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Fire Born #1
The Last Berserker
771AD, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand and Tor Hildarsdottir are journeying south into Saxony. Their destination is the Irminsul, the One Tree that links the Nine Worlds of the Middle-Realm. In this most holy place, they hope to learn how to summon their animal spirits so they can enter the ranks of the legendary berserkir: the elite frenzied fighters of the North.
One Christian king
Karolus, newly crowned King of the Franks, has a thorn in his side: the warlike Saxon tribes on his northern borders who shun the teachings of the Church, blasphemously continuing to worship their pagan gods.
An epic battle for the soul of the North
The West’s greatest warlord vows to stamp out his neighbours’ superstitions and bring the light of the True Faith to the Northmen – at the point of a sword. It will fall to Bjarki, Tor and the men and women of Saxony to resist him in a struggle for the fate of all Europe.
One Christian king
Karolus, newly crowned King of the Franks, has a thorn in his side: the warlike Saxon tribes on his northern borders who shun the teachings of the Church, blasphemously continuing to worship their pagan gods.
An epic battle for the soul of the North
The West’s greatest warlord vows to stamp out his neighbours’ superstitions and bring the light of the True Faith to the Northmen – at the point of a sword. It will fall to Bjarki, Tor and the men and women of Saxony to resist him in a struggle for the fate of all Europe.
468 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2021
145 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
April 13, 2022
3.5.
A strong plot mixed with excellent set pieces make this an enjoyable book. The characters were intriguing and I liked their relationships. The language of the book continued to pull me out of the story and small details hindered my enjoyment. The fault with being a dark-ages geek I guess.
If you want some hyping up for The Northman, come and read this berserker action tale.
A strong plot mixed with excellent set pieces make this an enjoyable book. The characters were intriguing and I liked their relationships. The language of the book continued to pull me out of the story and small details hindered my enjoyment. The fault with being a dark-ages geek I guess.
If you want some hyping up for The Northman, come and read this berserker action tale.
February 2, 2021
There is a moment, not far into the pages of Angus Donald’s exciting new novel The Last Berserker, when the protagonist wonders out loud what he is doing there, “among this vicious gang of blood-drunk lunatics.”
It made me laugh because I was feeling exactly the same way at that point.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. From the first page, one must gird up one’s loins for the world we have entered.
This is late 8th century Northern Europe, a time of untold amounts of blood-letting and conflict; between the Franks on the one hand, led by the Emperor Charlemagne and fired by the new faith of Christianity, and the Saxons (ably assisted by Danes and assorted other northern tribes) on the other, holding out against them in defence of the “old ways of the North”.
Into this world so fraught with violence and deception, is thrown a comparative ingenu, Bjarki Bloodhand, a young man raised on a miserable sliver of land somewhere in the Danish archipelago. Unprepossessing in looks, simple in brains, but sweet in nature, it’s fair to say Bjarki is not your conventional hero. However, his naivety is so endearing that for all the bloody mayhem that he endures and wreaks himself, you cannot but come to love him dearly.
And that poor kid has to endure a good deal. He has a gift (or curse, depending on your viewpoint). Violence lurks in him, a savagery beyond his control, which puts him in hot water as soon as we meet him. However, when a mysterious one-eyed wanderer called Valtyr saves him from the noose, Bjarki embarks on an astonishing journey of transformation, from simpleton fisherman’s boy to the commander of an elite force defending the North from an invading Frankish army. During his travails he seeks to become a Rekkr – a berserker – a warrior with the rare ability of invoking the “gandr” spirit of a fierce beast (a bear in his case) during combat which makes him all but invincible. The Rekkar are as feared by the Franks as they are respected by the Saxons and Danes. But they are a dying breed, as the title of the novel suggests.
Fortunately, accompanying him nearly every step of the way, is Tor Hildarsdottir – a skilled shield-maiden herself, and daughter of a legendary Rekkr. She wants nothing more than to honour her father’s memory by becoming a Rekkr as well (her preferred gandr being the wolf). Acerbic, irreverent, and often very, very funny, she is the perfect foil to the lumbering innocence of Bjarki. She rarely addresses him as anything but “oaf” but he never seems to mind. For me, their friendship was the beating heart of the book and carries the narrative through some pretty harrowing (and thrilling) situations. Their growing appreciation of each other’s skills creates an unlikely friendship untroubled by romance, but nevertheless infused with great affection and respect. There are just damn good company and I would happily follow this pair wherever they chose to go.
And they do roam extremely far and wide. From the low-lying Danish Isles, through dark Germanic forests to the majestic palaces of Charlemagne’s imperial city of Aachen, thence to the final climax at the Dane-Work, the earthen rampart built in defence of Jutland.
All this is rendered with the vivid brush-strokes of Donald’s wonderful prose. Indeed he delivers a masterclass in world-building throughout the novel. His attention to the physical detail of both the pagan North and the more civilized cities of the Frankish Empire is remarkable. But particularly impressive is his re-imagining of the thought-world of the pagan warriors, especially with regard to the making of a Rekkr.
With The Last Berserker, Donald has given us the first cut of some serious Dark Age beef. By turns heart-racing, intriguing, and touching – I can’t wait for more.
It made me laugh because I was feeling exactly the same way at that point.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. From the first page, one must gird up one’s loins for the world we have entered.
This is late 8th century Northern Europe, a time of untold amounts of blood-letting and conflict; between the Franks on the one hand, led by the Emperor Charlemagne and fired by the new faith of Christianity, and the Saxons (ably assisted by Danes and assorted other northern tribes) on the other, holding out against them in defence of the “old ways of the North”.
Into this world so fraught with violence and deception, is thrown a comparative ingenu, Bjarki Bloodhand, a young man raised on a miserable sliver of land somewhere in the Danish archipelago. Unprepossessing in looks, simple in brains, but sweet in nature, it’s fair to say Bjarki is not your conventional hero. However, his naivety is so endearing that for all the bloody mayhem that he endures and wreaks himself, you cannot but come to love him dearly.
And that poor kid has to endure a good deal. He has a gift (or curse, depending on your viewpoint). Violence lurks in him, a savagery beyond his control, which puts him in hot water as soon as we meet him. However, when a mysterious one-eyed wanderer called Valtyr saves him from the noose, Bjarki embarks on an astonishing journey of transformation, from simpleton fisherman’s boy to the commander of an elite force defending the North from an invading Frankish army. During his travails he seeks to become a Rekkr – a berserker – a warrior with the rare ability of invoking the “gandr” spirit of a fierce beast (a bear in his case) during combat which makes him all but invincible. The Rekkar are as feared by the Franks as they are respected by the Saxons and Danes. But they are a dying breed, as the title of the novel suggests.
Fortunately, accompanying him nearly every step of the way, is Tor Hildarsdottir – a skilled shield-maiden herself, and daughter of a legendary Rekkr. She wants nothing more than to honour her father’s memory by becoming a Rekkr as well (her preferred gandr being the wolf). Acerbic, irreverent, and often very, very funny, she is the perfect foil to the lumbering innocence of Bjarki. She rarely addresses him as anything but “oaf” but he never seems to mind. For me, their friendship was the beating heart of the book and carries the narrative through some pretty harrowing (and thrilling) situations. Their growing appreciation of each other’s skills creates an unlikely friendship untroubled by romance, but nevertheless infused with great affection and respect. There are just damn good company and I would happily follow this pair wherever they chose to go.
And they do roam extremely far and wide. From the low-lying Danish Isles, through dark Germanic forests to the majestic palaces of Charlemagne’s imperial city of Aachen, thence to the final climax at the Dane-Work, the earthen rampart built in defence of Jutland.
All this is rendered with the vivid brush-strokes of Donald’s wonderful prose. Indeed he delivers a masterclass in world-building throughout the novel. His attention to the physical detail of both the pagan North and the more civilized cities of the Frankish Empire is remarkable. But particularly impressive is his re-imagining of the thought-world of the pagan warriors, especially with regard to the making of a Rekkr.
With The Last Berserker, Donald has given us the first cut of some serious Dark Age beef. By turns heart-racing, intriguing, and touching – I can’t wait for more.
February 14, 2021
The Last Berserker strikes with the thundering power of Thor's hammer. Angus Donald effortlessly transports us into the blood-soaked kingdoms of early medieval Europe, where the old beliefs battle for survival against the implacable wave of Christianity, and the armies of the greatest leader of the age, Karolus, King of Francia. The tale of young Bjarki Bloodhand, finding his calling as a fabled berserker, is rich with the earthy depth, historical detail, intrigue, violence and adventure that we expect from Donald. But it is the likeable duo at the heart of the novel, Bjarki and Tor, that makes The Last Berserker stand out. Characters are what readers remember, and Donald's masterful creations will live on in the imagination long after the final page.
January 27, 2021
I received the ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩, 𝙍𝙚𝙠𝙠𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝. 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚?"
"𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚. 𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣, 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩; 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣, 𝘽𝙟𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞. 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩."
🐻771AD, Saxony, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand of Bago and Tor Hildarsdottir of Svearland journeyed towards the First Forest. Their destination is Irminsul, the One Tree that links the Nine Worlds of the Middle-Realm, where the community of Fyr Skola resides. They teach their students how to summon their gandr, the animal spirit to become the legendary Berserkir/ Rekkr; the frenzied warriors of the north. But becoming a Rekkr is not that simple as Bjarki and Tor had expected and before they could even succeed in obtaining their gandr, the entire Saxony is plunged into turmoil as Karolus, newly crowned King of the Francia who wants to bring all the pagan lands of the North into the light of the Christian Church invaded Saxony. In this dire situation, the Saxon Duke Theodoric seek help from the Fyr Skola to send their legendary warriors in their fight against Francia. But how will Bjarki and Tor fought and survive against the Frankish might without their gandr? Will they ever succeed in becoming a Rekkr or ended up dying in the hands of Karolus?
🐻The book - 1st in the Fire Born series - is based on the King Karolus/ Charlemagne of Francia's crusade against the neighboring Saxons which is narrated from the POVs of Saxons, Bjarki, and Tor. The author is well versed in Saxon history and Norse mythology which shows in every chapter. I'm amazed how immaculately he explained and established the concept of Rekkr, the community of Fyr Skola, and its training in the book. There is also a historical note at the end of the book which explains the historicity of the story to the readers.
🐻This is the 1st time I'm reading Angus’ work and I'm glad that I picked up the book. His writing is simple and smooth. The entire story is divided into 3 parts which ended with a plot twist. Part1 deals with Bjarki's life in Fyr Skola; Part2 deals with his struggles and survival in Francia and Part3 deals with the final clash of Saxon and Frankish army at the battle of Dane-Work. I must say his narrative is engaging and the pacing is wonderful, but the best part is the vivid description of the fight scenes, especially the scene where Bjarki obtain his gandr gives me goosebumps.
🐻The characters are well written and developed. Bjarki's innocence and self-doubt while Tor's straightforwardness and insight make me easily connect with them. If Bjarki is the muscle then Tor is the brain in this story. Other characters like Valtyr-Far-traveller, Ivar Knuttson, Hildar Torfinnsson and Father Livinus are also interesting to read, but they didn't make any significant impact on your mind to remember them later except King Karolus; he is a shrewd cunning manipulator who can work his way just with his sweet talks.
🐻The climax of the book was satisfactory. As the title of the book suggests it offers lots of blood and deaths, but there is also a heartbreaking reunion and some sad goodbyes at the end. I’m happy that all the characters get a proper closure and it also leaves scope for a sequel.
Overall, The Last Berserker was a wonderful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to reading the next book whenever it is published. I think fans of Matthew Harffy and Bernard Cornwell will absolutely love this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all the historical fiction lovers.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩, 𝙍𝙚𝙠𝙠𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝. 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚?"
"𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚. 𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣, 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩; 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣, 𝘽𝙟𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞. 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩."
🐻771AD, Saxony, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand of Bago and Tor Hildarsdottir of Svearland journeyed towards the First Forest. Their destination is Irminsul, the One Tree that links the Nine Worlds of the Middle-Realm, where the community of Fyr Skola resides. They teach their students how to summon their gandr, the animal spirit to become the legendary Berserkir/ Rekkr; the frenzied warriors of the north. But becoming a Rekkr is not that simple as Bjarki and Tor had expected and before they could even succeed in obtaining their gandr, the entire Saxony is plunged into turmoil as Karolus, newly crowned King of the Francia who wants to bring all the pagan lands of the North into the light of the Christian Church invaded Saxony. In this dire situation, the Saxon Duke Theodoric seek help from the Fyr Skola to send their legendary warriors in their fight against Francia. But how will Bjarki and Tor fought and survive against the Frankish might without their gandr? Will they ever succeed in becoming a Rekkr or ended up dying in the hands of Karolus?
🐻The book - 1st in the Fire Born series - is based on the King Karolus/ Charlemagne of Francia's crusade against the neighboring Saxons which is narrated from the POVs of Saxons, Bjarki, and Tor. The author is well versed in Saxon history and Norse mythology which shows in every chapter. I'm amazed how immaculately he explained and established the concept of Rekkr, the community of Fyr Skola, and its training in the book. There is also a historical note at the end of the book which explains the historicity of the story to the readers.
🐻This is the 1st time I'm reading Angus’ work and I'm glad that I picked up the book. His writing is simple and smooth. The entire story is divided into 3 parts which ended with a plot twist. Part1 deals with Bjarki's life in Fyr Skola; Part2 deals with his struggles and survival in Francia and Part3 deals with the final clash of Saxon and Frankish army at the battle of Dane-Work. I must say his narrative is engaging and the pacing is wonderful, but the best part is the vivid description of the fight scenes, especially the scene where Bjarki obtain his gandr gives me goosebumps.
🐻The characters are well written and developed. Bjarki's innocence and self-doubt while Tor's straightforwardness and insight make me easily connect with them. If Bjarki is the muscle then Tor is the brain in this story. Other characters like Valtyr-Far-traveller, Ivar Knuttson, Hildar Torfinnsson and Father Livinus are also interesting to read, but they didn't make any significant impact on your mind to remember them later except King Karolus; he is a shrewd cunning manipulator who can work his way just with his sweet talks.
🐻The climax of the book was satisfactory. As the title of the book suggests it offers lots of blood and deaths, but there is also a heartbreaking reunion and some sad goodbyes at the end. I’m happy that all the characters get a proper closure and it also leaves scope for a sequel.
Overall, The Last Berserker was a wonderful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to reading the next book whenever it is published. I think fans of Matthew Harffy and Bernard Cornwell will absolutely love this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all the historical fiction lovers.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
November 23, 2021
A bloody epic that had me gripped from the start. The action scenes were so well written it felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. This is hands down one of the best books I read this year! Books like this are why I love reading.
My only criticism is that there should have been a glossary because after awhile you might lose track of some of the Norse words. And map! Because there's nothing readers of historical fiction love more than a map.
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK YESTERDAY
My only criticism is that there should have been a glossary because after awhile you might lose track of some of the Norse words. And map! Because there's nothing readers of historical fiction love more than a map.
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK YESTERDAY
July 9, 2025
I’ve been in a reading slump. It seemed like everything I chose just didn’t work. I pulled this off my TBR and absolutely loved it! Great story, chocked full of history, great characters, and rousing battle scenes. Well developed and characters I was instantly invested in and wanted to see how they developed through the book. The storytelling was great and it rolled along nicely. I listened to the audio version and highly recommend that format due to the narrator (Ade Dimberline), he has a great voice and was perfect for story. This was my first novel written by Angus Donald and I enjoyed his style and look forward to reading more of his works.
March 22, 2021
Another in a great line up of "hero quest" historical fiction that is set in the Northern Hemisphere - particularly Scandinavia - from the 8th -11th centuries. So if you are a fan of Matthew Harffy's A Time for Swords and Tim Hodkinson's Whale Road Chronicles, this this one is for you.
Love the historical context that the author then treats us to at the end - I always like to know - apart from the obvious - where they draw their inspiration from and if based on real life events.
A great start to what promises to be the first in a new action-adventure series
Love the historical context that the author then treats us to at the end - I always like to know - apart from the obvious - where they draw their inspiration from and if based on real life events.
A great start to what promises to be the first in a new action-adventure series
April 19, 2021
When Bjarki is saved from hanging, his rescuer sees that there is something in him. Bjarki isn't just a mild-mannered bystander, he has the makings of a berserker, warriors who can display extraordinary violence in moments of possession. It is timely, with the new king of the Franks leading a Christian army against these northern pagan lands. Angus Donald is such a good storyteller - how I love his Robin Hood series! - and is excellent at immersing his reader in past times. These are such good adventures. It is true that The Last Berserker is a little too violent for me and the Viking setting isn't a period I normally read about and so, although this isn't really for me, anyone who loves tales of Vikings will thoroughly enjoy this book, which rattles along from start to finish, and is very well-written.
October 2, 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of Alex Gough and Bernard Cornwell. Historical fact mixes well with the authors own imagination to produce a captivating and thrilling story.
September 22, 2021
Bloody, brutal and just damned cool.
This is my favourite kind of book and certainly gonna be in my top ten reads for the year.
Plenty of fantastic action, lots of gore, charges into battle, heads and limbs flying everywhere etc... Its great.
Along with that their is a good dose of character development, there are enough quiet moments to build up the two POVs Bjarki and Tor. It is not long before you care a lot about them, laugh out loud at their banter. They are a joy to read in this story.
Bjarki's internal struggles are also well written and added to the reading experience with some thought provoking moments.
The story you get here is top notch too, there are a few villains you despise and some in more of a shade of grey, which I also love.
All in all, I can't think of a single thing I didn't love about this book and I am very keen on reading the next one when it's out.
This is my favourite kind of book and certainly gonna be in my top ten reads for the year.
Plenty of fantastic action, lots of gore, charges into battle, heads and limbs flying everywhere etc... Its great.
Along with that their is a good dose of character development, there are enough quiet moments to build up the two POVs Bjarki and Tor. It is not long before you care a lot about them, laugh out loud at their banter. They are a joy to read in this story.
Bjarki's internal struggles are also well written and added to the reading experience with some thought provoking moments.
The story you get here is top notch too, there are a few villains you despise and some in more of a shade of grey, which I also love.
All in all, I can't think of a single thing I didn't love about this book and I am very keen on reading the next one when it's out.
July 14, 2022
Good story well told.
Was looking for something a bit ‘different’ to my normal stock. As I enjoy stories about the warriors from the north I thought I would give this one a try.
Really glad I did as this story has action, heroes, villains and a group of people just wanting to do their own thing. The author has twisted all this into a tale as old as the Vikings and a very absorbing read.
Every page has action and realisation and the twist at the end just tops the tale off nicely.
Good read.
Was looking for something a bit ‘different’ to my normal stock. As I enjoy stories about the warriors from the north I thought I would give this one a try.
Really glad I did as this story has action, heroes, villains and a group of people just wanting to do their own thing. The author has twisted all this into a tale as old as the Vikings and a very absorbing read.
Every page has action and realisation and the twist at the end just tops the tale off nicely.
Good read.
September 25, 2024
Very good read. Again I find that if I don’t enjoy a book I typically don’t leave a rating. And the books I do enjoy seem to be 4 and 5 star reads. This one really did earn the 5 stars though.
February 8, 2023
Brilliant
June 4, 2023
Bloody gripping
Well, this is a bit of a weird one...
I met Angus in a hotel bar in Scotland, listening to two men butchering "smoke on the water" on a keyboard and an accordion of all things.
He introduced himself as a novelist. Instantly curious i asked about his books. Which brings me here. Angus suggested i start with this one. It's not my regular fare, but this book has had me up til 3am a few times. It's hard to put down. The scenes are expertly written and the character development is very good. The setting is interesting. Clearly fiction, but very imaginable.
I've already purchased the second instalment.
Well, this is a bit of a weird one...
I met Angus in a hotel bar in Scotland, listening to two men butchering "smoke on the water" on a keyboard and an accordion of all things.
He introduced himself as a novelist. Instantly curious i asked about his books. Which brings me here. Angus suggested i start with this one. It's not my regular fare, but this book has had me up til 3am a few times. It's hard to put down. The scenes are expertly written and the character development is very good. The setting is interesting. Clearly fiction, but very imaginable.
I've already purchased the second instalment.
May 2, 2021
Bjarki and Tor are taken to the Fyr Skola to learn how to channel their inner strength to become the fabled Berserker warriors of the Viking age. When things go awry they end up in the court of Charlemagne and having adventure after adventure. This was a fantastic and exciting book with plenty of battle scenes to entertain and some engaging characters. Very much looking forward to the next in the series now.
June 9, 2023
A rather different take on the Viking saga historical novel. This was an engaging and exciting read. The characters were interesting and the scene setting was historically very accurate (to my limited knowledge that is).
There was plenty of excitement throughout the book and the fight scenes were suitably upbeat and gory.
All in all a great read and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
There was plenty of excitement throughout the book and the fight scenes were suitably upbeat and gory.
All in all a great read and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 10, 2023
I have found a new author and if you like Viking battles steeped in blood and gore, fantastic characters and mesmerising story telling then this is the book and saga for you. I loved the alternative view of the Vikings not a longship in sight. I was completely immersed in the tale that was unfolding and did not want this book to end. This book is so highly recommended and deserves more than five stars. I can't wait to read more!!!!!!
June 9, 2023
Having read and enjoyed Angus Donald's Outlaw Chronicles, I was looking forward to a new series by him. The first of the Fire Born series takes his writing to an even higher level with even stronger characters than those in his Robin Hood books and fascinating historical and mythological detail. exciting and compelling
April 29, 2024
5 fire burning stars for this Book 1 !
Such an incredible read - I am utterly going berserk from this read.
So much of action packed with bloody scenes of battles that will keep your heart racing till the end.
A story which is quite easy to read - I did assume that it might be difficult to get hold of characters from this Saxon era but author has very cleverly plotted the entire story.
A good read and picking up book 2 right away !
Such an incredible read - I am utterly going berserk from this read.
So much of action packed with bloody scenes of battles that will keep your heart racing till the end.
A story which is quite easy to read - I did assume that it might be difficult to get hold of characters from this Saxon era but author has very cleverly plotted the entire story.
A good read and picking up book 2 right away !
March 22, 2022
Bring the gandr
Was just looking for something easy to read.. what a pleasant surprise.. captivating, enthralling, exciting.. simply put just a darn good story.
Definitely in for the entire series.
Was just looking for something easy to read.. what a pleasant surprise.. captivating, enthralling, exciting.. simply put just a darn good story.
Definitely in for the entire series.
June 19, 2022
The Last Berserker I give 5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Set in
771AD, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand and Tor Hildarsdottir our main protagonists!!
This story ,characters and historical background is berserker amazing moves along 🪓🩸bloody nice! your hero of the story is a BERSERKER🩸🪓🩸🪓
Set in
771AD, Northern Europe. Bjarki Bloodhand and Tor Hildarsdottir our main protagonists!!
This story ,characters and historical background is berserker amazing moves along 🪓🩸bloody nice! your hero of the story is a BERSERKER🩸🪓🩸🪓
August 8, 2022
Good read, me and my man enjoyed it.
October 14, 2023
Very enjoyable - fast paced and action packed, with memorable characters that grow on you more and more through the book.
May 20, 2024
This book was grand!
Big into anything Viking and this fed that very well looking forward to reading the rest
Big into anything Viking and this fed that very well looking forward to reading the rest
October 8, 2023
You wouldn't like me when I am angry
June 7, 2024
4.5, great first novel in this series. I think fans of Bernard Cornwell will like this book.
October 7, 2023
Enjoyable, but rather bloodthirsty!
July 28, 2024
Absolute quality.
The prologue in this book grabs your immediate attention, gruesome shocking violence and there is plenty of similar action throughout this gripping story. Be warned.
Well written and researched atmospheric descriptive imaginative storytelling of the highest order. Right up there with Cornwell and Kristian two of my favourite Author's of this genre.
There are some lighter moments and 'Tor' is a complete star.
Completely and totally recommended.
The prologue in this book grabs your immediate attention, gruesome shocking violence and there is plenty of similar action throughout this gripping story. Be warned.
Well written and researched atmospheric descriptive imaginative storytelling of the highest order. Right up there with Cornwell and Kristian two of my favourite Author's of this genre.
There are some lighter moments and 'Tor' is a complete star.
Completely and totally recommended.
Read
May 31, 2022I liked this book, tore through it. ravaged it and started the second within days.. Angus Donald is one of my fav authors.
November 30, 2023
Angus Donald's usual super storytelling style!
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