Book Review: Brothers of the Sword by Peter Gibbons

Published August 5, 2023 | By Chris Parish

We are pleased to be welcoming Peter Gibbons to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his novel, Brothers of the Sword.

An epic battle where heroes fight and die to protect a Kingdom from Viking invasion…

991AD

King Aethelred the Unready’s Kingdom of the English is threatened. Olaf Tryggvason and his fleet of Viking warships snap at the coastal edges like ravenous wolves, and Sweyn Forkbeard, King of the Danes, has landed in East Anglia with an army of battle-hardened warriors.

Ealdorman Byrhtnoth of Essex must stand against them faced with overwhelming odds, forging his legend in the blood of his deadly enemies.

By his side, his Thegn, Beornoth, a brutal warrior and savage Saxon fighter is torn between his need to protect his loved ones, and his duty to fight for his Lord.

As the Vikings raid and slaughter, Beornoth is forced to fight for the survival of his oath sworn brothers, his Lord, and the Kingdom itself when all roads lead to the fateful Battle of Maldon.

Can Beornoth protect his people and survive one of the most famous battles of the Viking Age?

A thrilling story, packed with war, vengeance and visceral combat.

*****

Olaf Tryggvason and his vikings have set up along the coast, threatening the way of the life for the Saxons as they go from town to town taking and killing all that they can. Ealdorman Byrhtnoth of Essex, along with his Thegn, Beornoth stands against them but can they withstand the threat or will Olaf triumph?

Having read the previous novel in this series, I was eager to see what lay in store for Byrhtnoth and his warriors.

There were many things about this series in general that I liked. For example, the idea of Beornoth’s Hearthtroop and the anchors of history that the plot provides.

Beornoth is straightforward and this motivations are simple. He knows his place and his duty. He was a man of his age as was Olaf – where acts of revenge were tied in with honour. It does bring up an interesting question of ‘where does the cycle end?’

Olaf is the villain yes, but he too is fighting for the same things Beornoth fights for albeit in a horrible way. It doesn’t excuse it but it does connect the men.

Themes, such as honour, family and fighting for freedom are explored in this book and the plot moved along very well. There wasn’t a quiet moment. It was fast paced and actioned packed and fair warning, quite bloody in places.

Overall, I have been a big fan of the Saxon Warrior series. Book three did not disappoint and it had me enthralled right up until the end.

About Peter Gibbons –

Peter Gibbons is a financial advisor and author of the highly acclaimed Viking Blood and Blade trilogy. He comes to Boldwood with his new Saxon Warrior series, set around the 900 AD Viking invasion during the reign of King Athelred the Unready.