Dawn of the Ragnarok

by Peter Gibbons Book 9 in the The Viking Blood and Blade Saga series.

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Norway, 882. A militant Danish faction devoted to Loki threatens the balance of power in Scandinavia. Hundr and Einar join Harald Fairhair and sail south to confront the new enemy before its leaders can turn religious fear and political resentment into open conquest. The campaign combines rivalry among Viking rulers with a struggle over belief, as the warriors face an opponent determined to present war as the beginning of Ragnarök.

The Loki cult gives political rebellion a religious language capable of attracting men dissatisfied with existing rulers. Harald cannot answer it through force alone, because defeating one army would not necessarily destroy the belief sustaining the movement. Hundr and Einar therefore face a conflict over legitimacy as well as territory, where symbols, prophecy and personal loyalty can mobilise warriors as effectively as wealth.