| Title | : | Wings of the Storm (The Rise of Sigurd, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0593074556 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593074558 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 420 |
| Publication | : | First published November 17, 2016 |
| Awards | : | HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown Shortlist (2017) |
Norway, AD 785. A wild place, a place of blood, a place where the gods hold sway . . .
Sigurd Haraldarson and his oathsworn band are winning fame and reputation. But to confront his hated enemy - the oath-breaker and betrayer King Gorm - they must win riches too.
When a daring raid goes wrong, Sigurd finds himself a prisoner of the powerful Jarl Guthrum. Bound like a slave, he is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola to face the sacrificial knife.
But here Sigurd discovers a potent relic: Gungnir, a great spear that would give him the power to assemble a host strong enough to challenge King Gorm, and avenge the betrayal of his father and the murder of his family.
The roar of Odin and the wild hunt will be as nothing compared to Sigurd's rage, for he and his warriors will be borne on the wings of the storm . . .
Wings of the Storm concludes the Viking saga, started in God of Vengeance and Winter's Fire.
Wings of the Storm (The Rise of Sigurd, #3) Reviews
-
*Re-read - I adore this book so much. The final battle is saga-worthy. Kristian is a legend.*
Wings of the Storm is the finale of Kristian’s viking stories, the last instalment of the tale of Sigurd and it is one of the best books I have ever read.
“...every man with a bit of a brain in his head would choose a trade, instead of a fight”
If you follow my reviews you’ll know I’m a massive fan of Giles Kristian, alongside his narrater Philip Stevens. Kristian’s writing is phenomenal and authentic and Steven’s delivery is pitch perfect. You should also know that I love viking books, as a viking re-enactor I adore what this world brings to my mind and makes me feel, and these types of books inspire my learning, research and enjoyment of re-enactment. If you’re a reader of Christian Cameron then you’ll know his books are seeping with re-enactor experiences, and a level of details that can only been written by doing these things. Kristian’s writing includes details of the language, history, culture and personalities of Scandinavians in the 8th Century. I love these details.
The 3rd and final book in the Rise of Sigurd trilogy is an absolute masterpiece. It has everything you want to read in a great historical fiction tale. Sigurd is pursuing his quest of vengeance upon the man and king who betrayed and killed his father Harald and his family. We have followed Sigurd through hardships, tragedy, heartbreak and many brutal and bloody encounters. Wings of the Storm does not let up, increasing the pace, providing more warships and tragedy and one of the greatest bloody encounters I have ever read. The final battle is wonderfully told, I could not bare to take a break from it, each moment blending into one. The brutal action is filled with tense and anxious moments and it was so easy to get swept up into the shield-walls and duels and forget about everything else.
“Fire was the new god in that temple.”
Sigurd has amassed around him a crew of characters that I felt attached to and was left with wanting more. They have moments to make you laugh, to shine, some have moments to die, and this all added to the emotional and mental quest of Sigurd to avenge his father and family. I personally loved Olaf and Valgerd who’s personalities were completely believable and unique.
Another aspect of Wings of the Storm I loved was the immense pacing. There is hardly a pause for breath, but when there were they were done brilliantly allowing for character development and growing attachment to Sigurd, his band of followers and Runa. I also loved the numerous twists and turns that seemed to have been conjured by Loki himself, as well as some chapters being told from King Gorm’s point of view.
“...if you're telling a good story, you must never spoil it with a truth”
5/5 - One of the best historical fictions books I’ve ever read. Wings of the Storm is an incredible read that offers all that a sea-chest of golden arm rings could offer and more. Sigurd’s tale wraps up in magnificent fashion. Read this and ride the wave, you will not regret it! -
My rating 4.8
The third part of the Viking Sigurd series "Wings of the Storm (The Rise of Sigurd # 3)" by Giles Kristian is the best of all three books. The showdown with the lying King Gorm is one of the better battles I have read in the books, bloody uncertain to the very end. Although he proved to be a top fighter with his group of warriors due to his recklessness, he will find himself in captivity with the Swedish Jarl Guthrum. Guthrum, who captured him, Floki and the Valkyrie warrior Valgerd, wants to sacrifice them to the gods to please the gods because his efforts to conquer the fortress have failed. Sigurd is angry with himself but he doesn’t want to be a scapegoat for slaughter because he is Odin’s favorite. But will he get out of this dangerous trap in which he finds himself with his friends because the gods have set before him a dangerous task by questioning his strength? The book is very well written, the fights are great, and there is no lack of deception and intrigue throughout the story. If you liked the first two parts, then this book is the icing on the cake. -
Wings of the Storm is a fantastic conclusion to a great historical fiction series in what is probably the most epic battle I have ever read from this genre. Giles Kristian is a master of his craft, and this finale to the trilogy proves so once again
Sigurd is one of my favourite characters of all time, and the surrounding cast are just so well done. a superbly crafted story that had it all. I recommend to lovers of historical fiction!
