Viking: The Green Land

Norse Adventure #3

by Katie Aiken Ritter

ICELAND, 982 A.D. A SHIP OF OUTLAWS. A WOMAN, ALONE.
Dangerous seas…and even more dangerous secrets on board.

Iceland’s powerful Althing Council has convicted seafarer Tiller Thorvaldsson of murder - to force him on a ship for a perilous quest in search of a legendary land, said to lie in uncharted western seas. Who is the mysterious, beautiful woman aboard, called Fishgirl? A skilled liar, she tells Tiller that her life is in danger and that she is in desperate need of an ally...but do they dare trust one other?

Based on the Saga of Erik the Red and evocative of Jean Auel’s CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, THE GREEN LAND is a sweeping epic novel of murder, passion, love, and courage in a battle for survival between the dark forces of intrigue and the redemptive power of the human spirit.

Fast-paced action with complex, strong-willed characters and meticulously researched, authentic storytelling – with plot twists to keep you guessing until the last page - you’ll love the experience of reading VIKING: THE GREEN LAND!

Will finding land offer hope…or bring them even greater danger?
ADVENTURE AWAITS! Buy VIKING THE GREEN LAND now to set your sails for excitement.

2016 AWC Novel Award Winner

Genres: Historical Fiction, 10th Century, Fiction, Unfinished

466 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2016

About the author

We all dream, don't we? We work so hard, and hope that each book reader leads to another and another, and that one day our book, our beloved project, will reach our goal.

For most of us, the goal is not a dream of fame. It is simply about doing a good enough job to earn recognition from our peers and from readers - the people we exist to serve.

For some of us, it is to simply be published. For others it is the joy of having our work read. Fo many of us - and this includes me - it is to earn enough from our writing to earn enough income to pay our bills.

I want to earn my living as a writer of novels.

Before and beyond that, I want to accomplish good, quiet stuff in my life. I want to work on peace, on the environment, art, aging well. I want to be a good mom...a really, really good mom, because it's the most important thing...and a good partner to my husband.

I believe we should question everything. I'm committed to believing in the possible. I love to think about universal constants.

I believe that that kindness requires much more strength and is far more effective than self-righteousness, and that true good triumphs over evil because it's just so darned much harder to do...and that’s what makes it stronger.

I believe that truth is harder to tell than fiction, but that good fiction, well-written, tells truths in ways we might otherwise not make time or attention for. I believe that humor and music are two of the most powerful forces of change we have. Music touches us more deeply. Humor is faster.

And in case all this sounds just too too serious, I freakin' love to dance.

Live a life. Don't just practice living one.

Reviews

[〰️Beth〰️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised !

This is a well researched novel about Erik the Red. My Norse history is limited but I always thought they got misjudged as the only Dark Age bad guys. Refreshing to read a story that takes a well rounded look of what a trans Atlantic ride might have been like in 980 A.D.

I don’t like to give spoilers but I think following Erik’s and Thio journey will make each reader think about how they might have felt and learned about themselves on a journey such as this.

[Frances Delahanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viking was a thoroughly engaging book, from beginning to end. I read the first half in one reading - about 5 hours worth till 3:30 AM, and the only reason I stopped was because I was dead tired! On the second reading I finished the book - another 4 hours of enchantment! - Katie's writing is powerful and compelling from beginning to end. Viking was a thoroughly engaging book, from beginning to end. I read the first half in one reading - about 5 hours worth till 3:30 AM, and the only reason I stopped was because I was dead tired! On the second reading I finished the book - another 4 hours of enchantment! - Katie's writing is powerful and compelling from beginning to end. It develops what starts out as a voyage of desperate outlaws on a journey that seemed almost certain to end in disaster, into an incredible tale of personal transformation of the main characters in surprising and inspiring ways. -Weaving historical fact about the Viking explorers into this work of fiction that lives and breathes with intense human emotion and experience, this novel is a masterful piece of writing - and it's only the author's first novel! Can't wait to read the next episode! I give it 5 stars!!

