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Odd Tangle-Hair Saga #2
Ice Queen
In this second volume of his saga, Odd Tangle-Hair travels to Russia to take up his post as skald to Harald, the young renegade prince of Norway. Intrigue and danger await him when Odd finds himself 'caught between two wolves'-the arrogant, bullying Harald and his sworn enemy, Ingigerd, Grand Princess of Novgorod, who schemes against Harald by seducing Odd. While political intrigue swirls around him, a Pecheneg horde explodes across the steppe, and Odd must use his wits to rescue the besieged people of Kiev.
380 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2015
1 person is currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Bruce MacBain
10 books60 followersFrom boyhood, Bruce Macbain spent his days in reading history and historical fiction. The Greeks and Romans have held a special fascination for him and this led to earning a master’s degree in Classical Studies and a doctorate in Ancient History. Along the way, he also taught English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Borneo. Later, he taught courses in Greek and Roman civilization at Vanderbilt University and Boston University, and published a few dense scholarly monographs, read by very few. Recently, he has turned to writing fiction, a much more congenial pursuit. He has previously published two historical mysteries set in ancient Rome, Roman Games and its sequel, The Bull Slayer. Now, he has turned his attention to his other favorite folk, the Vikings. He has completed a trilogy, "Odd Tangle-Hair's Saga" consisting of "Odin's Child," "The Ice Queen," and "The Varangian", which takes our hero from his home in Iceland to Norway, Russia, and Constantinople. Two of the novels have been selected as Editor's Choices in the Historical Novels Review.
Bruce spends his spare time in the kitchen, cooking spicy food.
Bruce spends his spare time in the kitchen, cooking spicy food.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 14, 2015
I recently read The Ice Queen: Book Two of Odd Tangle-Hair’s Saga by Bruce Macbain. I hadn’t read the first book, Odin’s Child, but I dove in anyway, as I have, as many of you know….an obsession with Vikings!! Pleasantly enough, he offered a lead-in re-cap which was just enough to propel me into the story at lightening speed.
The way that Bruce writes these novels is reminiscent of those old-fashioned tales passed down through generations as legends. A shorter version might appear in those stellar anthologies of “Classic Viking Tales” or such. It reads as if a story teller is telling you a story, instead of a heavily structured historical fiction that is research based, even though he did do his research in order to bring the story to life. This one is for the historical fantasy fans that are looking for an entertaining weekend.
As a lover of fantasy type novels, I was enamored by the tone and structure that Bruce implored through the story. The dialogue was fun and the characterization, both of the protagonist, Odd Tangle-Hair, and all others he described through Odd’s eyes (the book was written from his point of view), were well-developed enough you could visualize them in the mind. They were interesting and layered too, in that as a reader, I wanted to follow along in their tale. I was immediately enthralled by the character of Princess Ingigerd.
My favorite line where I fist pumped with her: “Are you a man, Odd Tangle-Hair, who believes a woman’s only business is with her distaff and loom? For if you are we shall never be friends.”
Strong. Beautiful. Intelligent. Perceptive. Puts up with her talkative husband. And she has hunting birds. Only female ones. I love Ingigerd. Even though I shouldn’t.
It was entertaining to voyeur the story, as Odd Tangle-Hair watched and conversed with a great many characters. The things each said, and his answers to them, always made me think of deeper meanings and allegories in regards to religion, gender roles, class structure, cultures, and more.
I really liked watching Odd interact and observe the people around him, over time showing us more of their personalities which were revealed to amazing levels. The juxtoposition of personalities such as King Harald and Princess Ingigerd, for instance, is recognizable, he with ego, glorified rule, impusiveness, reliance of others, and anger issues, and her with a more intelligent, calculated, and manipulated strength (though she also was sometimes unpredicatable!).
Running through most of the story, due to the character’s dialogue and involvement with Odd, was the undercurrent of paganism versus Christianity during the Age of Conversion in the 10-11th century. In how the story was written, Bruce brought that lesson to the reader in a more light-hearted, but also impactful, manner.
