The Wolf Sea

Oathsworn #2

by Robert Low

A band of brothers known as the Oathsworn, committed only to each other, feared by many, rises again, setting sail on the wolf sea in search of vengeance and glory.

Washed up in a hostile city, battleweary and out of luck, the Oathsworn lie waiting for their reluctant leader, the young Orm, to bring them back once more to wealth and warfare. But Orm’s prized sword, the legendary Rune Serpent, is gone, stolen by the rapacious Starkad, and with it the runes writ upon the hilt that only Orm can decipher.

The Oathsworn embark on a dangerous mission to reclaim their precious sword as they pursue the elusive Starkad across the turbulent wolf sea. Unafraid to fight and cunning in the ways of men, they wreak violence and bloody revenge on their enemies.

Caught up in the treacherous battles in the East between the rulers of Constantinople, aided by hordes of Viking mercenaries and the Arabs, their adventures will take them from Greece to Jerusalem, across the treacherous wolf sea where only the hunting hungry dare set sail.

Epic adventure broad in scope and bloody in action, The Wolf Sea is a stunning follow-up to Robert Low’s gripping debut, The Whale Road .

International Praise for The Whale Road :

“…a rousing, sprawling saga of Viking warriors and the quest for hidden treasure….Low mixes history, archeology, mythology and nonstop, often-sanguinary action into a fast-moving adventure tale."
-- Publishers Weekly

" A company of warriors, desperate battles, an enthralling read."
--Bernard Cornwell

"A fantastic book, one of the best I have read for years. There's a wonderful earthiness to proceedings and he creates a tangible sense of being there. There's a sturdy, lyrical and epic quality about the writing which makes it feel like the kind of saga a Viking would recount in his old age."
--Simon Scarrow

"A stirring Viking series of blockbuster battles and religious intrigue."
-- Publishing News

“Action-packed and evocative."
-- Herald (Glasgow)

“All the right ingredients are firmly in place…above all there is the storyline itself, told in an earthy, rough-and-ready style, which perfectly compliments this saga for the 21st Century.”
-- Yorkshire Evening Post

“Low’s debut novel of high adventure on the open seas is about as good as it gets; his tale of harrowing deeds, violent clashes between warring factions, and betrayal and revenge is sure to appeal to fans of Bernard Cornwell.”
-- Library Journal

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Fantasy, Adventure, War, Medieval

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2008

About the author

Robert Low is a Scottish journalist and historical novelist, with novels based on the Viking Age. He was war correspondent in Vietnam and also several other locations, including Sarajevo, Romania and Kosovo, until "common-sense, age and the concerns of my wife and daughter prevailed". Now he writes novels full time. He's also a historical reenactor performing with the Scotland-based group, the Vikings.

Series:
* Oathsworn
* Kingdom

Reviews

[William Gwynne]

I enjoyed the first instalment of this series, but did not love it. I was not sure if I would continue with the Oathsworn, but then my family said that I 'MUST' carry on, as The Wolf Sea and beyond is where it gets fantastic. So, I listened, and I am glad that I did!

The Wolf Sea is a great norse tale that really captures the essence of the sagas. But here, there is no glory. These characters are tied together by an oath, an oath that cannot be broken, for fear of angering the gods. They fight for money, they fight for fame, for duty, for vengeance, and for survival. These are a group of dynamic characters that are crafted by absolutely fantastic dialogue and varied personalities that are presented by the brilliant prose of Robert Low.

Full Review to Come

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wolf Sea is the most enjoyable, hilarious and bloody viking-age saga I have read to date, maybe even the best historical-fiction. To read this is to read of a band of brothers who are against all of the odds just in the quest of survival.

“Then Finn gave a curse pungent enough to strip the gilding off Brand’s fancy-mail, staring into the swirl of yellow dust like a prow-man searching for shoals in a mist.”

Robert Low is a fantastic writer there is no denying that. His prose is polished and there are moments of beautiful description as well as moments of stark honesty. It suits a viking-age tale such as this, with good humour and quirky characters, as well as oaths and oceans of blood. Just read this description of a hangover:

“Honeyed Six-Day is a vicious were-beast, by night filling you with all the power of the gods and, in the cold light of day, sprawling like a day-old corpse in the pit of your stomach, having shat in your mouth and started a fire in your skull.”

