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Series
A Time for Swords follows Hunlaf, a Northumbrian novice monk whose life is transformed by the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793. Becoming a warrior without abandoning the questions raised by his faith, he travels with a mixed band of Northumbrians and Norsemen through Scandinavia, al-Andalus, Byzantine territory and the eastern Mediterranean. The series combines seaborne adventure, religious conflict and political intrigue at the opening of the Viking Age.
Reading order
In 793, novice monk Hunlaf is present when Viking raiders attack the monastery of Lindisfarne. The slaughter forces him to take up a sword, challenging the teaching and identity that have shaped his life. As Northumbria struggles to understand the new threat from the sea, Hunlaf…
In 794, Hunlaf and the Norseman Runolf sail to Rogaland on a Northumbrian mission to seek an alliance and strengthen the kingdom's naval defences. Their journey also gives them the chance to pursue family ties, old grievances and a forbidden book. In Norway they encounter a…
In 796, Hunlaf and his companions voyage to the Emirate of al-Andalus in search of an object believed capable of altering the balance of power in Europe. After a clash with pirates, they are taken under guard to Qadis and drawn into rivalries involving the emir's…
In 797, Hunlaf and his crew travel through Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean to obtain a Christian relic before agents of the Byzantine empress Eirene can secure it. Betrayal leaves them without their prize and pushes the voyage onward to Jerusalem, where competing authorities and relic…