The Banner Saga: The Gift of Hadrborg

The Banner Saga #1

by James Fadeley, Arnie Jorgensen (Illustrator)

In the troubled city of Strand, the City Watch and Governor’s Guard struggle to fend off the criminal empires who rule their streets. Between the corruption, smuggling, underground slaving, mass larceny and a rebellious group attempting to usurp the throne, Guardsman Eirik’s life shows no signs of getting any easier.Yet the arrival of group seeking a stolen artifact heralds a coming disaster for the already rotten city. Uncertain if he can trust his own people, Eirik has little choice but to throw in his lot with two enigmatic varl and a country boy. Toss in a conman seeking vengeance and a slave-turned-bodyguard with an elusive agenda, and Eirik has his work cut out for him.But even if his questionable allies and the hordes of eager thugs don’t kill him, the plot they discover threatens to rip Strand apart. And may destroy the fragile varl-human alliance that maintains the peace with their giant neighbors in the north…

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2016

Reviews

[Jonathan Ward]

I was a little apprehensive when starting this book, as I had never played the games that it ties into, but that didn't make a difference. Fadeley's plot, though obviously embedded deep within the Banner Saga world, is neatly self-contained, allowing new people like myself to enjoy the events unfolding without missing any critical details.

The characters themselves are well-depicted, with believable motivations, and off-hand I cannot think of even one that did not ring true for me. As the strands of the tale unfold and the violence escalates it drew me in until I was genuinely disappointed to have reached the end.

A definite page-turner and one that I'll be reading again.

[Kirk]

Love for Banner Saga? Then read this book!

Always love extended lore and background (especially from a series I have grown to enjoy and get caught up in). Overall the book feels pretty good at pacing while not throwing to many characters at you at once. Story was compelling, characters weren't dull or one dimensional, and I just love the setting. Now I'm itching to get more of The Banner Saga in my life again, bring it!

[Andrew Aston]

An excellent fantasy world, demonsrating a lot of research into scandanavian culture. It is a tie-in prequel to the Banner Saga, but stands on its own. I enjoyed it and I haven't even played the game.

[Larry]

A prequel novel set in the Banner Saga universe (a popular video game, picture Oregon trails meets a Viking Scandinavian variant of dungeons and dragons with heavy emphasis on strategy in combat) this book stands strong as a proud member of that universe or as its own stand alone story. I'd rate it 3.5 stars overall, but have to round down to 3 rather than up to 4. It is well written with lots of action, intrigue, and emotional symbolic content mixed all together. There are a few minor grammar errors here and there and there were a few awkward sentences in the combat sections that I sometimes got thrown by, but overall its a well crafted story syntactically. As its been a few years since I've played the banner saga I had trouble remembering if some of these characters are in the main game--I kind of think the main protaganist might have been. That said, the majority of the characters and their motivations are fairly enjoyable with enough dimensions to keep me interested. If this book is any sign I think there is definitely more room for further fiction in the banner saga universe. Overall, the story reminds me a bit of game of thrones if it had more of a Nordic motif...I think fans of dark fantasy, medieval/Nordic fiction will enjoy this, as will fans of the game.

[Manuel Mesones]

What a journey Fadeley takes us in! The story flows smoothly, immersing you in the world of the Banner Saga in such a way that leaves you wanting more.

The story alone is self-contained but if you’re a Banner Saga fan as me, you’re in for a treat. The care for detail shows that the author is a fan himself. The small subtleties, believable characters and well-crafted scenarios are helping me understand more about the harsh world of this Nordic-inspired universe.

Whether you are a Banner Saga fan or not, if you like good storytelling and a gritty setting, you need to go get this book.

[Stoicmom]

Compelling back story for Banner Saga lovers! Could not put the book down!!

[Juan Gallardo Ivanovic]

An interesting read but it is not taking advantage of the lore of the game. At the middle starts to be more engaging.

[J.A.]

Le pongo 4 estrellas porque se necesita haber jugado The Banner Saga para poder disfrutarlo al máximo.

La historia es muy buena, épica, aunque creo que la trama del juego es mucho más profunda.

[Heiki Eesmaa]

A cowboy story with viking names. Disappointing if you expect a tonal match to the game.

[Eamonn]

Given how well written the games are, I thought this might be able to carry some of the magic. As much as I truly wish it did, it doesn't.

[Ayre]

DNF for bad writing and boring plot