Orm is the young beardless jarl of the Oathsworn, a decimated band of men after the ending of book one, The Whale Road. We follow Orm and his oarmates as they attempt to bring back the glory of the Oathsworn, but old enemies and new enemies are at every corner. Soon they are trapped in a journey that must be completed before they return home, north to the icy-capped mountains and fjords of Scandinavia.

“It was, as Finn said, Hel’s privy and a suitable place for a baby-killer like old Herod.”

I loved the setting of The Wolf Sea, from Constantinople now Istanbul, all the way across the east to Jerusalem. After reading many books and watching programmes set in the struggle for viking-age England it was refreshing to read a tale in the completely different Holy Land.

“We swear to be brothers to each other, bone, blood and steel. On GUngnir, Odin’s spear, we swear, may he curse us on the Nine Realms and beyond if we break this fate, one to another.”

There is a massive strength in The Wolf Sea with the characters. Whether they are enemies or oath-brothers of Orm, he is written superbly and bounces off of these secondary-characters with realism and humour.

“They offer a wrist-grasp of peace, but that is only to hold you close, by the sword-arm,' he told us, sucking ale off the wet end of his hair. 'The dagger is in the other.”

Robert Low is a viking-age re-enactor, part of my own group in the UK, thought I have never met him. However, it is evident that The Wolf Sea has been written with the historical details of a true historian, as well as with the combat and lifestyles the characters lead with the practicalities and quirks of a re-enactor.

“We must move fast, Bear Slayer, before our oarmates are stew.”

5/5 - such a fantastic read, I cannot recommend it enough. I am two books in and loving my journey across the whale road. With excellent characters, realistic storylines and wit sharp enough to pick your teeth with, The Wolf Sea is a 5 star read.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in 2008, and its the 2nd volume of the amazing "Oathsworn" series, from the author, Robert Low.

In this tale Orm and his band of Followers are washed up ashore, and reluctantly the men are waiting for their young leader, Orm, to come back and bring them for riches and battle fame.

The famous precious sword, Orm's sword, the legendary Rune Serpent, is stolen by Starkad, and with the runes writ upon the hilt that only Orm can decipher.

With enormous character and determination, Orm and his men will set out across the turbulent Wolf Sea to wreak vengeance on Starkad and retrieve that elusive sword, and at the same time to slay as many enemies as possible.

They will finally end up in the East, from Greece to Jerusalem and so to Constantinople, where the rulers there are fighting in a world of treachery and deceit, and in this dangerous and deadly environment Orm and his men will do their Viking best to win their battles and survive to return to the Wolf Sea and make more names for themselves in future times.

Highly recommended, for this is a marvellous addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fantastic Viking Oathsworn Sequel"!

[Marko Vasić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gospodin Low puca iz svih raspoloživih sredstava. Još u prvom delu Sage o kletvenicima "kupio" me je svojim neposrednim načinom obraćanja čitaocu i plastičnim, lako prijemčivim opisima, zbog kojih imam osećaj da sam sve vreme pored mladog Orma, koji vodi priču. Osim što spaja elemente nordijske i slovenske mitologije i opisuje saradnju ta dva plemenska naroda, on to čini na neusiljen i jednostavan način, baš kao što mi danas obavljamo svoje svakodnevne aktivnosti, ne razmišljajući o njima. Dakle, za razliku od atmosfere i razgovora koje je npr. Semjonova donela u svom romanu "Mač mrtvih" čija je tematika izuzetno slična ovoj u romanu "Vučje more", a koja je previše teatralna, isplanirana i usiljena, pa se vikinzi jedni drugima obraćaju kao da su na saksonskom dvoru, naučeni lepim manirima, razgovaraju kao erudite o običajima i svojim bogovima, Low ponovo dočarava istinski način govora i života ondašnjih varjaga i vikinga, gde i pored svih vulgarnosti i prostakluka to toliko daje priči na šarmu, da sam sa uživanjem pratio neke delove. On ne kazuje o običajima kao da piše udžbenik. On ih pokazuje i opisuje in situ. Glavna nit romana je, rekao bih, poprilično u drugom planu, pošto zaplet traje sve vreme i sve se razrešava na poslednje 2 stranice poslednjeg poglavlja. Budući da saga ima još tri dela, pretpostavljam da je Low sve to tendenciozno isplanirao.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Low is such an under-rated author and it amazes me that he is not more popular. I suppose to be more popular would make him main stream and that might take some of the eccentricity out of his writing as he strives to placate a larger reader base.
Don't get me wrong, Robert Low is a popular and accomplished author, it is just that he is not as well known as say, Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. Although, he is as good as them, if not better at times.
Low is a brilliant writer and he writes so fluidly, but his biggest strength, to me, is his dialogue. His dialogue, to put it bluntly, rocks my socks.
And there wasn't enough of it in this book. The first book kept me smirking and laughing. This book, the second in the series, didn't quite grab me as much and I personally think that is due to the lack of dialogue. It could go for pages without any and whilst Low is a master of description, I missed his rollicking dialogue. This is why I gave The Whale Road (the first book in the series) 5 stars and this one 4 stars. I still loved the book and Low is my new favourite author.
I have his next two book in the series to read next, and I look forward to his new Scottish series due out in March.
But for now, as I move onto The White Raven, I'd like to put an express order in for more dialogue please, Mr Low.

