I went into reading this without fully realizing it is the finale of a saga. That being said, I still enjoyed the story and didn't feel too left out. I was expecting this to be along the lines of "HILD," which I had a decent time with, but at some points felt like a text book. "KINGS OF STONE AND ICE" read more like an epic fantasy, and had some cool historical notes. For instance, it never crossed my mind that the Gospels were originally written in Greek, yet Rome is the seat of the Holy Empire, and now during the rise that would cause some Christian conflict. The story pulled you along while showing how the world changed, pushing out the old traditions in favor of the cross. Right, or wrong, it showed how all humans just want to belong to something and the politics that normally could that endeavor. Following Halfdan while seeking revenge for himself and his wolves, was a fun tale. I'm happy I got to read it