5/5 STARS -
2.5 stars
Enjoyed the world and the action, but by the end still could care less what happened to the characters. -
And so the saga concludes - and it is done in spectacular fashion.
-
I have followed the rise of Sigurd and thus Giles Kristian since 2009. His first Viking trilogy was full of historical action, drama and battles. A truly groundbreak debut that stood proud besides the other greats like Cornwell, Severin and Ludlow.
This being alas his final Viking trilogy, is not just an epic coming of age story of a Viking warlord from the previous trilogy but it also represents and demonstrates an astounding maturity and refinement of Gile's talent.
The landscapes, emotions, dialogue, all are now more potent with skaldic craftsmanship that the narrative voice is much like a seidr enchantment than that which is featured. You can not help but read on, turn one more page, finish one more chapter. Truly unputdownable and edge of seat reading.
The ending is worth the wait for the final battle to settle this boiling blood feud between King Gorm and Sigurd does not begin until the final quarter. Sooo many other challenges, dramas, adventures and dangers must be overcome for both Sigurd and Runa. As much as it is Sigurd leading the war cry, I am pleased to see Giles gave Runa a chance for glory and thus her brother doesnt entirely hog the gaze of the gods.
Epic Storytelling is the best way to describe the entire trilogy as a whole and this final book is an amazing testemant for the love Giles must have for the character of Sigurd to have effectively written 6 books about him. It is a fitting tribute and telling of the life and glory-fame of Sigurd and an amazing eternal dedication of Giles's nordic roots. -
I'm just so disappointed with this book and series. Viking Historical Fiction is my first literary love. I haven't read it all but feel I'm well versed in this sub-genre. One of my first forays into VHF was the Raven's Saga series, which I loved despite Giles Kristian slightly odd writing style. So I was psyched when I learned that Kristian was working a prequel staring Raven's jarl, Sigurd.
After foaming at the mouth for the series to be released in the US I sunk my teeth into it and it was a bit sour. The confident, charismatic Sigurd I'd come to love was replaced by his younger, hesitant, slightly unhinged self which just wasn't that great. That paired with a meandering plot left me feeling hollow but I forged on and though I was never fulfilled I was entertained... until now.
This book took meandering to a new limit and broke me under the weight of confusion and side plots. Where Raven's Saga was high adventure which spanned the known western world The Rise of Sigurd reads like a Ben Stiller movie in which one misfortune follows another but without laughs. Just fulfill your damn vengeance already and go find Raven! Fuck.
Not Recommend. -
Great conclusion to a great series. Kristian seems to write amazing stories and characters. I highly recommend this
-
I almost gave this one only four stars, because early on there is a minor plot string that just didn't do anything for me because of the (chronologically) later trilogy (Raven series).
But lord, the final battle to close this trilogy was EPIC!! One of the best I've ever read. Seriously. -
This is a belter of a book to finish this amazing journey Siguard and Kristian have taken us on and captures all the best things about Kristian’s writing. Nobody else, In my humble opinion captures the savagery, the brutality, the bloodthirstiness of the Viking age as well as Kristian but he also captures the joy, the camaraderie and the sheer fun of a crew with an open ocean and the world at their feet.
Kristian’s prose is as usual superb and you can feel his love of the Norse sagas and all things Viking in every word he writes and when he is describing the rituals and whims of the Old Gods you can almost physically feel them in the room with you such is the beauty and power of the prose.
I think I once described Kristian’s ability to write a battle scene as almost 3D like and he doesn’t disappoint in the final climactic battle of this book. He manages to cram into a paragraph the ferocity, the viciousness and gruesome bloodiness of battle and such is the power of the descriptive narrative that as Kristian builds layer upon layer of noise, blood, terror and brutality you feel yourself drawn into the heart of the scene.
I don’t think I can recommend this book (and the Series) enough and if you are looking for a book that captures why we are still fascinated by the Viking age, 1000 years after it ended then you have just found it.
