''The Wolf Sea'' is the second 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 4 August 2008 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 relatively 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 in the previous novel and is now their reluctant leader. This novel centres around the band pursuing

Starkad ''Starkad'' ( non, Starkaðr or ; Latin: ''Starcaterus''; in the Late Middle Ages also ''Starkodder''; modern Danish: ''Stærkodder'')The article ''Starkad'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin''. was either an eight-armed giant or the human grandson of ...

, a villain based on the historical figure of legend, in an effort to reclaim their

magical sword In mythology, legend or fiction, a magic sword is a sword with magic (paranormal), magical powers or other supernatural qualities. Renowned swords appear in the folklore of every nation that used swords.Josepha Sherman, ''Once upon a Galaxy'' p ...

"Rune Serpent", which Starkad has stolen.

Reception

The novel received mostly positive acclaim from reviewers, with most citing Low's gritty realism as both the novels triumph and, for some, detraction. In a favourable review 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 "it's narrated by Low with all the gritty, down-to-earth realism that breathed such life into his first novel" and comments that this novel is a good illustration as to "why historical fiction is one of today's most rapidly-growing genres". Andrew Baldwin writing for the

Huddersfield Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851, as the ''H ...

mirrors this viewpoint, stating "there’s an assured tone to the writing and the author presents a convincing portrayal of harsh times.". Judy Cleine, writing for the New Zealand-based

Southland Times ''The Southland Times'' is the regional daily paper for Southland, including Invercargill, and neighbouring parts of Otago, in New Zealand. It is now owned by media business Stuff Ltd, formerly the New Zealand division of Fairfax Media. History ...

, had a somewhat different view on this realism, however, stating that "Low's exquisite descriptions of mindless slaughters and rapes, however, are not my particular cup of tea.", although does muse that "perhaps that is the author's intent.". Cleine also voiced concerns about the believability of who is "apparently educated enough to quote from 500-year-old non-religious Latin sources, and is also fluent in Greek and Arabic". She does, however, temper this with the fact that she found the novel "a great read if you like this mail-ripper sort of thing.".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf Sea 2008 British novels Novels set in the Dark Ages Scottish historical novels Novels by Robert Low HarperCollins books