The Weeping Winter

Name: The Weeping Winter
Rating: 4.6 (1876 reviews)

by J. C. Duncan Book 4 in the The Light of the North Saga series.

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4.6(1,876)

In the alternate year 1119, Uppsala has fallen, the Norse army has been broken and the sword meant to save the north is in enemy hands. Gjaldir joins a band of refugees fleeing the crusaders, choosing loyalty to the woman and child he loves over the Christian forces from which he came. As occupation spreads across Scandinavia, the survivors must preserve a community before they can hope to recover their freedom.

The alternate history turns religious conquest into a refugee story. Gjaldir’s loyalties are tested not by abstract doctrine but by the people for whom he has accepted responsibility, while the loss of Uppsala deprives the survivors of both a political centre and a sacred one. Recovery therefore means rebuilding a community before any military reconquest can begin.