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The Bane Of The North Boxset: Gallows Born, Rise of the Draugr, The Crooked Shard, Storm Cleaver and Thorns and Ivy
'We live as men - but fight as gods.'
He was born on the gallows, his mother’s corpse still swinging from the rope above. The superstitious villagers branded him the Bane of the North and left him to be claimed by the Fug - a deadly fog ruled by Draugr; Viking warriors who had long ago fallen in battle.They didn’t expect to find him the next day, marked by an ancient god.
Fifteen winters later - ridiculed, scorned; but never broken, Bane forges a life as a forager, surviving between Castle Garik and a looming mountain that legend says contains the body of a Norse god. In a strange twist of fates Bane discovers that the mark gives him abilities beyond that of mortal man, and along with his lineage and a blood link to the god, his journey unfolds, fraught with danger and purpose.
As the drums of war close in, and the time of men comes to an end, Bane could be the North’s only hope.
“For fans of John Gwynne…” - Amazon Review
“I was late for work because once I started the book I couldn’t stop reading until the end…” Goodreads review.
”The best thing I’ve read this month, year, possibly ever…” TikTok quote.
He was born on the gallows, his mother’s corpse still swinging from the rope above. The superstitious villagers branded him the Bane of the North and left him to be claimed by the Fug - a deadly fog ruled by Draugr; Viking warriors who had long ago fallen in battle.They didn’t expect to find him the next day, marked by an ancient god.
Fifteen winters later - ridiculed, scorned; but never broken, Bane forges a life as a forager, surviving between Castle Garik and a looming mountain that legend says contains the body of a Norse god. In a strange twist of fates Bane discovers that the mark gives him abilities beyond that of mortal man, and along with his lineage and a blood link to the god, his journey unfolds, fraught with danger and purpose.
As the drums of war close in, and the time of men comes to an end, Bane could be the North’s only hope.
“For fans of John Gwynne…” - Amazon Review
“I was late for work because once I started the book I couldn’t stop reading until the end…” Goodreads review.
”The best thing I’ve read this month, year, possibly ever…” TikTok quote.
2006 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2025
59 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 23, 2026
So I almost gave this series a 4 star rating because the series DID keep me reading till the last book (not at all common for me in YA fiction), although the last book I skipped through. It's a fun world, but nothing very unique--I immediately felt I was reading a kid's version of the Farseer Trilogy, or a different version of The Ranger's Apprentice. However, unlike The Ranger's Apprentice, it's so fast paced that I didn't lose interest and kept reading (I don't think I got past 3 or 4 books of that series). The battle scenes are great and I liked the characters. You can tell the author was in the military. Now for the negative (sort-of, for some younger boys, I feel these would be positives), these books are very straight forward quest/battle books. There's no slow buildup, no real character development with any of the main characters, and even the love story is straight forward. I honestly liked the False Prince so much more (another book these reminded me of), but then I only read the first two ½ of The Ascendence Series and lost interest, so while I like The False Prince better, it didn't keep me hooked as well. All in all, this is definitely a solid series that I'm considering giving my ADHD tween son for Christmas because I think it would keep his attention and he'd love it.
September 24, 2025
Amazingly Good
I could not put it down. It took me 2 days to read it. I slept only 4 hours between. So much action. Romance. Very much like a ballad of Norse gods of mythology. The battles. Treason. Demons. Gods. Snakes. Gators. Jackals. Witches. A single Valkrie. Ghosts. A scary fog.
You must read it.
I could not put it down. It took me 2 days to read it. I slept only 4 hours between. So much action. Romance. Very much like a ballad of Norse gods of mythology. The battles. Treason. Demons. Gods. Snakes. Gators. Jackals. Witches. A single Valkrie. Ghosts. A scary fog.
You must read it.
September 27, 2025
Wow what a book series this was. 10 out of 10 experience. A.C.Salter is a incredible author and beyond spectacular and talented author too. Please get this extremely extraordinary series today! 5 star reads review. No spoilers. I highly recommend everyone reads this series today. Please support this incredible author today and get this incredible series now. Enjoy!
April 14, 2026
Lots of fun
This 4 book series has God's, demigods, monsters, demons, and heros. Lots of action and a good amount twists and turns. The characters are fully developed and you root for them. I recommend the series and will look for more books by this author.
This 4 book series has God's, demigods, monsters, demons, and heros. Lots of action and a good amount twists and turns. The characters are fully developed and you root for them. I recommend the series and will look for more books by this author.
November 30, 2025
recommended reading -I read the boxed set form end to end - at the expensed of chores {now I'm in strife :( }
December 29, 2025
Good
Ending a bit qwick would have like to have kn ow if alruna and bane put there feeling together ?
Ending a bit qwick would have like to have kn ow if alruna and bane put there feeling together ?
January 17, 2026
A great read.
Very good story. Very well written. Loved all the characters and can't wait to read what co.as next in this world.
Very good story. Very well written. Loved all the characters and can't wait to read what co.as next in this world.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews