Raven 3: Odin's Wolves [Kindle Edition]

I'm always on the lookout for exciting new historical fiction about soldiers or warriors, and was therefore very excited about two years ago to see Giles Kristian's name appear on an Amazon recommended read list. I read his first two books last summer in about three days. To be honest, I devoured them! I was very pleased therefore, to be able recently to buy Odin's Wolves. It takes up the story of Raven Blood Eye where it left off in Sons of Thunder. Other reviewers have detailed the plot, so I won't go into it here. I was thrilled, however, that Raven reached not just Rome, but Miklagard (Constantinople/Istanbul). I hadn't seen Vikings there since reading Henry Treece's wonderful book The Road to Miklagard when I was a kid.

In my opinion, a good Viking novel should be exciting, low down and dirty, and full of blood and guts. All of Kristian's books definitely meet those criteria. Yet they do far more than that. These are no hack and slash novels. Kristian can really write. His words have a lyrical quality, and simply flow across the pages. These are thrilling stories filled with realistic, gutsy characters whom the reader comes to care about greatly. Kristian weaves in rich historical detail with a light touch, which is not easy to do. His battle scenes are bone crunchingly good, his descriptions of the Viking world bright and evocative. In my mind, this makes Giles Kristian a great storyteller. I look forward to reading his books for many years to come.

Ben Kane, author of Hannibal: Enemy of Rome.

Vikings...A period that just screams to me to read it, if Rome is blood and sandals, then Vikings is Sea , Sword and sudden violence.
My exposure to Viking historical fiction has been limited so far, but I'm trying to catch up, I thought Robert Low had managed to reach the pinnacle of the sub genre with the oathsworn, and then out comes the raven series to take it one step further.
The writing has true power and pace, but what also come over is a true love of the subject and the characters that the author is writing. With this series i did something i have never done before i waited until all 3 books were out before starting them and read them back to back, so by the end of book three i felt part Viking, I felt exhausted, and i had felt the kindred spirit of the crew, the losses, the pain and the loves, such is the power of Giles Kristians writing.
as debut series go this is up there as one of the better i have read, and i will be looking out eagerly for what comes next.

Very highly recommended. (Parm)

If readers enjoyed Raven Blood Eye and Sons of Thunder then it's an unspoken guarantee that they will go literally beserk over the third installment of this fantastic viking saga, Odin's Wolves.
In this third adventure Raven and Sigurd and the rest of the crew along with the rescued Danes set their prow beasts in the direction of the mediterranean sea and the riches of Milkagard (aka Constantinople now known as Istandbul). They will not just have to survive new and treacherous waters but the new summer heat of there foreign lands and of course their strange and alien like dark skinned natives complete with new languages, rituals and trade goods. Yet as usual achieving their goal of fame and riches always comes with great challenges, great fights and great cunning to gain the best without shedding the most blood or loosing the most dishonour. The trouble Sigurd's crew and he get into as they visit the ruined city of Rome even before the reach Istanbul is enough to give them lots of good stories to tell in their mead halls back home - but when is it ever enough for these Vikings? How far can they sail and how often must they wet their sword with blood before the price of fame and fortune becomes too high?
This final book is so rich in its detail which softly immerses the reader into the dark age world for this band of vikings, with characters who develop so much through each chapter let alone each individual book any reader can't help but have a favourite let alone admire Sigurd for his prowess as a Jarl and of course a plot that is so full of twists, turns and suprises as complex yet as beautifully planned like the intricate jelling stone carving designs, taking readers though each emotion possible that Giles Kristian has truly proven himself in all areas that make a classic masterpiece of historical fiction that readers of Bernard Cornwell, Robert Low and Tim Severin should note this young viking at heart and in blood author as a writer with true talent at writing a thrilling and captivating story but one who clearly pushes ever last ounce of his admiration and love for this fine race of adventurers, warriors and craftsmen into each type of the keyboard or drop of ink from his pen.
Giles Kristian truly has brought the world of the Vikings into the 21st Century with enough power and a touch of skaldic magic that Cornwell, Low and Severin took years to establish.