[N.B. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting. The author weaves a carefully crafted, historically accurate tale with such skill that you are surprised by the twists and turns, even if you're familiar with the history. Her characters are raw, highly detailed, and believable and the story slowly, but surely, recreates the long-ago world of Nordic explorers so accurately that you can just about feel the icy wind on your face. Can't wait for the next volume!

[Nicole McMann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. There were a few parts that I thought "ehhh" but overall not bad. I was looking for the least smut containing Viking story on kindle unlimited and this was a good match. Zero smut and an interesting plot. 9/10 would recommend.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe in open honesty, and I have always treated my reviews as such. This is a disclaimer, I was asked by the author for an open, fair and honest review.
First of all I am not a fan of historical fiction. I know many of you are however.
This is the story of a set of outlaws (not your Robin Hood-type though) whom are basically banished from Iseland (note the spelling) for various crimes. Some it seems had this thrust upon them on trumped-up charges, or even by mistake.
Iseland is reeling from three straight years of famine, there isn't the farmland or green areas for more to start farming. So the council set it upon themselves to send a crew out upon the seas to find a land than has taken a mythical-like status ion the land. No one knows it's true name, it's just called Gunnbjörn's Skerries. named after the man upon who's crew spied the land, supposedly.
They are a bunch of misfits. But they work well as a crew. Tiller (not his true name) named so because he commands the tiller, steering the craft. Fishgirl - Thio - of whom we learn much of within, and as to why she's on the knorr. Fishgirl is her title, she is to feed the crew, heal them.
Now the difficult part. It is rather difficult to say too much without giving away massive chunks of the plots, and oh yeah, twists by the number. The crew's premise is to find new, fertile land. They are tasked with a three-year sailing to do this.
Now as to the writing, plot and characters. The writing was rather good, she had certainly done an awful lot of research for the book, and it most certainly shows. Descriptively she nailed things down tight. The language was even done correctly for the time 980 a.d, no modern swearing on board the knorr, or land. This added a very good layer of realism and pulled me in further to the enjoyment.
The storm at sea - not really giving this away, I mean anything at sea in a book: there's a storm, end of. It almost had me crawling to the bathroom. She racks up tension between characters really well, and with some it's always simmering under the surface just waiting for the pot to boil over. The characters I have to say in all honesty were all, with one exception - and no, I am not going to name them - were very well crafted. good back stories, and their interactions within the crew gave them a good human factor.
All things being equal and such I would most recommend this, and would love to see the return of certain characters - names withheld due to spoiler alerts. This was a real treat to read, even though, as I said it's not really my thing. I really found myself back in Iseland 980 a.d. The language, the characters, the setting were thrown into a heady mix of betrayal, love, hope, and trust to create something that comes along rarely.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, Katie did a marvelous job of telling a story that in all probability did happen to Erik the Red in finding Greenland. Thio was especially a strong as his mate, and Asa as his aipak (kind of like a blood brother). Katie made it believable by all the infighting that you assumed happened during that time both with the men of his boat and the people of the land of Greenland. Can't wait for the next installment.

[Monica Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a powerful book about Erik the Red. I teach a little Viking history to my 6th graders but this novel brought his story to life in an amazing way. I knew some of the basic facts but the author weaved together a story that had me glued to the book wanting to know what would happen. This book takes place after Erik (Tiller) has been outlawed from Iceland for 3 years. He sets off to find a land that their people can settle. His crew is a bunch of other outlaws and a fishgirl. What unfolds is an amazing story with many twists and turns but also an amazing moral. I learned about Vikings, Greenland, Iceland but also so much more. The author really made me think about anger and how people should behaving. Plus I learned about the native Greenlanders and their culture was absolutely amazing. I know this book is historical fiction and there is just so much we don't know but I love how the author put everything together. A powerful historical fiction novel!

