I first came across The Strongbow Saga seemingly a random. It was the summer of 2006 and I was working as an intern at the American Museum of Natural History. One day I was browsing at Barnes & Noble and saw this title on the teen fiction shelf. It looked interesting, so I decided to buy it. By the time I finished it (which wasn't long, I assure you), I was already hankering for more. Filled with painstakingly researched and accurate historical detail, Judson Roberts' masterful storytelling completely dispels popular stereotypes of the vikings and their world.
The story centers around the character Halfdan, the illegitimate son of Hrorik, a Danish chieftain, and Deirdru, an Irish princess captured by Hrorik several years before. Having lived all his life as a slave, Halfdan is acknowledged by Hrorik on his deathbed as his legitimate son. Halfdan is then trained in the arts of war by Hrorik's son Harald, who is perfectly happy to love Halfdan as his own brother. However, when dispute over a land inheritance arises between Halfdan and Toke, Hrorik's stepson, the wheels of fate are slammed into motion.
While visiting his inherited lands with Harald, Halfdan and the entire estate are attacked at night by Toke and his men, and nearly everyone is brutally slaughtered. Only Halfdan survives, and swears an oath of vengeance on Toke and all his followers.
For anyone interested in the world of the vikings, visit Mr. Roberts' websites:
http://www.judsonroberts.com/
http://strongbowsaga.com/
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