Kings of Stone and Ice (Wolves of Odin, 6)
S.J. A. Turney delivers another rousing saga of blood, honour, and destiny in Kings of Stone and Ice, a gripping Viking adventure that brings the Wolves of Odin full circle. After years of plundering and voyaging across distant shores, the seasoned warband led by Jarl Halfdan Loki-Born returns to familiar waters—not for rest, but for revenge.
Their mission: to hunt down the last man responsible for Halfdan’s father’s murder, the treacherous Christian priest Hjalmvigi. But fate, in true Norse fashion, has other plans. Upon docking, the Wolves are greeted by a much-missed memory from their past, Sea Wolf, their stolen ship, now back in the harbour. With it comes Harald Hardrada, last seen in Constantinople’s glittering chaos.
Hardrada, never one to rest quietly, is now plotting to seize the Norwegian throne. To do so, he needs allies with sharp blades and sharper reputations—and the Wolves of Odin fit the bill.
Turney masterfully blends gritty historical realism with high-stakes political drama. His battle scenes are raw and kinetic, steeped in the mud, steel, and fury of Norse warfare. But beyond the axe-swinging action, there’s a sharp focus on loyalty, legacy, and the burdens of leadership.
Rich in detail and brimming with intrigue, Kings of Stone and Ice captures the turbulent spirit of an age where alliances were fragile, kings were made by the sword, and legends were carved into saga. Turney chooses one character to focus on in each novel, and this is Leif’s turn.
As with his previous books, some of the prose is a little lazy; that was an adventure ‘to say the least’ is not one the book’s finer moments. A thunderous tale of vengeance and ambition, this novel cements the Wolves of Odin as one of the most compelling Viking war-bands in historical fiction.
