The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons and the Battle for the North Sea Empire

Description

In the eleventh century, the rulers of the lands surrounding the North Sea are all hungry for power. To get power they need soldiers, to get soldiers they need silver, and to get silver there is no better way than war and plunder. This vicious cycle draws all the lands of the north into a brutal struggle for supremacy and survival that will shatter kingdoms and forge an empire. The Wolf Age takes the reader on a thrilling journey through the bloody shared history of England and Scandinavia, and on across early medieval Europe, from the wild Norwegian fjords to the wealthy cities of Muslim Andalusia.Warfare, plotting, backstabbing and bribery abound as Tore Skeie weaves sagas and skaldic poetry with breathless dramatization to bring the world of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons to vivid life.

Tore Skeie is a Norwegian historian and one of the most acclaimed non-fiction writers in his home country, having written several prize-winning and best-selling medieval history titles. Tore is known for his eye for historical and human drama, while his books have been praised both for their thrilling style and the way they challenge traditional national-oriented historical narratives. The Wolf Age was a bestseller in Norway, won the prestigious Sverre Steen award and is the first of Tore's books to be translated into English.

'Tremendously well-written... Masterfully executed' - Stavanger Aftenblad, 6 out of 6 stars 'This true story is like The Lord of the Rings, only better...What a wonderful tale this is!' - Dagbladet, 6 out of 6 stars 'Remember this name if you've never heard it before: Tore Skeie. What guts, what talent for writing and storytelling this historian and author has! Just hold on tight: The Battle of the North is almost like reading in a wind tunnel. There is a force to this material that pulls the reader from the present day back through the centuries' - VG, 5 out of 6 stars 'Tore Skeie lets the sources sprinkle poetic stardust on his down-to-earth prose...The portrayals of the caliphate in Al Andalus and of the Anglo-Saxon realm in themselves are worth the price' - Klassekampen