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Swords in the Snow: A medieval winter tale, perfect for Christmas reading!
Join bestselling historical novelists Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay on this collaborative winter tale that fans of Bernard Cornwell, Peter Gibbons, and Conn Iggulden are sure to love.
A stolen relic. A dying child. A desperate chase.
December, c. AD 1330.
When thieves snatch a priceless holy relic from a Pontefract church, Friar Tuck and the bailiff, John Little, set out through snowbound Yorkshire to recover it. The relic is the only hope for a gravely ill girl—but the hunt soon turns bloody.
From frozen dales to the mud-slick streets of York, John and Tuck pursue ruthless crime lord William Wake and his brutal the battle-hardened Henry Tanner and the murderous giant Grimbald de Pendok.
When they finally face each other with swords in the snow, will Little John and Friar Tuck find they have met their match at last, or will there be a Christmas miracle?
A stolen relic. A dying child. A desperate chase.
December, c. AD 1330.
When thieves snatch a priceless holy relic from a Pontefract church, Friar Tuck and the bailiff, John Little, set out through snowbound Yorkshire to recover it. The relic is the only hope for a gravely ill girl—but the hunt soon turns bloody.
From frozen dales to the mud-slick streets of York, John and Tuck pursue ruthless crime lord William Wake and his brutal the battle-hardened Henry Tanner and the murderous giant Grimbald de Pendok.
When they finally face each other with swords in the snow, will Little John and Friar Tuck find they have met their match at last, or will there be a Christmas miracle?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
182 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2025
57 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Harffy
35 books748 followersMatthew Harffy is the author of the action-packed series of historical novels, the Bernicia Chronicles.
Matthew’s 2020 novel, Wolf of Wessex, was his first departure from the seventh century. Taking place a couple of centuries later in the early years of the Viking Age, it tells the tale of ageing warrior, Dunston, as he tries to find a man’s vicious murderers, keep the victim’s orphaned daughter alive and uncover the dark secret that threatens to plunge the kingdom into war. The book was very well received, with The Times calling it “a treat of a book”.
His A Time for Swords series is set at the dawn of the Viking Age. It follows the adventures of monk-turned-warrior, Hunlaf, who witnesses the first attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne and feels compelled to pick up a blade and organise the defence against the Norse raiders.
Before becoming a full-time author, Matthew worked in the IT industry, where he spent most of his days writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him! Prior to that, he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator.
Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.
Matthew’s 2020 novel, Wolf of Wessex, was his first departure from the seventh century. Taking place a couple of centuries later in the early years of the Viking Age, it tells the tale of ageing warrior, Dunston, as he tries to find a man’s vicious murderers, keep the victim’s orphaned daughter alive and uncover the dark secret that threatens to plunge the kingdom into war. The book was very well received, with The Times calling it “a treat of a book”.
His A Time for Swords series is set at the dawn of the Viking Age. It follows the adventures of monk-turned-warrior, Hunlaf, who witnesses the first attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne and feels compelled to pick up a blade and organise the defence against the Norse raiders.
Before becoming a full-time author, Matthew worked in the IT industry, where he spent most of his days writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him! Prior to that, he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator.
Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 17, 2025
I loved this book. It's A short, quick read but there is a lot of story packed into it. According to the authors' afterwords, this was their first attempt at joint authorship. I have to say they nailed it. They combined characters and settings from each of their realms. The transition from one writer to the other was seamless.
This is a Christmas story and a conclusion fitting for the spirit of the holiday. There are good guys and bad guys aplenty and enough swordplay to satisfy any Medieval history buff. This is the quality of work I've come to expect from these two excellent authors.
This is a Christmas story and a conclusion fitting for the spirit of the holiday. There are good guys and bad guys aplenty and enough swordplay to satisfy any Medieval history buff. This is the quality of work I've come to expect from these two excellent authors.
November 15, 2025
A cold Christmas adventure
A great book, and an excellent collaboration between the two authors. An interesting way to do it to have one person write their heroes and the other to write their villains. Also great that both sets of characters had a chance to shine.
Tuck and John are about to head home after a job is finished, but when a local church is robbed and a priest hurt, both heroes are compelled to bring the villains to justice and return the church's prized relic. However there are not just some oppertuneic villains these are hard men one who a former soldier driven to the dark side and the other is a giant that can make John live up to his name "little".
A excellent addition to the forest lord series. As well as a new character the might reappear. Will all the dark and death can this be a happy Christmas story?
A great book, and an excellent collaboration between the two authors. An interesting way to do it to have one person write their heroes and the other to write their villains. Also great that both sets of characters had a chance to shine.
