Book Review: Thor’s Revenge by Donovan Cook

I’m pleased to be welcoming Donovan Cook back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his novel, Thor’s Revenge.

A kingdom without a crown.

A boy forsaken by his God.

A warrior bent on revenge.

After the bloody Battle of Jelling, Denmark’s throne lies empty and chaos reigns as Jarls jostle for power.

Sven survives the bloodshed only to return home to find Ribe sacked by those he trusted and Charles, a pawn in a much bigger political game, kidnapped.

Consumed by the loss of Charles, Sven is shocked by the arrival of the Abbess Hildegard, daughter of his nemesis King Louis of East Francia, who seeks the whereabouts of Charles, her son, and also the cross of Charlemagne.

But whilst others want revenge for the chaos Sven has caused, Denmark burns and Sven must stand in the shield wall one more time if he is to survive and rescue his grandson.

Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Sven and Charles must put their fate in the hands of the gods if they ever want to see each other again.

*****

Thor’s Revenge continues the journey of Sven the Boar, his grandson, Charles, and the gold cross which Charles escaped to Denmark with.

Following a disastrous battle outside of Ribe, young Charles believes many of his friends to be dead and is in the custody of his grandfather’s enemies. Meanwhile Sven, reeling from the loss of his grandson, is drinking himself into a stupor. Charles must stay strong in the face of great uncertainty, of both his future and his faith as he feels that God has abandoned him.

All the while French agents are circling, having determined that the cross of Charlemagne has been taken to Demark, and they will do anything to recover it and see the empire of France rebuilt.

I have read the other books in the series and this instalment does not disappoint. It is a brisk read which keeps you turning pages and draws you through (I read it in two sittings!).

The characters are as vivid as always and as the series goes on you cannot help but feel more and more invested in them.

Thor’s Revenge is book 3. At this point in the series, I think that it is pretty much a must that you read the other books first; you could read this on its own but the story would suffer for it.

I am a fan of this author. You can tell he has taken the time to research the time period and has put a lot into the writing.

This novel is full of action, strong characters and history. I recommend this series especially if you’re a historical fiction fan. I look forward to book four.

About Donovan Cook  –

Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series and the Charlemagne’s Cross series, both of which combine fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world and are inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology.

Donovan was born in South Africa but raised in England.

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Thor’s Revenge is book 3 in the Charlemagne’s Cross book series and was released by Boldwood Books on 1st March 2024. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones. 

by

Chris Parish