I laughed out loud sometimes at the situations that Odd found himself in! Then there was the romance he became entangled in too…but I’ll let you be surprised for yourself. Later, I became saddened by his turmoil. This is why there were many emotions to be felt while reading this book. Amid all of this were Bruce’s beautiful descriptions of place and setting that really lended to immersing this reader farther into the story.
Of course, the way it ended, I’m certainly ready for Book Three in the saga and plan to continue on in Odd’s adventure. Highly recommended for any fantasy lover, but as well historical fiction fanatics, as some of the characters, such as Ingigerd and Harald, actually existed.
In closing, as I’m not one to rehash plot in my reviews, Icelandic Odd’s adventure in Rus took many turns, overcame obstacles both emotional and physical, made me at times both chuckle and shake my head, and sometimes, even shed a tear. A story with a princess, a traveler, dwarfs, trolls, priests, and legend and lore that will entertain and delight the reader in an original way and leave one wanting more!
The way that Bruce writes these novels is reminiscent of those old-fashioned tales passed down through generations as legends. A shorter version might appear in those stellar anthologies of “Classic Viking Tales” or such. It reads as if a story teller is telling you a story, instead of a heavily structured historical fiction that is research based, even though he did do his research in order to bring the story to life. This one is for the historical fantasy fans that are looking for an entertaining weekend.
As a lover of fantasy type novels, I was enamored by the tone and structure that Bruce implored through the story. The dialogue was fun and the characterization, both of the protagonist, Odd Tangle-Hair, and all others he described through Odd’s eyes (the book was written from his point of view), were well-developed enough you could visualize them in the mind. They were interesting and layered too, in that as a reader, I wanted to follow along in their tale. I was immediately enthralled by the character of Princess Ingigerd.
My favorite line where I fist pumped with her: “Are you a man, Odd Tangle-Hair, who believes a woman’s only business is with her distaff and loom? For if you are we shall never be friends.”
Strong. Beautiful. Intelligent. Perceptive. Puts up with her talkative husband. And she has hunting birds. Only female ones. I love Ingigerd. Even though I shouldn’t.
It was entertaining to voyeur the story, as Odd Tangle-Hair watched and conversed with a great many characters. The things each said, and his answers to them, always made me think of deeper meanings and allegories in regards to religion, gender roles, class structure, cultures, and more.
I really liked watching Odd interact and observe the people around him, over time showing us more of their personalities which were revealed to amazing levels. The juxtoposition of personalities such as King Harald and Princess Ingigerd, for instance, is recognizable, he with ego, glorified rule, impusiveness, reliance of others, and anger issues, and her with a more intelligent, calculated, and manipulated strength (though she also was sometimes unpredicatable!).
Running through most of the story, due to the character’s dialogue and involvement with Odd, was the undercurrent of paganism versus Christianity during the Age of Conversion in the 10-11th century. In how the story was written, Bruce brought that lesson to the reader in a more light-hearted, but also impactful, manner.
I laughed out loud sometimes at the situations that Odd found himself in! Then there was the romance he became entangled in too…but I’ll let you be surprised for yourself. Later, I became saddened by his turmoil. This is why there were many emotions to be felt while reading this book. Amid all of this were Bruce’s beautiful descriptions of place and setting that really lended to immersing this reader farther into the story.
Of course, the way it ended, I’m certainly ready for Book Three in the saga and plan to continue on in Odd’s adventure. Highly recommended for any fantasy lover, but as well historical fiction fanatics, as some of the characters, such as Ingigerd and Harald, actually existed.
In closing, as I’m not one to rehash plot in my reviews, Icelandic Odd’s adventure in Rus took many turns, overcame obstacles both emotional and physical, made me at times both chuckle and shake my head, and sometimes, even shed a tear. A story with a princess, a traveler, dwarfs, trolls, priests, and legend and lore that will entertain and delight the reader in an original way and leave one wanting more!