Tuck and John are about to head home after a job is finished, but when a local church is robbed and a priest hurt, both heroes are compelled to bring the villains to justice and return the church's prized relic. However there are not just some oppertuneic villains these are hard men one who a former soldier driven to the dark side and the other is a giant that can make John live up to his name "little".
A excellent addition to the forest lord series. As well as a new character the might reappear. Will all the dark and death can this be a happy Christmas story?
November 9, 2025
What's better than reading a story written by one of your favourite authors? Reading a story written by two of your favourite authors!!
Being a big fan of both Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay, I knew that I would enjoy this novella. The pair have collaberated on a very entertaining story that I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a well paced story filled with action and suspense and well written characters.
i hope they collaborate on further novellas in the future.
Being a big fan of both Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay, I knew that I would enjoy this novella. The pair have collaberated on a very entertaining story that I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a well paced story filled with action and suspense and well written characters.
i hope they collaborate on further novellas in the future.
January 6, 2026
Another good yarn
A very good collaberation by 2 of my favorite authors it gripped me from the start and i couldn't put it down
A very good collaberation by 2 of my favorite authors it gripped me from the start and i couldn't put it down
December 24, 2025
I love sitting down on Christmas Eve and reading Steven A McKay's traditional novellas. And this year it's a collaboration with Matthew Harffy. Swords in the Snow takes Little John and Friar Tuck on another Christmas adventure, this time searching for a stolen relic in hope of a miracle.
Brilliant from start to finish and well deserved of a 5star rating.
Brilliant from start to finish and well deserved of a 5star rating.
December 26, 2025
Read over the Christmas period, which seems fitting for when the book is set. I very much enjoy these two authors, and it was lovely to read a book they did together. I’m sure I’ll read more of their books in 2026.
November 16, 2025
For starters, let's clear up the authorship: This is a collaborative effort between Matthew Harffy and Steven A. McKay, so let's give credit where credit is due. But Goodreads tends to be good about screwing things up - -the last book I went to write a few comments about was listed by them as only a recorded book and it said something to the effect that "no other edition" exists. This was despite the fact I was sitting here with a hardback copy of the book. So, to leave Steven McKay's name off the book is just another example of Goodreads screwing things up.
Every year, McKay gives his faithful readers a Christmas story featuring characters from the Robin Hood series, usually Friar Tuck, Little John (or John Little if you prefer) and Will Scafflock (or Scarlett, again, if you prefer). This is the 2025 Christmas tale featuring Tuck and John. It seems some dastardly types, of which there must have been many in England during this period, have made off with a priceless religious icon from a church. And it's supposed to possess healing powers, and as luck would have it, there is a seriously ill young girl in need of its supposed power. Tuck and John then take off after the thieves in hope of retrieving the icon.
Are they successful, does the little girl recover because of it? Is there the almost obligatory fight between Tuck, John and the bad guys? Of course there is and a lot of blood gets spilled and people die, but who? If you want to find out, you'll need to read the book. It's a page-turner and you can probably read it in one sitting although I preferred to stretch it out over a couple of days - reading about half one day and the other half the next.
And Merry Christmas from Tuck and John!
Every year, McKay gives his faithful readers a Christmas story featuring characters from the Robin Hood series, usually Friar Tuck, Little John (or John Little if you prefer) and Will Scafflock (or Scarlett, again, if you prefer). This is the 2025 Christmas tale featuring Tuck and John. It seems some dastardly types, of which there must have been many in England during this period, have made off with a priceless religious icon from a church. And it's supposed to possess healing powers, and as luck would have it, there is a seriously ill young girl in need of its supposed power. Tuck and John then take off after the thieves in hope of retrieving the icon.
Are they successful, does the little girl recover because of it? Is there the almost obligatory fight between Tuck, John and the bad guys? Of course there is and a lot of blood gets spilled and people die, but who? If you want to find out, you'll need to read the book. It's a page-turner and you can probably read it in one sitting although I preferred to stretch it out over a couple of days - reading about half one day and the other half the next.
And Merry Christmas from Tuck and John!
December 1, 2025
A wintery Christmas medieval crime thriller! I persoanlly would have liked Robin Hood on the adventure with John and Tuck but overall it was a fun, well paced Christmas story! perfect start to Xmas season.
December 18, 2025
This novella is a wonderful short story set in Steven A. McKay's Forest Lord universe. It sends Little John and Friar Tuck out on a mission in the middle of winter to retrieve an artifact.
A perfect little story for Christmas.
A perfect little story for Christmas.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews