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The Wolf's Oath
Bloomsbury presents The Wolf's Oath by Tim Hodkinson, read by Rycharde Everley.
This thrilling Viking adventure in the epic Whale Road Chronicles sees outcast prince Einar and his crew take on their most bitter foes.
Einar and the Wolf Coats sail back to the northern realms in order to honour a dying man’s last wish by placing his sword into the hands of his son.
As they get closer to their destination, they encounter a fearsome band of Viking mercenaries. Einar is keen to join forces, but the Wolf Coats are vehemently opposed... until a violent skirmish makes both sides realise they will be stronger together.
First though the Wolf Coats must pass a prove themselves to their new allies by discovering the truth behind strange tales of bloodshed in the far north.
Einar soon realises he may have signed up for more than he intended, for he must cross swords with allies of his bitter Eirik, the Serpent King.
A powerful action-adventure novel perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane and Matthew Harffy.
Reviews for Tim Hodkinson
'Epic, violent storytelling and great fun to read' The Times
'Highly recommended!' Theodore Brun
'Will leave you breathless for more' Richard Cullen
'A superb author of dark age fiction' Simon Turney
This thrilling Viking adventure in the epic Whale Road Chronicles sees outcast prince Einar and his crew take on their most bitter foes.
Einar and the Wolf Coats sail back to the northern realms in order to honour a dying man’s last wish by placing his sword into the hands of his son.
As they get closer to their destination, they encounter a fearsome band of Viking mercenaries. Einar is keen to join forces, but the Wolf Coats are vehemently opposed... until a violent skirmish makes both sides realise they will be stronger together.
First though the Wolf Coats must pass a prove themselves to their new allies by discovering the truth behind strange tales of bloodshed in the far north.
Einar soon realises he may have signed up for more than he intended, for he must cross swords with allies of his bitter Eirik, the Serpent King.
A powerful action-adventure novel perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane and Matthew Harffy.
Reviews for Tim Hodkinson
'Epic, violent storytelling and great fun to read' The Times
'Highly recommended!' Theodore Brun
'Will leave you breathless for more' Richard Cullen
'A superb author of dark age fiction' Simon Turney
Paperback
About the author
Tim Hodkinson
23 books195 followersI love reading and writing historical fiction.
My interest in ancient times, and particularly the medieval period, goes back to my childhood when my parents took us kids around the castles and megaliths of Ireland. I remember riding my bike as a boy to the see the various remnants of the Normans within reach of my home town of Lisburn. What would appear to most as uninspiring hillocks to me became in my imagination the site of heroic battles and I suppose that's where inspiration for some of my stories came from.
My interest only deepened with studying Old Norse, Medieval English and Celtic civilization at university and these topics have informed my first novels, along with a passion to tell stories about areas of Irish history that are sometimes overlooked and forgotten.
"Lions of the Grail" is set in Medieval Ireland, at the time the Scots invaded. Its a tale of knights and tournaments set against a war that time has forgotten. "The Waste Land" carries on the tale where Lions left off, while the novella, "The Savage Forest" takes the hero of this series, Richard Savage back to a time when he was still a young idealistic member of the Order of Knights Templar.
"The Spear of Crom" goes back to the time of the druids and is the story of a celtic cavalry officer in the Roman Army and his hunt for a mystical spear.
"The Undead" takes place in Victorian Belfast and moves into Gothic Horror, taking inspiration from Chapter 20 of Mary Shelley's classic novel "Frankenstein", which takes place in North Ireland.
Apart form that I have a couple of short stories set in the world of the Anglo-Saxons - "All the Kings Thanes" is my retelling of a true story treachery and the paranoia of power, while "Beowulf's Return" is set in the time of myth & legend.
My novels are available in print at all good online retailers and also (as well as the short stories) in Kindle format from Amazon.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing them.
My interest in ancient times, and particularly the medieval period, goes back to my childhood when my parents took us kids around the castles and megaliths of Ireland. I remember riding my bike as a boy to the see the various remnants of the Normans within reach of my home town of Lisburn. What would appear to most as uninspiring hillocks to me became in my imagination the site of heroic battles and I suppose that's where inspiration for some of my stories came from.
My interest only deepened with studying Old Norse, Medieval English and Celtic civilization at university and these topics have informed my first novels, along with a passion to tell stories about areas of Irish history that are sometimes overlooked and forgotten.
"Lions of the Grail" is set in Medieval Ireland, at the time the Scots invaded. Its a tale of knights and tournaments set against a war that time has forgotten. "The Waste Land" carries on the tale where Lions left off, while the novella, "The Savage Forest" takes the hero of this series, Richard Savage back to a time when he was still a young idealistic member of the Order of Knights Templar.
"The Spear of Crom" goes back to the time of the druids and is the story of a celtic cavalry officer in the Roman Army and his hunt for a mystical spear.
"The Undead" takes place in Victorian Belfast and moves into Gothic Horror, taking inspiration from Chapter 20 of Mary Shelley's classic novel "Frankenstein", which takes place in North Ireland.