[Jemima Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Green Land is an amazing saga retold in story form of the famous Erik Thorvaldsson (Eric the Red) and his discovery of Greenland in an epic voyage from Iceland around 980 AD. The author has based her story as closely as possible to known facts about this adventure, although she notes in her afterword and notes that facts are difficult to pin down on what has largely been an oral history, retold for centuries in the form of legends or sagas in which fact was regularly embellished for dramatic effect. However, history is retold where reasonably verifiable facts we able to be adhered too, and embellished with a talented storyteller's ability to relate a personal narrative which is reflective of what is known of both Norse and Viking Culture, the environments of Iceland and Greenland at this age, and of the heroes of this story, Eric Thorvaldsson and his family.

We first encounter Eric in the person of 'Tiller' who is sent under duress with 25 other men, who were all convicted under the law as criminals and outlaws to undertake an impossible voyage. The viking crew were handpicked to search for the mysterious 'Gunnbjorn's Ulfsson's skerries', sighted nearly one hundred years previously, but never verified. The Athling Council hopes that by discovering and claiming the legendary land, the terrible famine (caused by overpopulation and lack of farmlands) could be overcome by finding a new settlement for the Icelandic people, and so protect their culture and future as a nation. They chose only outlaws for this voyage in the hope that they (with the promise of absolution and reward if their mission were to succeed) would be desperate enough to succeed in their quest. If not, at least they were expendable. Along with this desperate crew travels one woman, under compulsion, to serve as 'fishgirl' to the crew. As the journey proceeds, we begin to learn that there is more to the presence of the fishgirl on board than at first appears. There is a gradual unfolding of a hidden agenda, a twisted plot underpinning the voyage, that unravels as they travel onwards to an unknown destination, the discovery of which may divide all of the individual vikings of the crew along radical lines.

The section set on the knarr is tense and dangerous. I was biting my nails at times, wondering how it would all turn out. The pacing of the book and the attention to descriptive detail, to characters and to authenticity of customs in matters of law, vikking and religion, fascinated me as I began to understand many aspects of the Icelandic norse culture that I had not previously known. I particularly appreciated the character development of the two main characters of this saga. I loved the development of Tiller's character and how he is now growing beyond the limited self belief that his father left him with. Fishgirl is also growing in strength and learning to value herself as a strong, compassionate and ethical woman.

The writing is beautifully expressive. I felt that I was there with them all as they set off on a sea voyage that might never lead to land. I love the way that we gradually discover the personalities of Thio (Fishgirl) and Eric (Tiller) during that voyage, as the crew also begin to identify them as personally important characters. This is so important in the decisions made by the crew further in the plot. They start out to the crew as 'the woman' and 'the tiller' and become "Fishgirl' and 'Tiller'. One is their provider of food, carer, comfort, healing, succour and distraction, as well as being an impartial advocate and the voice of reason when violent disagreements break out. The other is their compass and guide, the authority on path direction for navigating the treacherous and endless seeming seas. Neither is a part of any subgrouping or gang within the crew, they both hold themselves aloof and impartial from such things, regardless of what their personal opinions of the separate crew members are, and so showing their personal strength and courage.

I sometimes struggled with the casual violence displayed by the characters in the book, as my tolerance for such scenes is not high. However, this is not at all an unexpected factor of the history. The historical behaviours of a culture who's understanding of heaven included worthiness based on death attained during combat and from which the word berserk derives, could not but be bloody in some of its retelling. In this book, the characters were compelling and the plot contained so many twists and unexpected outcomes, that I could not put the book down despite my squeamishness at times. To be frank, I was nervous of reading a book about vikings for this very reason, but in saying that, I want to thank Katie Aiken Ritter for making her book such an accessible and absorbing read. Throughout the narrative, I could see the energy extensive research had given the author for her subject. I had been intrigued about the Vikings ever since my son studied them in a history project recently, and I found out about their legal system and the rights and roles of women in their culture. Icelandic Norsemen had the first truly democratic system, including all members of their community in their Thing, and allowing all relevant parties to have their say, including women and anyone accused. I was also so intrigued by the vivid descriptions of Iceland and Greenland in this book that I went so far as to look up the possibilities of them as travel destinations. I believe that there is currently a sequel in the pipeline, which further tells the story of this remarkable family. I look forward to reading it.

