An interesting short story, written as a companion to the Bernicia Chronicles, by the same author. Readers of that series might be interested to note that it acts as a sort of prequel, featuring many of the characters from the same series, and also Octa, the older brother of Beobrand, who dies early on the first book, and is remembered only in the memory of the other characters.

I would not say this one was entirely according to my taste: I borrowed it mostly because I requested it on NetGalley a long while back, but forgot to download it. The style is fairly typical of a lot of books like this: basically, a bunch of badass warriors in armor go off to fulfill their destiny or right some great wrong. Lots of violence, gore, masculine camaraderie, and ultimate heroism: plus a helping of drinking and banter. Nothing wrong with those things, per se, its just its, not the type of matter I care to read on a regular basis.

It was above all else, an interesting take on the story of Beowulf. Even though I don't entirely buy the Northumbrian setting and think it was inspired by the landscape of East Anglia.

Kin of Cain: A Short Bernicia Tale Kindle Edition
by Matthew Harffy 
Never in my life have I wanted to give out the spoiler for the mystery of a novel, so I am going to talk around it. Anyone who has taken English 101, will figure out what I am talking about.
A Viking/Anglo-Saxon adventure as Octa and his men chase after a man eating monster. Mr. Harffy does an amazing job of dispelling the glamour of the High Fantasy quest. Octa, Bassa and the others neither freeze, go hungry, get hurt and even run away when it gets to difficulty. He has done more than create character or heroes, he has created real men with real problems – pride, stubbornness and eventually PTSD. My only complaint is,while the men get filling out, the women are servers, mothers and silent, damaged creatures. There are histories of that period of women warriors and I felt like the Zak Snyder decision to almost not make a Wonder Woman movie.
He tells the story in a more realistic way than it's 15th century manuscript, without the horror of Olde English that you have to read aloud to get through. He hits every point. I'm not a big fan of all male quest stories, but the Viking/Anglo-Saxon over tones (thank you kindle for a internal connection for a dictionary and Wikipedia) made it fascinated. I could honestly see Chris Hems worth running around the great hall.
A fine, fast and wonderfully Viking/Anglo Saxon adventure that will appeal to not only fantasy readers but folk-lore students and adventure nuts
https://smile.amazon.com/Kin-Cain-Short-Bernicia-Tale-ebook/dp/B01M2WDNMA/

4 out of 5

Although I had not heard of or read the Bernicia Chronicles, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventurous book set in Anglo Saxon Britain. With an unknown evil stalking the land, a group of warriors is sent out to deal with this looming threat. I will be looking for more by this talented historical fiction author.

Set in anglo-saxon Britain (630 AD ),it represents a classic adventure story (really a story because this is actually a novella),and it has all the right ingredients:the king,the mead hall,the warriors,the ice-cold marshes,death and the shadow of a monster.An absolute brilliant read.

I received a free E-Arc from Netgalley.

Kin of Cain is a short story written in the same 'universe' as the Bernicia Tales. However, it is set some time previous to the first novel (I think 2 or 3 years) and this, for me is a very good thing because (spoiler ahead) it means that grumpy Beobrand has not yet made an appearance and instead the story focuses on his brother and a few of the other main characters, most notably Bassus. As such, it is much lighter in tone than the Bernician Chronicles and a far easier read. The story flows very well and if I'm slightly perplexed about where the 'marsh' and the 'cliff face' is in North Northumberland, I'm sure that someone will let me know soon enough. I do have a thing about only visiting sandy beaches for my walks and this might be my own oversight.

The 'monster' is well portrayed as is the solving of the mystery of where it is and what it is.

I hadn't realised that the author was offering a possible retelling of a very famous Anglo-Saxon story until the very end when it was made abundantly clear, as I think the story works very well on its own.

I'm sure fans of the Bernicia Chronicles will enjoy the story. I certainly did, and I do hope that the author considers more side-stories that focus on the other characters of his ''universe' as opposed to Beobrand (hint hint, pretty please).

I just finished Kin of Cain by Matthew Harffy and I thought it was a really exciting story! Quite the adventure. The novella is short but doesnt fall short on adventure. It follows a band of anglo saxons on a journey to find the beast named the "Kin of Cain". It was so interesting and I really enjoyed the storyline behind the Hrunting sword. It added a nice touch to the story.The chapters seemed short and seamless resulting in a fast read. I liked the characters and they felt so relateable because even though they were tough guys, you could feel their fear at the uncertainty that was the beast. It's nice to see that in a story especially one full of action like this one. I enjoy seeing some of their customs regarding the dead. The ending parts are shocking to say the least as the beast' identity is revealed and it's for sure a crazy twist! I am definitely going to read more of the books set in Bernicia.

I give this book a 4.5/5 stars. I would like to see more about females from this time period but I understand it is a short story and can't cover everything in that world. I really enjoyed this and recommend it if you want a short, fast, exciting ride!

I received an e-book arc of this story from NetGalley free of charge. I really appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is set to release March 1, 2017.