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Oathsworn #3

The White Raven

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The Oathsworn have itchy feet. Battle-hungry and tired of keeping the homestead fires burning, they are restless for action. And, being the Oathsworn, action is what they get. When their homestead is attacked by Klerkon and his men, the Oathsworn promise bloody revenge. But they didn't count on having to undertake the most dangeous journey of their lives in order to save two of their number. Packed with epic adventure and bloody action, the third book in the Oathsworn series is Robert Low at his enthralling best.

359 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2009

34 people are currently reading
1045 people want to read

About the author

Robert Low

62 books284 followers
Robert Low is a Scottish journalist and historical novelist, with novels based on the Viking Age. He was war correspondent in Vietnam and also several other locations, including Sarajevo, Romania and Kosovo, until "common-sense, age and the concerns of my wife and daughter prevailed". Now he writes novels full time. He's also a historical reenactor performing with the Scotland-based group, the Vikings.

Series:
* Oathsworn
* Kingdom

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5 stars
432 (37%)
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465 (40%)
3 stars
206 (18%)
2 stars
28 (2%)
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12 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Clemens Schoonderwoert.
1,361 reviews131 followers
December 3, 2021
Read this book in 2009, and its the 3rd volume of the "Oathsworn" series, from the author, Robert Low.

In this tale Orm and his men called the "Oathsworn" are feeling itchy, and thus hungry for action and battles.

Action is something that they will get when Klerkon and his men attack Orm's homestead, and they will set to wreak revenge on Klerkon.

What is to follow is a very dangerous journey on the Whale Road, and it will take Orm and his band a lot of effort and bloodshed to save two of their number in the end.

Highly recommended, for this is another action-packed Viking adventure that is part to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Brilliant Viking Tale"!
Profile Image for Tamara Agha-Jaffar.
Author 6 books282 followers
August 17, 2018
The White Raven is the third book in Robert Low’s Viking Oathsworn series. Low doesn’t disappoint. This is book is as exciting as The Whale Road and probably even better than The Wolf Sea. Low picks up the thread where he left off in The Wolf Sea. Orm Bearslayer, leader of the Oathsworn, wants nothing more than to settle down and have a quiet life. But circumstances are against him and he is forced to lead his men on another adventure, this time across the frozen steppes in frigid weather.

Bound by their oath to each other, the Oathsworn set off to avenge an attack on their settlement and to retrieve those taken as hostages. They become embroiled in a cat and mouse chase to obtain the hoard of treasure buried in Attila’s burial mound. There is continuity from the previous books even though one doesn’t have to be familiar with them to enjoy this book as Low provides brief explanatory paragraphs when necessary.

The White Raven continues the tradition of its predecessors by plunging us into the chest-thumping, sword-thrashing, axe-wielding, womanizing, foul smelling, and vulgar speaking world of Low’s Vikings. But our immersion in this very masculine world is tempered somewhat by the presence of two very strong prominent females who are more than capable of navigating in male domain and who give as good as they get. And then there are the fierce Amazonian tribeswomen. They earn the respect of the Oathsworn because, like them, they are bound to each other by an oath of loyalty and are willing to fight to the death to honor their word.

The novel is choke-full of thrilling action. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Amidst the blood and carnage, Robert Low sprinkles references to the Slavic and Norse mythology and folklore embedded in the characters’ daily lives. One of the most intriguing characters is a young prince with a talent for telling fables and folktales that capture the attention of this band of burly men as they huddle together for warmth.

Robert Low’s extensive research on the era adds authenticity and credibility to the people and events. He is a gifted story-teller who totally immerses the reader into the rough and tumble, full-blooded world of the Vikings in all its vivid, sensory detail.

Highly recommended, especially for lovers of historical fiction.
Profile Image for Terri.
529 reviews292 followers
October 31, 2010
Yet another beauty from the mind of Robert Low. I just can't get enough of his writing style. It just really appeals to me, as do his characters.
I want to ramble on with another long, elated review, but I have been reading the series one after the other and it does not seem so long ago that I waxed lyrical about the first two books. The Whale Road and The Wolf Sea.
I think I covered everything I like about these books in those first two reviews.
Drinking, cavorting, sword wielding, blunt, smelly, masculine male smart arses. What's not to love about that concoction.
Profile Image for Paul.
83 reviews75 followers
June 4, 2018
Definitely a different sort of adventure than most viking tales.
But a very good read, nonetheless.
Felt a touch more detached from Orm in this one.
Very intriguing story, though. Kept my attention.

I do miss the all-out, epic, bloody, gritty battle scenes that some include. The battles in this series are shorter -- bloody, but with less detail; and are less memorable than some.