[Alicia Voltmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Michael Crichton's work, and if he wrote about Vikings, it would probably be much like this novel. Like Crichton, Ms. Ritter writes with a richness of detail that not only lends credibility to her research, but also puts the reader inside the story. With respect to the plot, a ship full of Viking outcasts and criminals, along with their female talisman of sorts, known as "Fishgirl," are forced by the governing council to set sail and find new land to settle. Several of the ship mates have been assigned a secret task that will either bring them great fame and glory or tear them and the voyage apart. Fishgirl carries her own secrets which ultimately link her fate to that of one of the other crew members. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this read.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off great, then devolved into tedious drama and historical fantasy. I recommend a hard pass on this one.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiller is an outlaw in Iceland who is going on what is surely a suicide mission with several other outlaws: to sail west to the unknown looking for land that can be colonized. The ship and its crew will surely encounter storms and unknown dangers, but that prospect is preferable to the doomed life as an "outlaw." There is also a "fish girl" on the mission who clearly doesn't fit the norm, as Tiller understands it. And so this group of Vikings sets sail, with the colonists of Iceland depending on their success for their continued survival.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and this story is a superb example of blending the known facts of history (in this era, very few) with colorful threads of imagination. I was enthralled from the very first chapter and satisfied and delighted by the ending. Tiller, whose real identity is skillfully revealed later in the story, partners with the fish girl to begin a fresh life in the newly discovered Greenland. Ritter imagines a meeting between the Vikings and the native people of Greenland that is riveting and intriguing. At the end of the book I was googling and researching because this story had whet my appetite for more information about the Viking exploration of the 10th century! I believe there is a sequel in the works, and I can't wait to read it!

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic journey by a new author. I enjoyed the characters and the adventurous story. I must admit I don't know much about this history period and the Viking people. Ms. Ritter told the story of Eric and Thio with such passion and twists and turns. I couldn't wait to read it every night.Anxiously waiting for the next book and the continuing saga.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost interest in it when they made landfall. I didn't care enough to finish it. It was just okay for me

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly interesting plot, but not very well written. A quick read.

[Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even months after reading “Viking”, it is still “active” in my head! What a debut! Wish we didn’t have to wait to find out what comes next for all the characters who are not easily forgotten.

The book is beautifully written, and the characters, some real and some fictive, from a good 1000 years ago, are “real people”. You can love them, like them, or hate them, but it is hard to be indifferent. Hailing from Viking stock, this book holds a very special interest for me, and it is evident on all pages that an enormous amount of research went into the creation of this volume 1. If you are interested in history, the book is very satisfying. If you just like a great story full of well-developed characters and an exciting plot, you won’t be disappointed. It is so very nice to see somebody make the effort and do the research to portray the people from the Viking Era as something more than the wild and marauding “beasts” that we are used to meeting on screen and paper.

One of the very valuable qualities of this book is that it makes you curious about the people, places and customs that you read about. I have been traveling on Google Earth to find the places mentioned, looking up information about some of the stated facts, and I have studied my family tree which goes back to before the days of the people whom the book is based upon. One person mentioned in the book is on my chart of genealogy!

A few months ago, “Viking – The Green Land” was my pick for my book club, because I knew my fellow readers would also enjoy it. Katie graciously offered to be available via skype for the book club meeting, and that was just an extra treat. I know she will be happy to extend the same offer to other book clubs. Now, when was the last time you actually had a chance for a live line to the author of a book pick??

