Hunting The Sun (The Midwinter Dragon)
Third in Gill’s The Midwinter Dragon series of Viking adventures set in 12th-century Orkney and beyond, this volume takes us far beyond: to Sicilia, Ifriqiya and eventually Jórsalaheim, as they are spelled. In this fast-moving warrior adventure tale, the independent-minded Hlif joins her husband Skarfr’s travels, if not his battles. Exiled from Orkney, he’s military advisor to the Sicilians, while she, as a trader, can enter places women are ordinarily denied. Only a Sicilian crone is more powerful than she until Hlif employs her supernatural gifts as a völva. Hilf is a risk-taker, so her ventures are no less suspenseful than Skarfr’s. Through the map maker al Idrisi, Skarfr, and later Hlif, learn about the political realms to the east, essential information. Religious tolerance seems to be practiced in Sicilia: King Roger is Christian, most of the population is Muslim, and Skarfr and Hlif follow the gods Óðinn, Thor, and Freya. As long as all give credence to the White Christ, apparently they may believe as they please—yet the accusation of apostasy threatens.
The cast of characters is huge, with alliances and vengeance playing out back in Orkney while Skarfr and Hlif are away. Those who’ve not read the earlier books can pick up on the relationships and backstories, and the wide-ranging primary plots are fresh in the moment. Female characters besides Hlif add their perspectives and reactions to the man’s world: the Orkney women Inge and Margaret; Brigid, an Irish thrall; Rachel, a Jewish slave who works in the Sicilian silkworks cum brothel; and two deaf African girls Hlif rescues from slavery, among others. Jean Gill’s research fills the book with striking, memorable details, and her artful maps are helpful. A fourth volume will complete the compelling saga of Skarfr and Hlif.