Already began the next one.

I'm enjoying the series, but might be losing some of my zeal. I'll probably end with The Prow Beast, and not read Crowbone. Not sure.
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,446 reviews79 followers
October 14, 2014
Another great book in this series.

Orm Bearslayer wants to settle down on a farm and forget about the oath and Attila's treasure but the tale of this fantastic treasure has spread and men start to gather in the hopes of Orm leading them to it. Given no choice, Orm must lead his men back across the steppes and on the way they encounter a child with a talent for telling stories, old and new enemies and a mysterious band of women who will do anything to prevent the treasure from being taken.

This continues to be an action packed adventure series with great characters. Robert Low is a master storyteller and I look forward to the next riveting tale.
Profile Image for Sebastian Janek.
58 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2014
Robert Low powraca jak zawsze z nowymi pomysłami rozszerzając o nowe wątki stworzony przez siebie świat Wikingów. Autor przyzwyczaił mnie do ciągłej akcji, dobrze napisanych bohaterów oraz wyjątkowych przygód, jakie są udziałem Orma i jego paczki. Low, będąc ekspertem w tematyce dotyczącej Wikingów poszedł teraz o wiele dalej, udoskonalił bowiem bardzo dobrze przemyślany obraz brutalnego i prymitywnego świata średniowiecza, który nie ogranicza się tylko do północnych rejonów Europy zwykle kojarzonych z Wikingami. Jest rok 972, Low rozpoczyna trzeci tom z grubej rury, od brutalnego opisu nabicia na pal, ale zapewniam, że to nie jest jeszcze szczyt jego możliwości.

Trzeci tom cyklu "Zaprzysiężeni" przenosi akcję z powrotem na północ, gdzie bohaterowie powieści odpoczywają w domostwach i budują nowy statek. Ale ich spokojna wegetacja nie trwa długo, ponieważ szybko przypominają sobie o nich problemy. Tym razem próbują podjąć się ponownego odnalezienia mitycznego Skarbu Attyli, za którym już podążali w pierwszym tomie, a nie była to wyprawa zakończona sukcesem. Oczywiście sprawa nie jest prosta. Muszą ponownie pokonać tysiące kilometrów, przedrzeć się przez tereny Słowian i nawet Amazonek (których ślady osadnictwa znaleziono na terenie dzisiejszej Ukrainy), a także walczyć ze starym wrogiem. Jednak wielka nagroda wydaje się być już na wyciągnięcie ręki.

Akcja powieści skacze po różnych lokalizacjach, począwszy od Nowogrodu Wielkiego po wielu lokacjach od północnej Europu aż po Morze Czarne. Historia opisana w powieści jest oczywiście fikcją, ale z uwagi na zamiłowanie autora do szczegółów dostajemy opowieść powiązaną wątkami z wydarzeniami znanymi z historii i opisanymi przez średniowiecznych kronikarzy. Low czerpie całymi garściami z opowieści i legend szkockich, nordyckich, a także słowiańskich. Postacie m.in. księcia Włodzimierza, Dobrynia, Swendelda, Luta, Olafa są opisane szeroko na kartach historii. Z małymi wyjątkami, gdzie nadał im dodane od siebie cechy lub przypisał czyny łączące ich bezpośrednio z Ormem i jego grupą. Trzymając się wiernie znanej historii Low naszkicował polityczne i społeczne aspekty życia w X wieku. Wady ludzi opisuje świetnie przy okazji kreślenia politycznej wojny książąt ruskich.

Jest się czym emocjonować, ponieważ Low dokonał tego, czego po nim oczekiwałem - po raz kolejny napisał powieść wciągającą, realistyczną na wysokim poziomie. Z każdym kolejnym tomem historia robi się coraz lepsza, z głębszym tłem i wieloma wątkami przeplatającymi się z historią i mitami. Poziom brutalności stale rośnie, ale jest to w końcu powieść osadzona w realiach X wieku, więc naprawdę tego się tutaj oczekuje. Ta fascynacja barbarzyńskim światem, który na dodatek zostaje zalany kolejną fają zabobonów przyniesionych przez chrześcijaństwo wręcz fascynuje i przyciąga jak magnes. Czekam na więcej.
Profile Image for Justin.
214 reviews34 followers
August 19, 2011
I've enjoyed Low's Oathsworn series, but this third installment was my favorite. It's got all the hallmarks of a great Viking epic. Every sentence is flavored with the world these men lived in. Low pulls no punches when it comes to the brutality they both endured and dealt out, but the reader nevertheless finds characters to root for and lament.
Orm is as complicated character, something of the reluctant hero. Others, including characters who will one day become living, breathing individuals well-known to history, are well-fleshed out. There are no simple one-dimensional characters, which is as common flaw in Viking novels. Rather, you get the sense that each character is on his own epic quest. Well done. I'd recommend this book to any fans of Norse novels and to anyone with a strong stomach. Very compelling read and narrative.
Profile Image for Razi.
136 reviews11 followers
July 9, 2020
Easily the most enjoyable installment of the series.