P.S If you really want to know how this series reads as far as style, please refer to my review for the first book: The Whale Road, as I covered it all there. What I made of the first book, I make of The Wolf Sea too.

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wolf Sea, Robert Low’s second book of the Oathsworn series, continues where The Whale Road (Oathsworn #1) left off. The novel opens with young Orm, the Viking leader of the Oathsworn, with his scruffy, battle-weary band of men stranded in Constantinople. When Orm’s sword, the Rune Serpent, is stolen by Starkad, the Oathsworn embark on a perilous mission to retrieve the sword and rescue their captured brothers. Their mission takes them across the 10th Century lands of Cyprus, Syria, and Jerusalem.

Along the way, the Oathsworn get embroiled in battles between rival factions of east and west for control of land and resources. Orm has to forge alliances with various groups to ensure the survival of his followers as they advance toward their goal. They encounter Muslims, Christians, Greeks, Bedouins, and Danes. They cross deserts and seek shelter from unremitting sand storms. They enter into fierce battles and witness the gruesome horrors of torture and decapitated bodies in an atmosphere saturated with the smell of blood and haunted by flies hovering over dismembered limbs. The descriptions are vivid; the brutality graphic.

Orm emerges as the most fully developed character. He wears the mantle of leadership with a heavy heart, haunted by the responsibilities of being the leader of the Oathsworn. Thrust into unfamiliar territory, he navigates his followers through an alien land, through strange alliances and senseless killings, and through betrayals by men who were once deemed blood brothers, all the while straddling between the old-world beliefs in Odin and the Norse gods and those of the Christ-followers.

Robert Low has written another exciting work of historical fiction. It is action-packed; skillfully integrates historical fact with historical fiction; and offers a vivid description of the locations, battles, and culture clashes of the 10th Century eastern Mediterranean. It moves at a galloping pace. And, perhaps, therein lies a shortcoming. We barely have time to accommodate to one location and its inhabitants before we are thrust into yet another battle in a different location with yet another enemy. The plethora of characters, some of whom are sketchily developed at best, is another shortcoming.

Although not as strong as The Whale Road, The Wolf Sea is, nevertheless, an enjoyable read for aficionados of historical fiction and all things Viking.

Recommended.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up to four). Definite improvement over the first book, The Whale Road. Descriptive pendulum may have swung a little too far, actually. But, I'm officially hooked; have already started the next book, The White Raven.

This one was largely set in what we would call the Near-East. That's a departure (in my experience, anyway) for a Viking tale. Very interesting!

I won't deny that there were some dry spots. But the action was vivid, for sure. And I got to understand the primary characters more in this one.

Still a fast and easy read; entertaining, interesting and gripping.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

From start to finish this book is a great read.

We follow the Oathsworn from where we left them in the first book; depleted and divided they travel from Greece to Cyprus to Antioch and Jerusalem. They meet Muslims, Bedouins and fellow Danes while battling their way to Starkard, in a quest to retrieve the Rune Serpent Sword he stole.

Jumping from action to action this book seldom stops anywhere for long. Between the traveling or the fighting there was always something new to catch my attention and keep me interested. My only issue with the book is minor, I wonder if it was really necessary to write everything in Latin and then have Orm give us the translation? Once or twice would have been fine but it just got annoying after the third time. For a gritty Viking tale, this is my first pick.

