Katie Aiken Ritter

VIKING Thunder Horse

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Book II, Norse Adventure series: ICELAND 980 A.D. A BRUTAL LEADER. A GROWING STORM. Secrets that could topple a tyrant-but destroy those who carry them. "Kidnap. Torture. Cheat. Steal. Lie. Bend the law and break it." Kel Coesson's corrupt chieftain Naldrum is scheming to take over all of Iceland...and he's getting away with murder.As the story opens, an intrepid vikinger, tricked by the chieftain, sails straight into danger. Kel has become an unwitting hero as he walks a knife-edge of betrayal in hopes of one desperate chance to stop Naldrum--and Kel's unraveling. But if he yields, Kel and everything he cares about will be destroyed, including his onetime-love Aldís, with whom a glimmer of hope glows again.A mysterious captive joins the characters of The Plains of Althing; the defiant slave Tor known as 'The Black Mountain', a lonely widow, a traumatized young priest, an honest old Lawspeaker...and Naldrum's bloodthirsty daughter, jealous of Kel and bent on destroying Aldís.Mistrust spreads like disease among the valleys as Naldrum reveals his hand-and Kel, horrified, finally breaks with his chieftain, propelling Aldís towards a terrifying journey. As a long-held secret takes on a life of its own, Aldís must choose to protect her own safety, or stand up for truth and rule of law-a decision that may utterly destroy her, or at last set her free. Does desperate courage stand a chance against brutal corruption? Buy VIKING: Thunder Horse to experience this epic novel of Norse adventure for yourself! Katie Aiken Ritter is a 2016 AWC Novel Award winner and 2017 Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society Finalist. This second novel of the series continues the prelude to an Icelandic family saga: five books spanning two generations and two continents explore themes such as the hero's journey, loyalty under duress, accurate everyday life in medieval Scandinavia, slavery in European societies, the rule of law against corruption and creeping authoritarianism, the world's first democracy at Althing, pagan beliefs, conversion to Christianity, and strong female, Norse, enslaved and black protagonists-all amid Iceland's dramatic landscape in the land of fire and ice. Readers who enjoyed Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear, Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, or the History Channel's Vikings may appreciate this well-researched and historically-relevant novel. VIKING: THUNDER HORSE is Book 2 of the Norse Adventure Series. "This writer crafts a well-researched, well-written story. MORE, PLEASE!"

Produktdetails

• Norse Adventure Series Nr.2
• Verlag: Kathryn Ritter
• Seitenzahl: 552
• Erscheinungstermin: 29. Mai 2020
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 216mm x 140mm x 32mm
• Gewicht: 770g
• ISBN-13: 9780997876598
• ISBN-10: 099787659X
• Artikelnr.: 59611462

Autorenporträt

Icelandic sagas never figured on Katie Aiken Ritter's bucket list, but life decided otherwise when one December, Vikings came crashing into her peaceful evening. A startling (and somewhat uncomfortable) epiphany left her with the clear understanding that she was to write a novel based on the experiences of an iconic family of Viking-era Iceland. That dramatic incident resulted in her Norse Adventure series, currently three published novels with two planned sequels. Since then, Katie has served as a deckhand on the Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre (dangerous, thrilling, hard work, unfortunately cut short by a hurricane), and has traveled to Iceland to do historic and location research. She has a deep and abiding interest in the rule of law: Iceland's Althing of the time was the site of Europe's first democracy, and their country was perhaps the only land to which Christianization came peacefully, i.e., by vote. Books I and II (The Plains of Althing and Thunder Horse), as well as being novels about human experience, allow us to examine themes still relevant today: corruption in government, creeping authoritarianism, and questions such as what power might good character wield against wealth and entitlement? How does a decent person respond in a conflicted, nearly-impossible situation? How did people endure the enslavement common in those times? In Book III, The Green Land, she did deep research into native cultures of Greenland and the first Icelandic explorers of the island. Based on their overlapping geography and accounts of other, later Europeans who had 'first contact' with North American peoples, she presents a similar, fictional account--because, based on archeological evidence from L'Anse aux Meadows, interaction did occur at some point. Katie does not dabble in horned helmets or pillaging: her work appeals to readers who yearn for deeply-researched historical fiction that offers themes of real life and humanity, with all of it wrapped up in a big, exciting story. Male and female readers alike have offered critical acclaim for her award-wining debut novel. Before what she refers to as 'the Viking incursion' happened, Katie enjoyed a twenty-plus year career in software consulting, followed by successful fundraising for a nationally-renowned private school. She has written for magazines and local newspapers, was tapped to be launch editor for a regional print publication, was the primary contract writer of an architectural monograph for an international architecture/planning company (DDG: THE MASTER ARCHITECT SERIES REVISITED), and produced complex case studies and white papers about Sugar CRM and other IT installations. She holds a degree in biology from Swarthmore College. Katie lives in rural Maryland with her husband Mark and an assemblage of pets thoughtfully bestowed by their children. She loves to walk, dance, procrastinate, build stone walls, and feels the need for pearls and high heels when cleaning the oven (which really doesn't need to be done but about once a decade, if one thinks about it.) She welcomes reader contact via: Facebook Instagram Twitter Goodreads