times.
Geoffrey Wrightwood, of Oxford University, writing in 1971, said: "The account of Ibn Fadlan provides us with a perfectly serviceable description of Neanderthal man...objectively, there is no a priori reason to deny that a group of Neanderthals might have survived very late in an isolated region of Scandinavia. In any case, this assumption best fits the Arabic text."
There's much more on the Blog: Speesh Reads
Facebook: Speesh Reads
I've put together a Pinterest board for Wræcca as well: Speesh Reads
December 22, 2016
Beowulf: From Leader to Lord
A young lord sets sail for a journey full of surprises, adventure and memorable moments. After his success in leading the defense of the battle at Sorrow Hill, Beowulf is given the command of the fleet that will invade the Swedes and make them pay blood-price for what they did in Geatland. Given this honor by King Hythcyn himself, soon Beowulf will discover his uncle's real intentions and become allied with the people he sought to destroy in order to get vengeance for his uncle's and grandfather's deaths. As the journey progresses, our hero will feel in his body both the love and hate of life, but most important he will learn the way that will transform him from a young Leader to a real Lord.
*****COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*****
This book was definitely awesome. Beowulf returns with a plot full of twists and key moments that will grip the reader into the pages. C.R. May has deliver another great book, full of action, history and the characters that we love and hate from previous book plus some new faces that will earn their place on the plot.
The story is set after Sorrow Hill and Beowulf and Heardred will lead a complete fleet in order to get retribution from the Swedes who ravaged their land, but the mission soon turns to be suicidal and the cousins realized that King's Hythcyn is using this campaign as a mean to get rid of them. Keeping on the objective of inflict a great damage on the Swedes but also being alive to tell the tale, Beowulf will use his cunning mind and resources, to reach land on enemy ground seemly unnoticed. As they go near to land, they will be surprised by a unwelcoming party of full armored warriors, revealing the first shocking moment. The unwelcoming enemy party turns to be friendly Swedes allied with Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow. Beowulf and his band will join the Swedes and live among them meanwhile the are expecting the summer. As we know, our hero is man of action and can't stay motionless, so we will embark himself in a quick journey to disgrace and show his hostility to his former king and enemy. They will return unharmed and successful of their quest. As time passes, Beowulf will have his chance for revenge as a Geat foray is spotted on Swedeland. Against the odds, the Swedes will defeat the Geats and Beowulf will have his vengeance completed, but a high cost both on his friend, family and himself.
This is basically a very brief summary of the plot, but this story has lot of surprises, funny moments, sad moments and action. there some situations that i would like to highlight:
- Beowulf gains Pluto (Gladius sword): on this chapter, I felt that was unfair to Horsa's son to be killed. He was brave and I felt very sorry when he died, but felt happy that his legacy lived on Beowulf hand by giving him the Gladius Sword. I would add him to the band but maybe he was too old to support a band of youngsters.
- Geat's foray turns to be a trap: I thought that after Sorrow Hill, Hythcyn will be grateful of Beowulf's aid, but he wasn't. He just tried to get rid of his nephews by sending them to a suicidal mission. Glad he had back what he deserved.
- Beowulf's band disembark on a beach full of Swedes: They overcome a challenging trip to enemy ground, just to find surrounded by warriors. I read this and I thought about how are they going to escape the forthcoming massacre. Oh, that's Ecgtheow! Phew, that was close! Who would have thought that his former enemies will be his allies?
- Cola's WTF moment: Just laugh out loud. "Hey Cola! Could you please take care of him?" "Yessir! What do I do with the blood?". You see Finn and Gunnar laughing afterwards. Simply delightful.
- Beowulf cursing. The undercover mission to curse Hythcyn was a tense moment full of suspense and rebellion. This is the real acknowledgment and act to defy the king, to make sure that he sees Beowulf as a open enemy. Epic.
- Finn's death. Saddest moment number 1. I think that was unfair, but fate is what it is. I liked very much this character. On Beowulf's band he was the one how grow more, as he began a just a fisherman and turn to be a real hero.
- Ecgtheow's and Alfheim's fate. Saddest moment number 2. If you felt already moved on the previous chapter about Finn's death, be prepared by seeing two great warriors with the eyes plucked from their eye-sockets. This was so deceitful, you read and saw that they were safe just to find a group of words that will hurt more than if both of the Earldormen were dead. Unbelievably!
- The end of the book was also a shocker. Beowulf has one of his attacks and meanwhile I was expecting to get him recovered to be fit in next book for the fight with Grendel, the sound of horns break in the distance. "But Swedes never used horns!". A total cliffhanger! Get prepared boys for next book.
Aside from these, there a large collection of moments that are important to the plot, just pick these as my favorites. The story is very consistent and enjoyable. There were no pages that were heavy, in fact the story was very fluid.
The characters were fabulous as in the first book, but some of them grow more and they had more exposition. Beowulf's hearth band was definitively well featured and felt more like a group, rather than just individuals and I was glad that they were together. In the other hand, Heardred had a more protagonist role. This is something that I like, because as I said before he has some traits that are the perfect balance for Beowulf.
The rest of the characters perform well and there is a lot of likeable people on this book. As for the enemies, I hated Hythcyn to death but after I read the historical note just found that he might not be like this. Even so he had what he deserved.
This book was rated as 5/5 because is full of events that make some emotions flow, as I said there is plenty of remarkable situations that makes the plot unique and entertained. I definitively enjoyed reading it and of course, I am reading now Monsters.