[Alice Keiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely surprise. I have read many books about the vikings since I am Swedish and enjoy their history. This book is quite different. Well written and interesting and showing that not all viking history was about raiding and killing. The people of Iceland ha one enormous problem. Food. And so they had to find a way to get men to sail (row) the seas in order to find land where they could farm. After much suffering they found land but also a unique race of humans who with kindness and love actually managed to change the Icelanders attitude and thinking. Is this even possible? No idea but I felt this was very positive, I loved seeing how Erik and Thio slowly changed and became better people. I hope for a sequel where Leif follows in his parents footsteps.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reluctant to read this novel as I knew nothing about the Vikings and thought I might get lost. However, I was hooked right from the start. The tension really mounts quickly at the start when a group of people are thrown together on a boat where they depend on each other to survive, but where so many hostilities creep in between them all. Also, some of them are keeping secrets, which we know about, leaving me biting my nails and wondering how it would all play out. During this time I forgot that I was nervous of the setting and just became engrossed in the exciting story and wonderful characters. I also learned a lot about this period in history and about Erik the Red. A wonderful read and highly recommended.

[Jemima Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Green Land is an amazing saga retold in story form of the famous Erik Thorvaldsson (Eric the Red) and his discovery of Greenland in an epic voyage from Iceland around 980 AD. The author has based her story as closely as possible to known facts about this adventure, although she notes in her afterword and notes that facts are difficult to pin down on what has largely been an oral history, retold for centuries in the form of legends or sagas in which fact was regularly embellished for dramatic effect. However, history is retold where reasonably verifiable facts we able to be adhered too, and embellished with a talented storyteller's ability to relate a personal narrative which is reflective of what is known of both Norse and Viking Culture, the environments of Iceland and Greenland at this age, and of the heroes of this story, Eric Thorvaldsson and his family.

We first encounter Eric in the person of 'Tiller' who is sent under duress with 25 other men, who were all convicted under the law as criminals and outlaws to undertake an impossible voyage. The viking crew were handpicked to search for the mysterious 'Gunnbjorn's Ulfsson's skerries', sighted nearly one hundred years previously, but never verified. The Athling Council hopes that by discovering and claiming the legendary land, the terrible famine (caused by overpopulation and lack of farmlands) could be overcome by finding a new settlement for the Icelandic people, and so protect their culture and future as a nation. They chose only outlaws for this voyage in the hope that they (with the promise of absolution and reward if their mission were to succeed) would be desperate enough to succeed in their quest. If not, at least they were expendable. Along with this desperate crew travels one woman, under compulsion, to serve as 'fishgirl' to the crew. As the journey proceeds, we begin to learn that there is more to the presence of the fishgirl on board than at first appears. There is a gradual unfolding of a hidden agenda, a twisted plot underpinning the voyage, that unravels as they travel onwards to an unknown destination, the discovery of which may divide all of the individual vikings of the crew along radical lines.

The section set on the knarr is tense and dangerous. I was biting my nails at times, wondering how it would all turn out. The pacing of the book and the attention to descriptive detail, to characters and to authenticity of customs in matters of law, vikking and religion, fascinated me as I began to understand many aspects of the Icelandic norse culture that I had not previously known. I particularly appreciated the character development of the two main characters of this saga. I loved the development of Tiller's character and how he is now growing beyond the limited self belief that his father left him with. Fishgirl is also growing in strength and learning to value herself as a strong, compassionate and ethical woman.

The writing is beautifully expressive. I felt that I was there with them all as they set off on a sea voyage that might never lead to land. I love the way that we gradually discover the personalities of Thio (Fishgirl) and Eric (Tiller) during that voyage, as the crew also begin to identify them as personally important characters. This is so important in the decisions made by the crew further in the plot. They start out to the crew as 'the woman' and 'the tiller' and become "Fishgirl' and 'Tiller'. One is their provider of food, carer, comfort, healing, succour and distraction, as well as being an impartial advocate and the voice of reason when violent disagreements break out. The other is their compass and guide, the authority on path direction for navigating the treacherous and endless seeming seas. Neither is a part of any subgrouping or gang within the crew, they both hold themselves aloof and impartial from such things, regardless of what their personal opinions of the separate crew members are, and so showing their personal strength and courage.

