I have always been intrigued by Harald Hardrada, a tough no-nonsense leader of the Vikings. The author puts flesh on the bones of this complex character through the eyes of Eric, one of his loyal henchmen. The novel is written so well, that I can relate to most of the protagonists, especially Eric. The intrigues and shift in loyalties are quite interesting and very difficult to fully comprehend after 940 years have passed.
My personal relationship with Harold, first started in my school play at the age of seven, when to my great disappointment, and embarrassment, the tip of my wooden spear broke off during the battle of Stamford Bridge! I have been fascinated in Hardrada ever since.
The battle scenes and bloody executions are exceptionally violent, which add to the pace and enjoyment of the book.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I actually am intrigued by this book! I had a wonderful time reading it because I had no idea who Herald Herdrada was. I ended up looking up who he was and it really took me down this whole historical rabbit hole that made this book even more interesting and fun to read. My understanding is that this book is part of a series, but I have not read any of them. This was the first book that I have had the chance to dive into. I love that there’s so much history in this book, and if you’re into historical fiction then this is definitely the book for you. We follow Herald and his adventure into politics and much more. I will definitely be back tracking into the books I missed out on in the series. This was worth the read, and if you’re a historical fiction lover, I definitely recommend this book.

#boldwoodbooks #jcduncan #rararesources

Emperor’s Axe, is the third book in the Last Viking series by JC Duncan. The book starts with Eric, who takes his story outside to reminisce with the villagers while waiting for the king and his posse. The story he begins with is a time where Harold Eric and the rest of the crew or basically relaxing, as defenders of the Empire. With a tentative peace between the emperor and the Empress, there’s a lot of drinking and carousing going on, but not as much as one would usually fine with Vikings because Harold expects better from his men. when some of Harolds men are poisoned after eating something intended for him. The fun games are over. It doesn’t take Harold, who is a thinking, man to figure out who has it in for him, but if he thought he was disliked by his attempted murderer, he hasn’t seen anything yet. when he is sent to another battle in another foreign country, he is met by an Italian ally army, who is being led by one of the most pomppus men Harold has ever met. It seems the battle isn’t the only problem because his men are tired and they’re starting to wonder if they’ll ever see home again. It’s been 10 years since they left and some of them would like to go back, at least the ones who have lived through the battles this far. unfortunately, there fight is an over and no matter who it is with Harold will be up for the challenge. Once again, we are gifted with great fight scenes and although sometimes all the political stuff gets confusing, I really and thoroughly enjoyed these books not to mention the big surprise at the end with Empress Zoe really shocked me, but I guess since times or what they are, it just makes the book that much better. I love Eric’s character the younger him and the older him. This is just a great series. Over the past five years I really have become obsessed with JC Duncan warrior stories and I don’t see that changing. I cannot wait for the next book, I will definitely be looking for it.#NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #TheLastViking, #JCDuncan, #TheEmperorsAxe,

Emperor’s Axe is the third book in s series about the early life of Harald Hardrada: for British readers, he was of course the King of Norway who was killed in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge following a failed invasion of England. I presume the series will be long and cover his entire life eventually.

Hardrada spent much of his early life adventuring and making a name for himself around Europe and finally in service to the Byzantine royal family. The story is told from the POV of one of his retainers: Eric. In this instalment there is a failed expedition to Sicily, and plenty of Byzantine Court politics. Bloody and cut-throat stuff. Still, it was some interesting history, especially when it detailed the relationship between the Emperors and their Varangian Guard.

The writing style of this series is crammed full of historical details and drama. Some might not like it and find it they get bogged down but that’s just a personal taste. There’s plenty of fight scenes as well. Good for all historical fiction lovers, but with some content warnings for a few of my followers for language and violence

I was sent a Netgalley Widget of this title by Rachel of Boldwood Books. This did not influence my opinions, and they are entirely my own.

Emperor's Axe is book three in JC Duncan's epic retelling of Harald Hardrada's life. I've read the first two books.

Emperor's Axe sees our hero, Harald, still deeply embroiled in the court politics of the era, only this time, he does seem to have found himself an enemy that might just be his match, John, the Emperor's brother. As such, he quickly finds himself and many of his men shipped off to fight a seemingly impossible offensive in Sicily and on the mainland of what is now Italy. The expedition's leaders are ineffective, placed there because of politics and not skill. That's never going to go down well with Harald, who has a thirst for action and brave daring-do. And it is up to our narrator, Eric the Follower, to intervene when allies threaten to become enemies.

Eric, narrating his tale fifty years later, has the benefit of hindsight and can gloss over some details, but he never shies away from being honest about Harald's character. He might follow him, but always agree with him? That's another thing entirely.

And indeed, Harald's thirst for action and brave daring-do, as opposed to having a sound head for politics, leads him to the tumultuous concluding events of the novel, when he is finally allowed to return to Constantinople, and finds the Empress and Emperor in crisis.

JC Duncan never lets us forget that the Emperor and Empress rule over vast swathes of land. Neither can we forget that Harald has a goal in mind, reclaiming his dead brother's kingship as soon as he's able. This is a hugely entertaining novel, managing to encapsulate so much, including the Norman warriors as well as the Norsemen, and stuffed with detail. A fabulous read.

Wow wow wow!!! This was such a ride. The character development and world building was top notch. This is a must read!!

I missed the first 2 books in the series, but Harald being a many times great uncle, I knew enough to pick up Eric's tale of the Varangian Guard. Emperor's Axe is not only told in a unique way, but it is full of intrigue, action, and adventure. This is the first book I've read from this author and I wasn't disappointed, in fact, I'll be chomping at the bit waiting for the next installment.

This was a strong installment in this series and enjoyed the overall historical element to this book. It had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed about both the genre and the way JC Duncan writes. The characters felt like they belonged in this time-period and glad I got to read this.