A young lord sets sail for a journey full of surprises, adventure and memorable moments. After his success in leading the defense of the battle at Sorrow Hill, Beowulf is given the command of the fleet that will invade the Swedes and make them pay blood-price for what they did in Geatland. Given this honor by King Hythcyn himself, soon Beowulf will discover his uncle's real intentions and become allied with the people he sought to destroy in order to get vengeance for his uncle's and grandfather's deaths. As the journey progresses, our hero will feel in his body both the love and hate of life, but most important he will learn the way that will transform him from a young Leader to a real Lord.
*****COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*****
This book was definitely awesome. Beowulf returns with a plot full of twists and key moments that will grip the reader into the pages. C.R. May has deliver another great book, full of action, history and the characters that we love and hate from previous book plus some new faces that will earn their place on the plot.
The story is set after Sorrow Hill and Beowulf and Heardred will lead a complete fleet in order to get retribution from the Swedes who ravaged their land, but the mission soon turns to be suicidal and the cousins realized that King's Hythcyn is using this campaign as a mean to get rid of them. Keeping on the objective of inflict a great damage on the Swedes but also being alive to tell the tale, Beowulf will use his cunning mind and resources, to reach land on enemy ground seemly unnoticed. As they go near to land, they will be surprised by a unwelcoming party of full armored warriors, revealing the first shocking moment. The unwelcoming enemy party turns to be friendly Swedes allied with Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow. Beowulf and his band will join the Swedes and live among them meanwhile the are expecting the summer. As we know, our hero is man of action and can't stay motionless, so we will embark himself in a quick journey to disgrace and show his hostility to his former king and enemy. They will return unharmed and successful of their quest. As time passes, Beowulf will have his chance for revenge as a Geat foray is spotted on Swedeland. Against the odds, the Swedes will defeat the Geats and Beowulf will have his vengeance completed, but a high cost both on his friend, family and himself.
This is basically a very brief summary of the plot, but this story has lot of surprises, funny moments, sad moments and action. there some situations that i would like to highlight:
- Beowulf gains Pluto (Gladius sword): on this chapter, I felt that was unfair to Horsa's son to be killed. He was brave and I felt very sorry when he died, but felt happy that his legacy lived on Beowulf hand by giving him the Gladius Sword. I would add him to the band but maybe he was too old to support a band of youngsters.
- Geat's foray turns to be a trap: I thought that after Sorrow Hill, Hythcyn will be grateful of Beowulf's aid, but he wasn't. He just tried to get rid of his nephews by sending them to a suicidal mission. Glad he had back what he deserved.
- Beowulf's band disembark on a beach full of Swedes: They overcome a challenging trip to enemy ground, just to find surrounded by warriors. I read this and I thought about how are they going to escape the forthcoming massacre. Oh, that's Ecgtheow! Phew, that was close! Who would have thought that his former enemies will be his allies?
- Cola's WTF moment: Just laugh out loud. "Hey Cola! Could you please take care of him?" "Yessir! What do I do with the blood?". You see Finn and Gunnar laughing afterwards. Simply delightful.
- Beowulf cursing. The undercover mission to curse Hythcyn was a tense moment full of suspense and rebellion. This is the real acknowledgment and act to defy the king, to make sure that he sees Beowulf as a open enemy. Epic.
- Finn's death. Saddest moment number 1. I think that was unfair, but fate is what it is. I liked very much this character. On Beowulf's band he was the one how grow more, as he began a just a fisherman and turn to be a real hero.
- Ecgtheow's and Alfheim's fate. Saddest moment number 2. If you felt already moved on the previous chapter about Finn's death, be prepared by seeing two great warriors with the eyes plucked from their eye-sockets. This was so deceitful, you read and saw that they were safe just to find a group of words that will hurt more than if both of the Earldormen were dead. Unbelievably!
- The end of the book was also a shocker. Beowulf has one of his attacks and meanwhile I was expecting to get him recovered to be fit in next book for the fight with Grendel, the sound of horns break in the distance. "But Swedes never used horns!". A total cliffhanger! Get prepared boys for next book.
Aside from these, there a large collection of moments that are important to the plot, just pick these as my favorites. The story is very consistent and enjoyable. There were no pages that were heavy, in fact the story was very fluid.
The characters were fabulous as in the first book, but some of them grow more and they had more exposition. Beowulf's hearth band was definitively well featured and felt more like a group, rather than just individuals and I was glad that they were together. In the other hand, Heardred had a more protagonist role. This is something that I like, because as I said before he has some traits that are the perfect balance for Beowulf.
The rest of the characters perform well and there is a lot of likeable people on this book. As for the enemies, I hated Hythcyn to death but after I read the historical note just found that he might not be like this. Even so he had what he deserved.
This book was rated as 5/5 because is full of events that make some emotions flow, as I said there is plenty of remarkable situations that makes the plot unique and entertained. I definitively enjoyed reading it and of course, I am reading now Monsters.
December 1, 2022
Beowulf & the Swedes
I remember reading the story of Beowulf & the demon. Whether this happened I don’t know but it’s a good story. Over all it’s a very good bit of early history on the Geats & the Swedes.
I remember reading the story of Beowulf & the demon. Whether this happened I don’t know but it’s a good story. Over all it’s a very good bit of early history on the Geats & the Swedes.
January 24, 2017
Excellent book about the Anglo-Saxons.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews