Faith of Their Fathers: A Saga of Iceland by Samuel M. Sargeant - #blogtour #spotlight

 

This book has been getting rave reviews and I am very happy to be part of the blog tour. Today I am shining the spotlight on Faith of Their Fathers by Samuel M. Sargeant. It's Nordic historical fiction set in Medieval Iceland and I hope you enjoy.

Blurb

False God.

At the dawn of the 11th Century in a small Icelandic settlement, these words, daubed in blood, herald the arrival of a killer. Soon, a spate of murders threatens the fragile peace between pagans and a growing Christian minority. Arinbjorn, a young pagan farmer resolves to track down the killer before the community is permanently torn apart. His investigations draw in Freya, an isolated housewife whose secrets could either condemn or free her. Meanwhile in Norway, King Olaf Tryggvason has his own designs upon Iceland and its people. War is rife in Scandinavia, and a Christian Iceland would bolster his control over the region.

Only one thing is certain: these murders will change Icelandic society forever.  

A gripping and taut historical thriller set in Medieval Iceland—written by a PhD scholar of Medieval Old Norse-Icelandic sagas. Perfect for fans of Ken Follett and Michael Punke.

ISBN:  978 1915584052

Publisher:  Neem Tree Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  352 (paperback)

About the Author:

Samuel Sargeant is a Lecturer in the English Literature and Creative Writing department at the Open University. He studied at Cardiff University as part of his doctoral degree programme where his PhD thesis focused upon the structure of Medieval Old Norse-Icelandic sagas. He is currently researching the samtíðarsögur (contemporary sagas) and how their narrative structures compare to the other saga genres. He is viewing these broadly historiographical texts as acts of creative writing and using them in the development of his novels set within this period.

(all materials courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

Reading for December 2020

 

"Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat," etc (she sings, very badly indeed.)

I can hardly believe that the holiday season is just around the corner and here we are at the first of December already. What a bonkers year it has been and will continue to be for a while yet. However, here in England we are being given a restrictions holiday for a few days which we are all grateful for.

This month my list of books that I hope to read will be shorter than usual as I usually treat myself to a long read over the holidays which consequently means that I am not able to read so many individual books. Without any further ado, here is my list.

* * *

London by Edward Ruthurford - this is the long novel that I plan on reading. At just under 1300 pages in the edition that I have, I am not sure how much else I will get to read.

The Woman of the Wolf and Other Stories by Renee Vivien

Snow Blind by Ragnar Jonasson

Dark Water by Elizabeth Lowry

East Lynne by Mrs Henry Wood

The Dollmaker by Nina Allen

The Dark Angel by Nina Allen

Books to Finish

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson - #BookReview

“The pirates rushed with violent speed across the island, like hunting hounds… Some of my neighbours managed to escape quickly into the caves or down the cliffs, but many were seized or bound… I and my poor wife were amongst the first to be captured.” (Reverend Olafur Egilsson)

In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted at least 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children.

Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It was a time when women everywhere were largely silent. In this brilliant reimagining Sally Magnusson gives a voice to Asta, the pastor’s wife. Enslaved in an alien Arab culture, Asta meets the loss of freedom and family with the one thing she has brought from her northern homeland: the sagas and folktales in her head.

The Sealwoman’s Gift is about the eternal power of storytelling to help us survive. Here are Icelandic sagas to fend off a slave-master’s advances, Arabian nights to help an old man die. Here, too, the stories we tell ourselves to protect our minds from what cannot otherwise be borne, the stories we need to make us happy.

The opening sentence in this book is very powerful - 

“There is nothing to be said for giving birth in the bowels of a sailing ship with your stomach heaving and hundreds of people listening.” 

However, whilst this first line was gripping I found this book a little hard to get into. However, I think that may just have been due to the unfamiliarity of the time and culture as it is well worth hanging in there as this is an outstanding novel.

This should not be any surprise coming from the pen of such a well respected journalist. Ms. Magnusson has written an intelligent literary novel based on actual events in a little known period of Icelandic history. I really enjoyed this mix of fiction and fact. As well as this being an enjoyable novel to read, at the back the author distinguishes between the real events and her own imaginings and was fascinating to read.

Asta was a wonderful character to engage with. I loved not only her story but her own art of storytelling which plays a significant part in the book. The author herself clearly has tremendous storytelling skills which bring to life the characters, their environments and their individual stories.

Although a well known writer this is the authors debut novel. I am sincerely hoping that there will be further novels as this one had all the ingredients that a first class historical novel should have. This is a book about love, loss and hope and also about the role that stories have on our life.

ISBN: 978 1473638952

Publisher: Two Roads

About the Author:

Broadcaster and journalist Sally Magnusson has written 10 books, most famously her Sunday Times bestseller, Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother’s dementia. Half-Icelandic, half-Scottish, Sally has inherited a rich storytelling tradition. The Sealwoman’s Gift is her first novel.