''The White Raven'' is the third novel of the five-part ''Oathsworn'' series by Scottish writer of

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, Robert Low, released on 6 August 2009 through

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...

. The novel was well received.

Plot

The story revolves around Orm Rurikson, a young man who joined the crew of a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

band as a child and is now their reluctant leader. This novel centres around the oathsworn band returning to their quest for

Attila the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...

’s legendary lost hoard of silver. A number of their band have been kidnapped by

Prince Vladimir Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...

and face

impalement Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in response to "crimes aga ...

should Orm fail to bring them the treasure.

Reception

The novel was well received by critics. In an article for the ''

Yorkshire Evening Post The ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' is a daily evening publication (delivered to newsagents every morning) published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The paper provides a regional slant on the day's news, and traditio ...

'', the reviewer states that the novel is "another rip-roaring yarn from Low, told with enormous

panache Panache () is a word of French origin that carries the connotation of flamboyant manner and reckless courage, derived from the helmet-plume worn by cavalrymen in the Early Modern period. The literal translation is a plume, such as is worn on a h ...

" and that "Low has shown himself to be most adept at constructing an authentic historical atmosphere". Reviewing for '' Black Gate'' magazine Bill Ward writes, of the hardships suffered by the oathsworn in their journey across the

Mongolian steppe Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Mongolia (1911–24), the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * Mong ...

, "like the rest of Low’s work it is all as real and authentic as a journal entry from someone who actually suffered through such things." and stated he found the language "beautifully evocative".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White Raven 2009 British novels Novels set in the Dark Ages Novels set in the Viking Age Scottish historical novels Novels by Robert Low Cultural depictions of Vladimir the Great HarperCollins books