I sometimes struggled with the casual violence displayed by the characters in the book, as my tolerance for such scenes is not high. However, this is not at all an unexpected factor of the history. The historical behaviours of a culture who's understanding of heaven included worthiness based on death attained during combat and from which the word berserk derives, could not but be bloody in some of its retelling. In this book, the characters were compelling and the plot contained so many twists and unexpected outcomes, that I could not put the book down despite my squeamishness at times. To be frank, I was nervous of reading a book about vikings for this very reason, but in saying that, I want to thank Katie Aiken Ritter for making her book such an accessible and absorbing read. Throughout the narrative, I could see the energy extensive research had given the author for her subject. I had been intrigued about the Vikings ever since my son studied them in a history project recently, and I found out about their legal system and the rights and roles of women in their culture. Icelandic Norsemen had the first truly democratic system, including all members of their community in their Thing, and allowing all relevant parties to have their say, including women and anyone accused. I was also so intrigued by the vivid descriptions of Iceland and Greenland in this book that I went so far as to look up the possibilities of them as travel destinations. I believe that there is currently a sequel in the pipeline, which further tells the story of this remarkable family. I look forward to reading it.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's been a long time since I read a book that so captured my attention and kept me interested until the end. It is a well researched and a compelling read. I had trouble putting it down to sleep and finally stayed up to finish it. The characters are still in my head (even a few days after reading it) and I hope we can rediscover some of the Inuit culture in our own (you'll have to read the book to understand what I mean by that). I am looking forward to what comes next.

[Kymm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was good, but I thought it would have more to do with Vikings than it did. I liked the characters and really liked Thio and Erik or as they were called early on Fishgirl and Tiller. I had a hard time reading the book, as I found quite a few typos and grammatical errors, which drive me crazy. I'm glad I read it, it drove my thirst to read other books about Vikings, so I'm looking into those. As for Viking: The Green Land I gave it only 3 stars mainly because of the bad editing, not the story.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. Interesting characters and you didn't know what was going to happen next, would they make it, would they get over their demons, would they stay or go? You could genuinely feel how lovely some of the greenlanders were and the warmth and love they exuded. I love being able to read about characters that actually existed, it makes the story go on even when you've finished reading. A really lovely book. I'm now reading tors tale...wish there were more!!

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book begins as an epic tale of Viking adventure and drama, to what unfolds to a journey of not only new lands, but of self discovery for our adventurers. This book is engaging, dramatic and steers you into adventures that you wouldn’t of thought of. I highly look forward to reading more from this author.

[Sandra Stott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many twist and turns

This is not a kind of book I generally read. But I just couldn't stop reading it. I just needed to know what happened next. Many thing were not expected twist and turns to make me say wow.
I was disappointed with the ending. It felt like the author just needed to finish writing th book. It was a happy ending but it lift way to many cliff hangers.

[sarah terribilini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more!

What an intriguing story! From beginning to end... I have always been curious about Vikings. How the lived, just what kind of people the were. What a hard life the lived. I loved the whole storytelling of your book. It was hard to put down! Thank you. I look forward to more books from you!

[T. Satterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie Ritter knows how to write a great story with well-defined characters who are more than memorable. Her research clearly adds to the believability of the story and puts the reader right on the Viking ship full of vagabonds. Romance, violence, and intrigue! I can’t wait to read the whole series. Katie defiantly left me wanting more.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off very interesting and held my attention. I was so disappointed with the end of the book. I may go back and reread the ending it just wasn’t making much sense to me Is there a Sequel?

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

This book is about how Eric the Red came to be known. It is a more human storytelling of Eric’s time and the people around him and the tools used by him and the Norsemen.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this outa order cause i do not have the 1st two, but i would love to eventually read those as well, hard to get into at first, cause i guess its because its book 3, but after i got to know the characters i enjoyed it

[Michele Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a nice read! Super details! Thank you for giving us this history!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great!