Apart form that I have a couple of short stories set in the world of the Anglo-Saxons - "All the Kings Thanes" is my retelling of a true story treachery and the paranoia of power, while "Beowulf's Return" is set in the time of myth & legend.
My novels are available in print at all good online retailers and also (as well as the short stories) in Kindle format from Amazon.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing them.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 19, 2026
The Wolf’s Oath is the ninth book in The Whale Road Chronicles series. If you haven’t read the earlier books in the series don’t worry because there are brief recaps of previous events and introductions to the members of the Wolf Coats. They may have different backgrounds, faiths and personal histories but they are all skilled warriors bound by oaths of loyalty and comradeship.
The momentous events at the end of the last book, The Blazing Sea, mean Einar Thorfinnsson has been thrust into the role of leader of the Wolf Coats. It’s not something he wanted and he often feels the burden of responsibility for making life or death decisions. Nor has his leadership been met with universal approval. Only loyalty to the person from whom he inherited the role keeps the Wolf Coats united… for now. Einar knows that at some point he’s going to be challenged and the time will come when he must prove his worth as a leader.
With the promise of gold, the Wolf Coats travel to Hålogaland in the far north of Norway, an area inhabited by the Finni, a people steeped in magic. It’s an inhospitable place, a land of vast forests and bogs which is snowbound for much of the year. It’s also a place of folklore and superstition, with tales of elves and trolls who prey on the unwary. Not to mention the wolves and marauding bears. Their other reason for agreeing to undertake this long and dangerous voyage is the possibility it may allow them to fulfill a dying wish.
Their destination is the location of a fierce tussle for control between rival kings that has seen settlements destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered without mercy. The identity of the assailants is unknown but there are strange reports of men with the heads of beasts, the dead returning to life and giants spouting fire. Einar and his comrades suspect there’s a more down to earth explanation especially as there’s one particular aspect they’ve encountered before, with deadly results.
Those who like their historical fiction to have plenty of action won’t be disappointed. There are brutal initiation tests, tavern punch-ups, ambushes, a holmgang (the Viking equivalent of a duel to the death) as well as plenty of narrow escapes. The climatic battle scene involves the Wolf Coats putting every last ounce of strength they have into maintaining a shield wall, although even that may not be enough.
As always there’s a wealth of authentic detail about everything from weaponry to social and religious customs. There are fantastic new characters to meet, as well as a few surprises for both the Wolf Coats and the reader.
The momentous events at the end of the last book, The Blazing Sea, mean Einar Thorfinnsson has been thrust into the role of leader of the Wolf Coats. It’s not something he wanted and he often feels the burden of responsibility for making life or death decisions. Nor has his leadership been met with universal approval. Only loyalty to the person from whom he inherited the role keeps the Wolf Coats united… for now. Einar knows that at some point he’s going to be challenged and the time will come when he must prove his worth as a leader.
With the promise of gold, the Wolf Coats travel to Hålogaland in the far north of Norway, an area inhabited by the Finni, a people steeped in magic. It’s an inhospitable place, a land of vast forests and bogs which is snowbound for much of the year. It’s also a place of folklore and superstition, with tales of elves and trolls who prey on the unwary. Not to mention the wolves and marauding bears. Their other reason for agreeing to undertake this long and dangerous voyage is the possibility it may allow them to fulfill a dying wish.
Their destination is the location of a fierce tussle for control between rival kings that has seen settlements destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered without mercy. The identity of the assailants is unknown but there are strange reports of men with the heads of beasts, the dead returning to life and giants spouting fire. Einar and his comrades suspect there’s a more down to earth explanation especially as there’s one particular aspect they’ve encountered before, with deadly results.
Those who like their historical fiction to have plenty of action won’t be disappointed. There are brutal initiation tests, tavern punch-ups, ambushes, a holmgang (the Viking equivalent of a duel to the death) as well as plenty of narrow escapes. The climatic battle scene involves the Wolf Coats putting every last ounce of strength they have into maintaining a shield wall, although even that may not be enough.
As always there’s a wealth of authentic detail about everything from weaponry to social and religious customs. There are fantastic new characters to meet, as well as a few surprises for both the Wolf Coats and the reader.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Einar and the gang are back except now he is the leader. All the usual we have come to expect from this excellent series. Well written with superb characters throughout descriptive imaginative storytelling with a real feel for time and place, even in the current heatwave I felt the cold. Plenty of action tense hold your breath moments. The Author is right up there with the best of this genre.
More please soon.
Completely and utterly recommended.
Einar and the gang are back except now he is the leader. All the usual we have come to expect from this excellent series. Well written with superb characters throughout descriptive imaginative storytelling with a real feel for time and place, even in the current heatwave I felt the cold. Plenty of action tense hold your breath moments. The Author is right up there with the best of this genre.
More please soon.
Completely and utterly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews