Dubh-linn: A Novel of Viking Age Ireland (The Norsemen Saga Book 2)

It's 853 AD in Ireland, and everybody, or almost everybody, has edged weapons of some sort and knows how to use them. Bloodletting and carnage ensue.Having kicked out the Danes, the Norsemen have established a more or less permanent trading settlement in what becomes modern Dublin. Some, including Thorgrim Night Wolf, just want to get back to Norway. Others are either having too much fun, or are getting too wealthy, to be in any hurry to get back home. The Irish are hopelessly divided amongst themselves, with a plethora of Kings, large and small, all conspiring to become the High King. Collectively they outnumber the Norse, but spend as much time fighting amongst themselves as having at the invaders.Dubh-Linn picks up where Fin Gall left off. Thorgrim and his none-too-bright son Harald are languishing in Dubh-Linn trying to catch a ride back home. Unbeknownst to everybody, Harald has fathered a child upon Brigit, an Irish princess, with an agenda of her own. The situation gets very convoluted, as Brigit's husband got killed off in Fin Gall, and she needs a suitable candidate with a legitimate claim to the High Kingship, in order to bring her plans to fruition.There are raids and counter-raids. Fights amongst the Irish, and the deep machinations of one Finnian, an Irish priest on a mission. It is not always clear amongst the various groups who is doing what to whom. This culminates in a three-way battle in which nobody has any idea what is going on.Nelson, most of whose writing has been nautical, shows a deft touch with the land battles that populate the book. Given that it is all hand to hand combat things can get very bloody, indeed. The overall structure of the book is well plotted, and he keeps the various threads of the story intertwined without losing track. The characters are all well drawn. Thorgrim is both weary of it all, but ready to engage both his brains and his sword when called upon. He worries about his son Harald, and not without reason. Brigit emerges as a devious lady with a plan, and no scruples about using and discarding people who care for her if the situation demands it. Finnian, the priest, plays a deep game, and exhibits a sense of humor on occasion. The most interesting character is Starri Deathless, a berserker warrior with an almost Zen like approach to everything that does not involve hacking at his enemies.All in all a very satisfying book, and I look forward to the third volume in the series. I do hope Thorgrim makes it home.A word or two about indie publishing that some regard with suspicion. True, the bad old days of vanity presses have made serious readers a tad leery of anything that has not emerged from a known publishing house. And doubtless there is still a lot of out-and-out crap that can turn up for sale. However I think the technology available is in the process of changing the nature of bookselling. Nelson has an excellent track record with established publishers before turning to indie publishing. Antoine Vanner, with no track record that I can discover, is turning out excellent work in his Dawlish Chronicles series. I think it is important to read reviews before buying, and exercise caution, but, let's face it, established publishing houses have turned out some real junk, including best sellers. I would not summarily reject books published in the fashion that brings is Dubh Linn simply because it is different. A good read is a good read, no matter how it arrives in your hands.

I'm a little late to the party in reviewing this series, and others before me have laid out in detail the premise of this book. All I will say about the story, is I concur with the vast majority of positive reviews found on here. This is a fun story of Viking establishment in Ireland during the 9th century, filled with lots of battles and emotional intrigue. I also enjoyed the great descriptions of the Irish countryside and coast, as well as the nautical descriptions. There are 2 things I would like to mention about this story that I think are important to some people who are on the fence about reading this series. The first, is that there were some negative reviews regarding the lack of editing found in this book. It is true that the spacing (for the kindle) at the beginning of each chapter was off and disjointed, and also this was the case for the last sentence at the end of some of the chapters. It is also true, that there were some "tense" issues (a sentence in present tense, when it should have been past tense). Also every once in awhile there were words like "that" when it should have been "than" or "ship" when it should have been "ships". However I'm appalled by the sticklers that give this such a low rating because of 20-30 errors found throughout the book. Really 99.9% of the book is well written and easy to read, and I personally care more about the stellar content, than I do the few structural errors. The second thing that is worth noting, is how unbias Nelson is at portraying religion and politics. This is in stark contrast to Cornwell who infuses his own religious and political agenda into his writing. I felt like Nelson was just telling us a story from both sides of the coin, and not rying to tell us what side was better. All in all, this is a fantastic series well worth looking into if you are into historical fiction, or just great epic stories filled with action and intrigue.

Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres and as someone who loves historical fiction and Old Norse history, the Norsemen Saga by James L. Nelson was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I downloaded a free Kindle sample of the first novel Fin Gall and couldn’t put it down! I read all five novels which clock in at about 300 pages each in about 3 weeks.All five novels flow easily from one to the next and do not get bogged down in excessive details or require a PhD is history to follow! I have read several novels based on Scandinavian history and Norse Mythology that required much more effort to follow! There is also a glossary of Scandinavian and Maritime terms for those of us who are land-lubbers and are unfamiliar with the details of sailing ships!Also, I would feel remiss if I did not mention that there are several passages in this book that discuss rape. There are few actual rape scenes and they are short and I don’t consider them graphic. However, for those who are sensitive regarding this subject, you may want to avoid this book. Personally, I feel the author handles the topic within the context of the Medieval worldview and societal norms of the period. In fact, the main characters denounce rape and do not tolerate it among their brethren.As a reader, the most important aspect of a novel for me is Voice and Character Development. Regardless of Genre, if a novel can fool me into thinking the character(s) are real and their voice speaks to my soul, then I am hooked! While I do detest predictable plotlines, well written characters can make up for occasional predictability. I thoroughly enjoyed James L. Nelson’s characters in all their flaws and glory! There were some plot twists I saw coming and a few I did not! Overall it was an enjoyable experience.In conclusion, I would definitely recommend the novels in this series, and will likely read James L. Nelson’s other works as well.

This is the second episode and book of the Norsemen Saga, and of the adventures of Thorgrim Night Wold, his son Harald Broad Arm, and his father-in-law, Jarl Ornulf the Restless. It is the continuation of, and much like, the first with some new twists.Most of the action focuses around the fight for the high Kingship of Ireland and possession of Tara between two Irish factions, in which Thorgrim and his relatives get embroiled. This allows the author, as he had started to do in the previous episode but here perhaps to a greater extent, to describe the Hill of Tara and the Royal Seat. Given that just about all buildings were in wood and have not survived, the description is mostly fictitious although it is a plausible one.The story starts with a Viking raid on an Irish settlement where Thorgrim and Harald illustrate themselves with the first displaying his special talents and the second being rather heroic. An additional twist in this volume is the befriending of Thorgrim by Starri Deathless and his band of berserkers.Once again, you can expect an action-packed novel, with the added savagery, howling and quasi-suicidal attacks of the berserkers in addition to the “usual” shield walls and battles. There is in particular one scene towards the end of the book where Starri and Harald attack such a shield wall on their own and which is simply gripping.Note however that all of the heroics and deeds are presented in such a way that they appear more or less believable. The heroes gets bashed, battered and wounded, although they survive. Ornulf the huge old a-Viking jarl is still his usual boisterous self but a very dangerous warrior when his family is threatened and the battle rage takes him. Thorgrim’s feats add a twist of fantastic/magic that will appeal to all those who are keen on this genre, with one hunt scene at night in the forest being particularly exciting and well-conceived. In this volume, Harald grows up both literally – he grows stronger – and metaphorically – he becomes less naïve and realises that “his” Irish princess is using him in more senses than one.Another interesting feature is the everyday life among the Viking warriors with their favourite drinking, feasting, brawling and whoring occupations when just back from a successful raid. Also good is the depiction of the Norse settlement of Dublin that Thorgrim would so much want to leave to head home to his Norse Vik with neither of his relatives keen on heading back. This volume also sees Thorgrim and co being rather more successful than in the previous volume in which they lost their ship in one of their desperate struggles. He accordingly starts this story with having to take service under another Jarl together with his son Harald.The book also includes its fair share of plots, intrigue, spying and assassinations, whether attempted or successful. If you like action-packed Viking adventure stories, then you will thoroughly enjoy this one (and the previous one). There are a few “glitches” however and these are much the same as in the previous volume: a few typos and a few liberties taken with the Irish historical characters. Another omission is the perhaps the lack of a map of Ireland to allow readers that might be unfamiliar with place names mentioned in the book to locate them.Despite these glitches, I am going to rate this one five stars, because I thoroughly enjoyed Thorgrim Night Wolf on the prowl and Starri Deathless and his berserkers in action.

I love all James Nelson's sea-faring novels - indeed his Brethren of the Coast series partially inspired my own Sea Witch Voyages....I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first in his Viking Tales, and now, having devoured the second I feel the urge to write my own Viking-based adventure. But to what point? I couldn't improve upon Mr Nelson, so I'll happily leave the job to the Master Seafarer and eagerly await the next in the series (I do so hope there is going to be one!)

Epic story from start to finish, enjoyed every page and delighted to read on the end of the book that no 3 is the series is out soon.Book 1 was good but this one is a brilliant follow up, loved the newly added characters, especially Starri Deathless. Bernard Cornwall's warrior series of books has now some serious competition in these James L.Nelsons storys.

Great book. It is a second part of a series. Reader needs to concentrate a little bit at the beginning of the first book to remember who is who but after that it is a very interesting read.

Well researched tale of rucks between Norsemen, and alliances with the Gaels in the 10th Century. Mustn't say too much, it'd spoil your fun!