[Howard Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume in the series. In the first volume,"The Whale Road", a young Orm joins a group of Viking raiders - the Oathsworn. Much of this first volume deals with a search for buried treasure - the burial mound of Attila the Hun. At the conclusion of "The Whale Road" Orm becomes the leader of the Oathsworn. The start of "The Wolf Sea" finds the Oathsworn stranded in Constantinople. Orm's sword, the Rune Serpent, retrieved from Attila's treasure hoard, is stolen by the villain, Starkad. The Oathsworn embark on a mission to retrieve the Rune Serpent, that takes them across the late 10th Century eastern Mediterranean world to Cyprus, Antioch, and Jerusalem. It had been a while since I read "The Whale Road" so I had forgotten how action-packed Mr. Low's work can be; it was like jumping on to a fast-moving treadmill. This second volume moved at an even faster pace than the first. Orm matures as a leader and a man, under the watchful guidance of a couple of stalwarts. The book reflects the violence of the times - the Dark Ages were not a time for wimps. Very enjoyable.

[Lee Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the leader is not all it's cracked up to be; Orm quickly discovers that as he has the leadership of the Oathsworn thrust upon him. Such responsibility would be a test for any young man but especially so in an alien land on the edge of the known world; his naivety is shown by his willingness to trust those that he knows he should have doubts about. As he searches for his own albatross, stolen from him, keeping the Oathsworn together - and alive - is a tough task as he has to negotiate political as well as physical perils.

Robert Low is currently the master of historical adventure fiction. Despite the near-eastern setting, which isn't something that holds any interest for me, I actually enjoyed this more than The Whale Road .

[Val Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wolf Sea was the recommended book for my book group. I was at a bit of a disadvantage as this is the second book in Robert Harris’s “Oathsworn” series. In this second novel, the story centres on the eastern Mediterranean.

This novel takes the survivors of a Viking band from the streets of the medieval world’s greatest city to those of its holiest city. The group is united by an oath to Odin.

Some early adventures take place on the sea and islands, however, the Vikings are soon in that other “sea” where wolves roam, the dry-lands of the Near East.

The narrator is Orm who is now the leader of the troop. A precious relic that holds the key to finding a great treasure trove has been lost and his pursuit of it brings his group into a new wave of bloody fights against Arabs and against Norse rivals. The pursuit is complicated by the desire to rescue some of their men. They had been captured and sold into slavery.

I appreciate that Wolf Sea offers rich descriptions of the tenth century as viewed through the mind of the narrator. The novel is beautifully researched and ably written. However, this type of book is not really for me.

It is tale of fierce hand-to-hand fights which show no mercy and there are few checks on human savagery. It seemed that the most common kindness came when a man used his sword to kill a mortally wounded friend quickly.

Notwithstanding all the exotic locations and culture-clashes, the novel’s core is the same as that of all great war stories: the deep bond between men who stand together in the face of their enemy.

If you enjoy a good war story with a historical backdrop, I highly recommend this book.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

C2008: FWFTB: oath, sword, battles, mercenaries, Jerusalem.Slowly getting throught the back catalogue of Mr Low who I have only just recently discovered.This second book is a lot “grittier” than the first but manages to include some really interesting bits of history. Mr Low is a wordsmith. Some paragraphs seem to be written just to be read aloud and savoured. “Even the sea here was corroded, heaving in slow fat swells, black and slick and greasy as a wet hog’s back, glittering with scum and studded with flotsam.” According to Harry Sidebottom; he has created a completely convincing and utterly compelling modern Viking Saga. The history, myth and fiction are folded seamlessly together: wonderful, unbeatable stuff” Highly recommended!FCN: Orm Ruriksson, Finn, Brother John, Kvasir, Goat Boy.

[Patrick Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low follows the same basic formula as his first Oathsworn book: a Viking mashup of picaresque and noir, traversing a richly researched and reimagined world of medieval Europe and the Mediterranean knit by trading ties and ethnic feuds, given color by the author's spare and epithet-dense style. The Wolf Sea, however, turns out to be a halfway-decent reason to push through the The Whale Road, by immediately succeeding its predecessor while surpassing it in every measure. Low's writing is more comfortable and consistent, his characters more tightly developed, and his pacing more assured. If his style remains creaky in parts, and many of his characters sketchy and forgettable, Low nevertheless brings off the proposition that maybe such faults are just generic constraints, the natural limits of stories passed around too many Norse campfires to keep fidelity.

