The Northern Cycle

by Peter Hopkins

Chief Vilsind and the other tribal lords of the Hirdland march north as puppets of Falkland, the oppressive regime which seeks to swallow the world whole, starting with a chain of independent islands known as the Skegan League. Under the tyrannical command of Kaiser Darador, Vilsind must carefully navigate the politics of the court, his growing connection to Darador, and survive the war against the Skegan League. When allies are enemies, Vilsind cannot tell whom to trust as his own kinsman resent the dark past of his family's history and their atrocities committed in previous wars with the Skegan. As the black dragon rises over a red sun, Vilsind finds himself as just another cog in the Northern Cycle of war, peace, and death.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2019

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic fantasy tale, this book, was very good. Chief Vilsind and other lords are on the march. They are under orders of the dreaded Falkland regime and are marching to attack one of the last strongholds against the regime, the Skegan League islands. Caught in the unending cycle of war and death, Vilsind struggles with his lot in life. But how much can he even trust his own people? His family’s rule has not been tender or just, atrocities litter his and his family’s past.
This book was really interesting, we have court plots, familial intrigue, drawn out war and a man who is struggling with who he is. Too often in this kind of book we would be hearing from someone on the Skegan side of things, defending against the great invaders. I think the author has a good imagination in giving us the other side of things. Very well done!

[Rebecca]

Exhilarating

The masterful art of being able to write a story with descriptions such as these is far and few, but this author has done it. The author has written vivid descriptions that made me feel like I was in the story, really watching as the events transpired. I thought the book was well paced and that made me keep reading and keep reading. The main character Vilsind is well written as well, making him multidimensional, a burly and rough fighter but also with problems and having emotions. I really enjoyed reading about him and the journey he goes through. This book is well recommended.