It was worth reading the prequels to know Orm, the Oathsworn, and their stories. The cast of compelling characters make this book such an easy read.

The once green boy, Orm, is now the leader of a vicious band of viking raiders, whose newfound comfortable life is threatened by the pernicious lure of a cursed mountain of treasure. Atil's horde of silver, which was found only at great loss to the Oathsworn; the memory of which continues to sting the raiders who yearn for the olden days of blood, salt and steel; and stories of which attract the worst kinds of attention.
Profile Image for Marko Vasić.
581 reviews185 followers
July 27, 2017
As I already declared: If Mr. Bernard Cornwell writes in aristocratic fashion about vikings and their battles, from monarchistic point of view, then Robert Low brings real "smell" of vikings into his novels. And fascinating is Low's knack to mingle Slavic and Norse mythology, not in Hollywood-stage-glam-way, but in raw and original way of their utilization in everyday life.
Profile Image for Al.
945 reviews11 followers
February 7, 2013
Review

Praise for THE WHITE RAVEN: 'Robert Low's Oathsworn trilogy is historical writing at its best and most full-blooded, with its tremendous pacing, black comedy, a wonderfully vivid and rough-hewn prose style like runes hacked into granite, and most appealingly of all, its doomy, pagan sense of comradeship-unto-death between Orm Rurikson and his band of Viking brothers' WILLIAM NAPIER Praise for THE WHALE ROAD: 'A company of warriors, desperate battles, an enthralling read' BERNARD CORNWELL 'A fantastic book, one of the best I have read for years. There's a wonderful earthiness to proceedings and he creates a tangible sense of being there. There's a sturdy, lyrical and epic quality about the writing which makes it feel like the kind of saga a Viking would recount in his old age.' SIMON SCARROW 'A stirring Viking series of blockbuster battles and religious intrigue.' Publishing News 'All the right ingredients are firmly in place!above all there is the storyline itself; told in an earthy, rough-and-ready stylewhich perfectly compliments this saga for the 21st Century.' Yorkshire Evening Post 'A fascinating read' The Glasgow Herald 'The Hangman humour of the band of sworn brothers gives Low's epic but brutal tale real humanity and the detail of 10th century life is wonderfully vivd. The action is fast and furious!shockingly believably so. Low's debut novel hits the mark with maximum impact.' Bridlington Today

Product Description

The Oathsworn have itchy feet. Battle-hungry and tired of keeping the homestead fires burning, they are restless for action. And, being the Oathsworn, action is what they get. When their homestead is attacked by Klerkon and his men, the Oathsworn promise bloody revenge. But they didn't count on having to undertake the most dangerous journey of their lives in order to save two of their number. Packed with epic adventure and bloody action, the third book in the Oathsworn series is Robert Low at his enthralling best.

Profile Image for Patricia O'Sullivan.
Author 11 books22 followers
January 21, 2012
Viking lord, Orm Bearslayer, has spent the last six years seeking fortune and now he wants to settle down on his farm. But his enemies have heard of a fantastic treasure buried across the steppes and only Orm knows its exact location. In the race to save members of the Oathsworn who have been taken captive and tortured for information, Orm and his men encounter a nine-year-old prince with the mind of a sage, a band of warrior-women sworn to protect Attila’s grave, and a host of greedy men who will do anything to claim the treasure.

The White Raven is the third in a series of Viking adventure tales, but stands alone as an entertaining story. I found the beginning of the novel tough as I had little previous knowledge of the setting and had not read the first two novels. Also, the amount of foreign terms, names and idioms the reader has to master is daunting. That being said, the effort I made was well worth it.

It is clear that an incredible amount of research goes into the writing of this series. Mr. Low’s historical note at the end is quite thorough. He also has a comprehensive glossary on his website and his blog is full of interesting bits about Viking life. Many of the details in The White Raven are so specific that all of my senses were engaged in each scene.