December 28, 2015
review at: http://abookgeek-llm.blogspot.com/201...
The Ice Queen is the second book in the Odd Tangle-Hair Saga -- and it is indeed a saga. Of course it is a Nordic tale and Odd - despite his young age - has many wild and dangerous adventures across vast expanses of the world. Now, Odd does make some questionable decisions which make some or many of his adventures less than enjoyable or pleasant, but his life wouldn't exactly be called boring.
Odd continues to be an engaging protagonist with a sense of humor - most of the time. Even though his youth certainly plays into some of his poor decisions, he is wily and tough -- he manages to get out of many close calls and come up with some pretty ingenious plans for survival. His main weakness seems to be for Princess Ingigerd - she is truly an ice queen - cold and calculating and able to seduce and scheme to get what she wants.
Harald is exactly what we all expect - a good warrior, but a pretty awful person and not a friend in any sense of the word. Prince Yaroslav is an interesting character - he appears fairly weak and easily influenced at his palace, but seems to come into his own when he is away at war. There are several other memorable characters that wind through the narrative and have an influence on Odd - for good or ill.
As the saying goes: If it weren't for bad luck, Odd would have no luck at all. That pretty much sums up much of his adventures --- even though others make decisions as poor as his, Odd just doesn't get much of a break. He is betrayed over and over again -- and winds up in some abysmal situations.
I am looking forward to reading the third installment in Odd's saga -- I can't wait to find out what happens to him in Constantinople. The Ice Queen is definitely a novel that I will recommend - it brings the period to life in a way that some of the histories just can't. I think that the whole of Odd Tangle-Hair's Saga would be great assigned reading to go along with the biographies of Snorri Sturluson - and yes, the biographies are assigned reading for my teens in their homeschool curriculum.
The Ice Queen is the second book in the Odd Tangle-Hair Saga -- and it is indeed a saga. Of course it is a Nordic tale and Odd - despite his young age - has many wild and dangerous adventures across vast expanses of the world. Now, Odd does make some questionable decisions which make some or many of his adventures less than enjoyable or pleasant, but his life wouldn't exactly be called boring.
Odd continues to be an engaging protagonist with a sense of humor - most of the time. Even though his youth certainly plays into some of his poor decisions, he is wily and tough -- he manages to get out of many close calls and come up with some pretty ingenious plans for survival. His main weakness seems to be for Princess Ingigerd - she is truly an ice queen - cold and calculating and able to seduce and scheme to get what she wants.
Harald is exactly what we all expect - a good warrior, but a pretty awful person and not a friend in any sense of the word. Prince Yaroslav is an interesting character - he appears fairly weak and easily influenced at his palace, but seems to come into his own when he is away at war. There are several other memorable characters that wind through the narrative and have an influence on Odd - for good or ill.
As the saying goes: If it weren't for bad luck, Odd would have no luck at all. That pretty much sums up much of his adventures --- even though others make decisions as poor as his, Odd just doesn't get much of a break. He is betrayed over and over again -- and winds up in some abysmal situations.
I am looking forward to reading the third installment in Odd's saga -- I can't wait to find out what happens to him in Constantinople. The Ice Queen is definitely a novel that I will recommend - it brings the period to life in a way that some of the histories just can't. I think that the whole of Odd Tangle-Hair's Saga would be great assigned reading to go along with the biographies of Snorri Sturluson - and yes, the biographies are assigned reading for my teens in their homeschool curriculum.
December 22, 2015
review at: http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/
Copy received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review
"The Ice Queen" was a great follow-up to the first book in this series "Odin's Child." One of the many wonderful things about writing reviews is that I am exposed to many more books than I would normally know about and at times be interested in reading. I usually stay away from fantasy stories because it's a genre that I'm not usually as interested in but Macbain has such an engaging way of grabbing my attention that I feel pulled into the story immediately. Aside from the engaging manner that Macbain tells this and the previous story, I personally love witty commentary from characters. It makes the story more enjoyable and Macbain definitely accomplishes this. Finally, I really like Pablo Coehlo and I couldn't help but feel like Macbain is similar in his storytelling. There always seems more than meets the eye with his dialogues and with the different things that occur throughout the story. Great dialouge, adventure and romance, there was no way I could not enjoy this great story.