Wings of the Storm is the fabulous final book in the Rise of Siguard series and the author once again brings to life the savage and brutal world of the Vikings in a way only he can. -
Kakav završetak! Napeto i lagano nepredvidljivo do samoga kraja! Jedino što zamjeram (a lot!) je loš prijevod. Izmijenjena su neka imena i to je malo predstavljalo problem jer sam naučila na one verzije iz prijašnjih nastavaka. U jednom trenutku se činilo kao da se prevoditelju i nije više dalo prevoditi već da je to odradio eto, da odradi. Ipaaaak, ocjena 5 iskljucivo zbog gosp. Kristiana i njegove sjajne sage!
-
REVIEW TO COME.. (the best GK book yet!)
-
Finally we got the book we knew Giles K was capable of. Exciting, action-packed, tense, nicely plotted (though it's simple enough really), with relatively few cliches - of the Hist Fic Klub-type or of Kristian's own - and with an ending battle the like of which I'm fast becoming to think only Giles K can write. I'm not saying you should avoid the first two and go straight to this - though you could. Maybe to fully 'get' this one, you need to wade through one and two. Personally, I would have liked to have avoided number one entirely, but there you go. I've seen enough other comments around and about to know that not everyone thinks like me, and I'm just fine with that. But if Giles would like to run things by me first in future, he knows where he can find me.
So, what I'm left with is the feeling that there surely is no one better at the rolling, rumbling, not over yet, tense, chase, omg battle scene than our Giles. The end of this book with have you gasping for air, biting your nails, with everything crossed for the 'right' outcome, but not yet, then there's this, now? No, there's more. I can't take any more. You have to! I like that, as I liked the end of the second Civil War book. That was a masterclass, this is the equal of it.
See, when he sits down and takes this writing lark seriously, he can do some of the best, freshest, most compelling and invigorating story-telling there is. Unfortunately though it's not all the time - he still hasn't got over his beard fixation (I don't know if he's ever worn a thigh-tickler himself, all the pictures of him I've seen have been clean-shaven. There sure is something about a beard he can't resist. A beard fixation. They’re combed, growing with the grass, singed, braided, you name it. And there are all sorts of things in those beards too, though mostly small nestling families of smiles. And teeth. His alter-ego can’t refrain from one too many, ridiculous, “teeth flashed in his beard,” to try and ruin the good work. Unfortunately, this fixation that beards can signify every feeling, small or large, hide 'wolfish grins' probably, gives a completely wrong, negative, effect, undoing previous good work.
- What he thinks: "Unique, compelling, period and character detail."
- What I think: "Cut-Throat Jake."
If you, like me, been waiting for the good one, this is it. The wait was more than worth it, this is what Giles K can do when he concentrates. It’s only short, just 298 pages, it's distilled down to the essence of the story, the ending, the ending and the ending and the reckoning the series has been saying was coming all along.
You know I'm right:
Speesh Reads
And I'm right here too:
Speesh Reads -
This exciting Viking adventure is the 3rd and final volume of "The Rise of Sigurd" trilogy.
At the beginning of the book you'll find a very well-drawn map of the West of Norway in AD 785 of Sigurd Haraldarson's world, while at the end the book contains a superb glossary of Norse Terms to make the story so much more understandable.
Story-telling is of a wonderful superb quality, because the author has the ability to bring the Viking world come alive with real feeling, so much so that it gets you gripped from start to finish.
The story is once again set in AD 785, and it follows the adventures of its predecessor "Winter's Fire" in the same fantastic fashion where all his Viking characters come vividly to life within this thrilling Viking saga of the life of Sigurd Haraldarson.
The story itself is about Sigurd Haraldarson and his Oathsworn band, who after fighting and winning fame in Sweden are desperate to head back to Norway and defeat the oath-breaker and betrayer King Gorm.
At first it all goes wrong when Loki the Trickster plays his part and a raid collapses, and Sigurd is taken prisoner by the powerful Jarl Guthrum and is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola, but there Sigurd discovers a famous relic, Gungrir the great spear, which was once carried, people say, by the Allfather himself.
What will follow is an eventful saga where Sigurd and his Oathsworn band, with that famous relic in tow and the roar of Odin in the air, will assemble many a strong host and with Viking trickery and skill he will challenge King Gorm and avenge the death of his father and the murder of his family, and thus finally will he become a famous man among the Viking world.
Very much recommended, for this is truly "A Fitting Flying & Stormy Conclusion"! -
A tad too much rehash in the beginning of this third of the series to bring a reader up to speed, but I got over it.
Battles, battles, blood, gore, spears, arrows, swords, knives, honor, Norse gods.... A shoot 'em up, blow 'em up action adventure without gun powder. 785 AD Norway. If you are going to break an oath and kill a family, make damn sure you don't leave any off spring alive. Vengeance! Oh, least I forget, Norsemen require vast quantities of mead and ale.
Entertaining. -
wow what an ending!
exquisite writing; atmosphere, humour, battles, characters all kept me in their grip till the last page.
I can't praise this Trilogy enough. I fell in love with Sigurd and his band of swordbrothers and shielmaiden from page 1 of book 1 and never let go. -
Kicsit véresre sikerűlt, végülis mit várhatunk a vikingektől, de izgalmas volt.
-
A a novel, i would rate it at 4 stars, but as the audio book, i would have rated it as 3. This is mainly because the narrator's one voice fits all.
ITs an enjoyable Viking romp, and having read the first 2 audio books in this series, i knew what was going on, however, having got to the third, i realised it never really took my breath away.
the plot was somewhat ruined for me by the whole island of shieldmaidens - I'm sorry I'm not a believer. I don't mind the idea of the odd shield maiden now and then, but its pushes the theory too far when there is a training school for them on an island and no man is allowed there except for the blacksmith and his son who has to fight them off!
What i did like about the story were the characters, Sigurd the mc was likeable and his band of brothers as they go about trying to recruit more to their cause, even drawing men from the enemy to Sigurd's banners as his main aim in life is to kill the man who killed his father and brothers, and mother, leaving him the only man to carry on Jarl Haraldason's name and look after his sister, who wants to become, yes you guessed it - a shield maiden.
All this culminates in a great battle which has its moments of excitement and nail-biting anticipation. I was a little annoyed at the sudden arrival of a small army of shield maidens, who, I am glad to say, proved my point, hand to hand fighting against an army of strong men, you're not going to come out of it unscathed. To say anymore would be a spoiler.
All that said, its an enjoyable read, there are some great humorous lines and some interesting characters. The end is done well, and as far as i know its a trilogy, but if Sigurd's saga carries on, I would definitely read the next one. Just please - enough with the shield maidens. Women can be interesting and fascinating to read about without turning them into warriors. -
The third and final book in this trilogy, Sigurd found himself a prisoner but being Odin-blessed, he instead got together a war band to finally challenged the Oathbreaker and take his revenge.
I started watching American Gods on Amazon Prime last week and had to turn that off after the first 10 minutes because of the violence. These first few minutes told the story of the arrival of old gods at a new land and featured vikings... It was gory with limbs and heads flying about unattached. I just couldn't! And yet, I did enjoyed this book despite it being just as violent, if not more. I think I probably wouldn't be able to watch it if it was adapted onto screen but listening to this on audiobook, I got as excited as the narrator.
Wings of the Storm brought to close Sigurd's quest to avenge his father and brothers. While it was an interesting and exciting adventure in gathering his war band and then the battles themselves, I did find the ending rather anti-climatic.
PS: I did continue on with watching American Gods after I sped forward a bit through the vikings... -
4.5*
-
A satisfying conclusion to an excellent series in which the youthful main characters grow and develop into adults.
-
The final chapter in this amazing trilogy is everything an epic work should have.The great conclusion culminating in a climatic confrontation between two sides.One seeking power,the other retribution. Each one with their own allies and subjects.Who will come out victorious? Who will see another day? Who is going to give up all to protect those he cares about? Some characters will seek redemption,some power,some glory and riches. You will find all of that in this final book of another excellent trilogy.Sure,it took some time to get to it,but it was worth all the waiting,build up and settings. Of course,when comparing it to the other works within this saga,this would take a number 3 place (behind Blood eye and Odin's wolves),giving the fact that it needs full understanding of the situation. I'm glad the author took it's time,so he could deliver us another awesome work within this great saga and I,also,hope he would return with a new work,regarding the great viking history and it's historical figures.Perhaps someone like Ragnar Lothbrook, his sons or Harald Hardrada? Who knows? Only the time will tell. Until that,enjoy in this great saga or seek another great works (like Bernard Cromwell and his Anglo-Saxon stories) set in this period. For the time,I'm going to put aside new trilogy,until I finish reviewing the best known novels of Ernest Hemingway. As always,I'm opened for discussions regarding the works I've already read and giving or receiving new recommendations. I wish you all wonderful and pleasant evening.
-
Enjoyed 'living' this. If I had read this last one in closer succession, I would have been completely enthralled. (Time, I need more Time.) I feel like fiction stories these days are more massive in their distinct information, for lack of a better summation. Maybe the battle scenes were overly long, but ... I give that they author is trying to put us in the scene, I am patient but a fidgeter, and woman reading what is arguably a book for people with more testosterone. Anyway - Wish I hadn't waited on #3. Although, now I want to march through Blood Eye Raven again! To reexamine Sigurd's & packs roles with a new perspective. Since read BER first, kept thinking - I don't remember Molgerd (Molgono?) being in that first series. HM. A foreshadowing. I thought Valgerd's final moments, while sad, knew it was the end of the series, was true to life. And, I guess, the only other thing would be Runa, felt like Runa's wyrds ;) there is more to tell. Perhaps some day we shall find out.
-
A five star ending to the series. The best of the three books in my opinion where the story took some new twists and turns and the character development stepped up a notch particularly with regards to Sigurd's sister, Runa.
The ending was more than satisfying and left me hoping for more of the same sometime in the future. -
I loved this book. As another reader commented, this completes the Sigurd trilogy in spectacular fashion. I now want to read Raven again.
I hope Giles Kristian returns to this story to tell us about the years between The Rise of Sigurd series and the Raven series. I want to know so much more -
This is the 3rd book and another great read in this series. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot.
-
Today is a sad day for me because I have finished Giles Kristian’s ‘The Rise of Sigurd’ trilogy’. I now forever say goodbye to Sigurd Haraldarson and his men. The trilogy will no doubt long remain in my top ten favourite trilogies for many reasons. Be it the story-telling, which is excellent and feels very in-keeping with how you would expect Vikings to act. The characters were top-notch as were the relationships they had with one another and the world around them in general. It could also be the raw violence and the brutal ingenuity in which Kristian wrote his battle scenes.
It could be any one of these things and many more besides, all I know is that I just wish there were more books featuring these characters. I am, however, very happy to know that I have his other trilogy to get stuck into at some point. So looking forward to more Viking goodness in my future.
As a big fan of historical war fiction, and a big fan of the Viking period in general, it was great to see this trilogy done so well. The no-nonsense style of the Vikings came flying off the page with every passing chapter. Giles’ writing style seems to fit the Viking time perfectly.
The Vikings give any author a rich amount of lore to go along with as far as society, religion, raiding etc … goes and Kristian used it greatly. I particularly enjoyed how well he captured the god-fearing ways of the people and how religious fear and the overwhelming desire to prove themselves to the gods came through.
The trilogy was filled with memorable characters both good and bad. My personal favourites being Black Floki (a man who, with a weapon in his hand, is a warrior of such skill that even the gods would think twice before fighting him). Olaf, (one of Sigurd’s father’s men and perhaps the most respected warrior amongst them. He’s always good for a bit of sarcasm and general poignant thoughts). Asgot (a godi/Viking priest who speaks to the gods and casts curses in their name). Svein, (a big, red-headed giant of a man who smashes his way through his foes) and, of course, Sigurd. Sigurd is ‘Odin-favoured’ which essentially means he is lucky and skilful to the point where men believe Odin is watching over him and sees him as a favoured champion.
At its core, The Rise of Sigurd is a trilogy of vengeance. Sigurd seeks to kill King Gorm for the king’s betrayal and butchery of his family. The only mistake the king made in killing Jarl Harald and his kin was that he left Sigurd alive. Sigurd’s quest is to find men, the fiercest of warriors, and to eventually build and army to challenge King Gorm. What ensues is three books of Viking brilliance ended perfectly with Wings of the Storm.
I’d highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Viking period and to anyone who is tempted to try and get into the dark nature of the Viking times. -
Great book! Great series! This is the concluding volume in the Viking saga of Sigurd Haraldarson and what a great ending! Has a conclusion you didn't see coming. You knew Sigurd and his people would win the epic final battle which saw many die, but his way of dispatching his nemesis King Gorm is one you won't see coming.
Truly enjoyable - I read all 3 in order in just a little over a week - and it was just like reading one great, long novel. Having read his latest on Lancelot, taking us to King Arthur's England, you have to wonder where Kristian will take readers next. With luck, he'll go back and do a finish up on his Burning Land books on the English civil war since readers were left hanging at the conclusion of the second volume.
Kristian is a darned good writer, so if these type of adventures are your cup of tea, get a copy of each one and start reading! You'll be glad you did!