[Arsenovic Nikola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jako dobra prica o klevetnicima vikinskoj družini i njihovom vodji Orm Medvedoubica. puno stvari se preplice u prici i ona uspeva cesto da iznenadi a kraj ostavlja ipak gorak ukus.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

A band of brothers known as the Oathsworn, committed only to each other, feared by many, rises again, setting sail on the wolf sea in search of vengeance and glory.

Washed up in a hostile city, battleweary and out of luck, the Oathsworn lie waiting for their reluctant leader, the young Orm, to bring them back once more to wealth and warfare. But Orm’s prized sword, the legendary Rune Serpent, is gone, stolen by the rapacious Starkad, and with it the runes writ upon the hilt that only Orm can decipher.

The Oathsworn embark on a dangerous mission to reclaim their precious sword as they pursue the elusive Starkad across the turbulent wolf sea. Unafraid to fight and cunning in the ways of men, they wreak violence and bloody revenge on their enemies.l

[Wombat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This floored me.

Orm is now the (reluctant) leader of the Oathsworn - and manages to loose the dragon-runed sword he gained in the last book... Lost to his great enemy Starkad...

What follows is how Orn and his Oathsword brothers bounce across the eastern Mediterranean and into the middle east trying to chase down this sword.

This is fantastic writing, and absolutely chock full of battle, betrayal, bloodshed (all that good stuff), and has even better characterisation that his last book (the Whale Road) I loved how this band of mercenary norsemen struggle with the cultures of the middle east, and find themselves in the middle of a war between Constantinople and the Arab Caliphates.

Fantastic

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing if unlikely Viking adventure in the Middle East. Life for Robert Low's turn-of-the-millennium raiders is brutish, nasty, and short, and he certainly doesn't shy away from vivid descriptions of the era's violence. However, his battle explanations leave a lot to be desired, and are usually over in a paragraph or two. But fear not, there is plenty else to keep you eagerly turning the pages, from pillagings to sand storms, from rune swords to talking ravens, and everything in between. It is certainly a tale worthy of the name 'saga', and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a bit more than The Whale Road. It is amazing the number of characters who die off. I guess that's why the author doesn't do a whole lot of character development with them. One minor annoyance is the map in the book is almost worthless. It didn't contain all the places named in the book and really served no real purpose. Hopefully the next book will have a better map. That being said, all in all, I'm really enjoying this series!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started brightly in the first couple of chapters, after which the pace diminishes somewhat. The novelist knows his history, and is fiercely original in his approach to the various scenes in this novel. He can also conjure up hilarity out of the darkest of situations. Felt a little bit more rushed than the first instalment in the series, but Orm the Bear Slayer and his band of merry rogues remain an endearing and intriguing bunch.

[jjmann3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wolf Sea is a fast-paced tale that takes the Oathsworn from Constantinople to Cyprus, Antioch, Damascus, Jerusalem, and ultimately the peak of Masada. I did not like the Wolf Sea as much as the Whale Road, but that is a hard standard to surpass. Nevertheless the Wolf Sea is very good read with many complicated characters and storylines.

[Allancarlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entire series is simply epic. Less about heroics and more about basic human motivation and period depiction of life, feelings and culture is simply awesome. Gripping storyline keeps you moving at a great pace, but the joy of discovery is the best piece.

[Kris Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the saga of the oathsworn, the only thing lacking was bloodshed

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody, grim, and compelling, just like the first one. Few bring a world to life like Robert Low. I'll be sure to read on to the next novel.

[Ralph Halse · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent saga of Viking life & times

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vikings stuck in the Mediterranean. They pick up a friar who spouts Latin phrases that are handy.

[Adam Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voyage continues forward to the unknown and continues well!

[Audrey Cornelison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one just as much as the first, and I really loved the Goat Boy and Brother John. And Finn is growing on me too. Can't wait for the next one!

[Laurie Pringle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as easy a read as the first book, but entertaining. Hoping for a little smoother read in book 3!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orm and the Oathsworn fight their way through the empire of Constantinople to Jerusalem.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking the oathsworn into the Mediterranean and all of the problems that entails - very messy. lots of historical intrigue.