Copy received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review
"The Ice Queen" was a great follow-up to the first book in this series "Odin's Child." One of the many wonderful things about writing reviews is that I am exposed to many more books than I would normally know about and at times be interested in reading. I usually stay away from fantasy stories because it's a genre that I'm not usually as interested in but Macbain has such an engaging way of grabbing my attention that I feel pulled into the story immediately. Aside from the engaging manner that Macbain tells this and the previous story, I personally love witty commentary from characters. It makes the story more enjoyable and Macbain definitely accomplishes this. Finally, I really like Pablo Coehlo and I couldn't help but feel like Macbain is similar in his storytelling. There always seems more than meets the eye with his dialogues and with the different things that occur throughout the story. Great dialouge, adventure and romance, there was no way I could not enjoy this great story.
December 31, 2015
(I received this book free in exchange for an honest review, as part of this book's blog tour.)
Having enjoyed the first book, I was quick to jump onto the blog tour for the second, despite having little time to read these days.
This was an enjoyable second volume to the series, capturing many of the high points of the first, although did suffer somewhat clearly from “middle book” syndrome. The latter chapters seemed to be rushed through, kind of “thrown on” to get us set up for the next book. Not terribly so and not poorly written, but rather obviously to my eyes.
There are certainly no heroes in this tale, nor should there be. Heroes are unrealistic, and while this is fiction, it clearly strives for history and realism. Macbain continues to do no less to be very frank about the brutality of the age, but doesn’t linger on anything to the point of gratuitous enjoyment. I appreciated that in the first book and now in the second. It makes for authenticity without putting one too much into things, because the latter can drag you out of the story being told.
Odd grows up and changes a lot here, but it remains true to its events; that is, that the internal changes match the external circumstances. Like any “real” person, he remains three dimensional. Does things that make you like him, feels things that make you sympathize with him, but also does things that make you not like him.
The Ice Queen contains more politic intrigue than high adventure, and while it’s hard to spend every page wondering who is going to betray who, and who’ll die for it, it keeps you engaged. Despite some disappointment with the rush of the last chapters, it was interesting and entertaining, and I’ll keep an eye out for the next installment. It’s another 4 Fireballs tale for this author.
Having enjoyed the first book, I was quick to jump onto the blog tour for the second, despite having little time to read these days.
This was an enjoyable second volume to the series, capturing many of the high points of the first, although did suffer somewhat clearly from “middle book” syndrome. The latter chapters seemed to be rushed through, kind of “thrown on” to get us set up for the next book. Not terribly so and not poorly written, but rather obviously to my eyes.
There are certainly no heroes in this tale, nor should there be. Heroes are unrealistic, and while this is fiction, it clearly strives for history and realism. Macbain continues to do no less to be very frank about the brutality of the age, but doesn’t linger on anything to the point of gratuitous enjoyment. I appreciated that in the first book and now in the second. It makes for authenticity without putting one too much into things, because the latter can drag you out of the story being told.
Odd grows up and changes a lot here, but it remains true to its events; that is, that the internal changes match the external circumstances. Like any “real” person, he remains three dimensional. Does things that make you like him, feels things that make you sympathize with him, but also does things that make you not like him.
The Ice Queen contains more politic intrigue than high adventure, and while it’s hard to spend every page wondering who is going to betray who, and who’ll die for it, it keeps you engaged. Despite some disappointment with the rush of the last chapters, it was interesting and entertaining, and I’ll keep an eye out for the next installment. It’s another 4 Fireballs tale for this author.
September 19, 2016
I received a copy of this book from goodreads and I really enjoyed it! I like the character Odd and the adventures he goes on as well as the fantasy. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read with a great story!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews