Published 10th June 2021 by Aries/Head of Zeus.
From the cover of the book:
The fight for vengeance has no victors...AD 936
The great warrior, Einar Unnsson, wants revenge. His mother's assassin has stolen her severed head and Einar is hungry for his blood. Only one thing holds him back. He is a newly sworn in Wolf Coat, and must accompany them on their latest quest.
The Wolf Coats are a band of fearsome bloodthirsty warriors, who roam the seas, killing any enemies who get in their way. Now they're determined to destroy their biggest enemy, King Eirik, as he attempts to take the throne of Norway.
Yet, for Einar, the urge to return to Iceland is growing every day. Only there, in his homeland, can he avenge his mother and salve his grief. But what Einar doesn't know is that this is where an old enemy lurks, and his thirst for vengeance equals Einar's...
Read Tim Hodkinson's newest epic Viking adventure.
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I think it's fair to say that this is a book that drops you straight in at the deep end, especially if you have not read the three books in The Whale Road Chronicles that come before, like myself, as it begins with a bloody night raid by the Wolf Coats.
Who are the Wolf Coats I hear you ask? Well, this is something I also asked myself, since I had no prior knowledge of the characters that make up this tight little band of warriors, but it wasn't long before I had a pretty good idea who they were - and was sure that I would want them on my side in a fight. Led by the tough Ulrich, the Wolf Coats are an intriguing collection of tough-as-you-like warriors, hailing from a selection of Norse homelands, but they also include the Moor, Surt, all the way from Al-Andalus (Spain to you and me) and a Norse-Irish princess, Affreca, who is very handy with a bow.
At the start of this adventure, Einar Unsson, newly sworn in as a Wolf Coat, is on a quest for revenge against those involved in his mother's death, which brings him up against his own father, and Princess Affreca finds herself offered both a throne and an arranged marriage, neither of which she is keen to accept - and of course, the rest of the gang are along for the blood-thirsty ride, tied together by a combination of fierce loyalty and firm friendship that gets you right in the feels.
And what a ride it is, dear readers! Tim Hodkinson weaves a bit of glorious Norse saga magic in these pages with a twisty plot of murderous machinations on all sides around Einar and Affreca, which takes you on a journey around the North Sea all the way to Iceland, and back again. Throughout, there is an authentically gritty feel for the brutality of the times, the clash of cultures, and the never ending game of thrones at play, with allegiances shifting as the various kings and jarls rise and fall. There are more savage battles than you can poke a rune stick at, all described in full colour by Hodkinson, which makes them beautifully cinematic; a cracking climax that takes place in Iceland as all hell breaks loose around the combatants; and a delicious ending that hooks you into the next adventure, which I cannot wait to read.
Being book four of the series did make me feel that I was playing catch-up at the start, but the Wolf Coat members and their destinies are so compelling that I was soon pulled right into the sweeping tale by the force of their personalities, the relationships between them and the trials they faced. There are enough details about what has come before to make the story flow well, and I did not feel at a loss at all, so you can read this as a standalone if you are so inclined.
This is a hugely entertaining read, beautifully written, with great characters and full of period detail that will appeal to the fans of well-crafted historical fiction - if you love writers like Bernard Cornwell this will definitely be your bag too. I cannot believe that Tim Hodkinson has gone under my radar for so long, because this book was completely my cup of tea, and I loved it so much that I will be going back to read the first three books very soon!
The Serpent King is available to buy from your favourite book retailer in e-book now (in paperback from 2nd September 2021), or via the links below:
Thank you to Vicky Joss at head of Zeus for sending me an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Tim Hodkinson was born in 1971 in Northern Ireland. He studied Medieval English and Old Norse Literature at University with a subsidiary in Medieval European History. He has been writing all his life and has a strong interest in the historical, the mystical and the mysterious. After spending several happy years living in New Hampshire, USA, he has now returned to life in Northern Ireland with his wife Trudy and three lovely daughters in a village called Moira.
Tim is currently working on a series of Viking novels for Aries Fiction, an imprint of Head of Zeus.
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