The best parts of this novel, however, were the stories within the story, particularly those told by Olaf Crowbone, the young prince rescued by the Oathsworn. Through these tales Low weaves Viking folklore into the story and not only do they give it an authentic feel, they are wonderful tales.
Profile Image for Debby Kean.
330 reviews3 followers
December 9, 2013
This is one of the few series where it is possible to jump in, read book 3 and enjoy it. I don't feel any great desire to find and read books 1 and 2 though. The characterisation is vivid, the plot intricate and the people who were real historical people are nicely integrated - I like that they are not main characters!
The author nicely integrates other types of people as well.
Profile Image for David.
Author 6 books43 followers
March 27, 2010
An excellent book but one that was quite difficult to follow. It was in a tone you could easily imagine as old Nordic. If you like Viking sagas - this is a really good book but you need to persevere.
40 reviews
January 4, 2013
Greattale of physical endurance, loyalty to sacred oaths and goo
d old brutal viking warfare.
Profile Image for Laurie Pringle.
97 reviews2 followers
January 16, 2014
One of the better books in the series... Not sure how many years Orm has left in him, though :)
Profile Image for Geoff.
90 reviews3 followers
April 25, 2014

I have a rule of starting a book series from the start. I'm glad I broke it because this is damn good and I now have another series to look forward to.
Profile Image for Judy.
681 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2015
I love Viking books--too bad there aren't more of them.
192 reviews
March 16, 2021

Kolejny świetna odsłona cyklu o Zaprzysiężonych. Tym razem zamiast gorących, pustynnych klimatów mamy mroźny Ruski step. Cała plejada postaci historycznych z młodziutkim księciem Włodzimierzem, przyszłym władcą Rusi na czele. Do tego wujaszek Dobrynia, bohater ruskich bylin oraz wielu innych. A wśród nich nasza dzielna drużyna Zaprzysiężonych pod przywództwem Orma Zabójcy Niedźwiedzia, która po raz kolejny wyrusza po skarb Attyli, która co rusz popada w coraz to gorsze tarapaty, z których nie do końca wychodzą obronną ręką. Powracają liczni wrogowie naszych bohaterów, pojawiają się też i kolejni. Stara ekipa powoli się wykrusza, dołączają nowi. Akcja cały czas prze do przodu, brak jest nudy. Tym razem bez jakichś większych bitew, mamy za to kilka pomniejszych potyczek. A wszystko to okraszona świetnymi opowieściami młodziutkiego Olafa Kruczej Kości, przyszłego króla Norwegii.
Bardzo fajny cykl przygodowy z wikingami. Polecam.
Profile Image for Dave McBain.
82 reviews
March 7, 2025
Enjoyed this, it is a rarity in the genre in that the principle character is flawed and not the all action hero - absolute bonus to have some human frailty in there. The story is good, but in places the flow felt forced and the pace seemed too fast. The alternative would be too slow, so only a minor criticism - for me perhaps another 50 pages on scenes such as the final escape would have made it even better, This is the third in a series, but I suspect it could easily be picked up as a stand alone novel (have read the first couple, a while ago, so guessing that memory isn't filling in blanks here).

Suspect the historical note at the end is a very shortened version of what feels like years of research. The detail in this novel feels authentic.
Profile Image for Vít.
786 reviews56 followers
October 10, 2017
Třetí díl hodně přidal na tempu, nenechal mě moc vydechnout. Oproti prvním dvěma je drsnější a temnější, dočkáte se narážení na kůl, nemilosrdných přepadů bezbranných vesnic, bitvy s Amazonkami uprostřed zimní ruské stepi... Zkrátka je toho opravdu hodně co musí Orm a jeho bratrstvo překonat na nové cestě za proklatým Attilovým pokladem a cena kterou musí zaplatit je vysoká.
Čtyři hvězdy, dobrá dobrodružná knížka a těším se na další dva díly.
115 reviews3 followers
June 23, 2018
Great.

This series keeps getting better and better. I wasn't sure when reading the first but, now I have them all. Going to start book 4 now. Cracking characters and some great action. Recommended.
73 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2021
The saga continues

Action start to finish!The thrill of victory-the agony of loss -the harsh road and even harsher truth's found along the way cannot stop the oathsworn !!
BLOOD BONE&STEEL TO THE END !!
Profile Image for jjmann3.
513 reviews13 followers
April 16, 2018
Another great book by Robert Low featuring Orm and the Oathsworn. The tale has the crew going back to Attila's tomb on a quest for silver and introduces some very memorable new characters. The series has never disappointed me. Like the previous books, the descriptions in the White Raven are memorable and earthy. Just what historical fiction should be.
Profile Image for Sandra.
22 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2018
Oathsworn Norsemen meet Vlad the Impaler when he was a boy. Full of action.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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