Book
Viking’s Dawn
First published 1955
In the late eighth century, the young Harald Sigurdson joins Thorkell Fairhair aboard the longship Nameless. The voyage towards Scotland and the Hebrides promises wealth and adulthood, but Harald quickly learns that seafaring exposes every weakness. Storms, hunger, drowning and the violence of coastal raiding replace the heroic stories he has heard at home.
The first Viking Saga novel follows Harald through his first killing and his first sustained experience of command. Loyalty to the crew is necessary for survival, yet the people they attack reveal the human cost of the expedition. Treece presents the Viking world as mobile, disciplined and adventurous without disguising the brutality on which its wealth depends.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Viking Age Scandinavia
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
Other books by Henry Treece
Discover more
Authors similar to Henry Treece
Recommended from shared genres and periods.
Rosemary Sutcliff
38 books
Cecelia Holland
20 books
Gillian Bradshaw
20 books
H. Rider Haggard
55 books
Giles Kristian
10 books