The Whale Road

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 352 pages
• Published by: Thomas Dunne Books August 21, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0312361947
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0312361945
• Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
British journalist Low's debut novel is a rousing, sprawling saga of Viking warriors and the quest for hidden treasure. The adventure begins in A.D. 965, when 15-year-old Orm Ruriksson—aka Orm the Bear Slayer—joins the Oathsworn, a band of raiders that includes his father, Rurik, and is led by the ruthless Einar the Black. After hearing a tale about a mountain of silver that once belonged to Attila the Hun, the band sets out to find it, accompanied by a madwoman who claims to know the treasure's location. The daunting journey becomes more treacherous as competitors also race for the prize. Bluetooth, the King of the Danes and the Norwegians, covets the treasure for himself, and an unscrupulous Catholic monk joins the chase, not for the silver but for the Spear of Destiny—the spear that pierced Christ's side on the cross and was later forged into Attila's sword. Low mixes history, archeology, mythology and nonstop, often-sanguinary action into a fast-moving adventure tale. (Aug.)
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Product Description
A band of brothers, committed only to each other, rides the waves, fighting for the highest bidder, treading the whale road in search of legendary relics.
Life is savage aboard a Viking raiding ship. When Orm Rurikson is plucked from the snows of Norway to brave the seas on the Fjord Elk, he becomes an unlikely member of the notorious crew. Although young, Orm must quickly become a warrior if he is to survive.
His fellow crew are the Oathsworn---named after the spoken bond that ties them in brotherhood. They fight hard, they drink hard, and they always defend their own.
But times are changing. Loyalty to the old Norse Gods is fading, and the followers of the mysterious “White Christ” are gaining power across Europe. Hired as relic hunters, the Oathsworn are sent in search of a sword believed to have killed the White Christ. Their quest will lead them onto the deep and treacherous waters of the whale road, toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun and to a challenge that presents the ultimate threat.
Robert Low has written a stunning epic, a remarkable debut novel. Not only a compelling narrative, The Whale Road also brings a new Viking landscape stretching from Scotland through the Baltic and on to Istanbul. International Praise for The Whale Road:
 
“A company of warriors, desperate battles, an enthralling read.”
---Bernard Cornwell

“A fantastic book, one of the best I have read for years. There’s a wonderful earthiness to the proceedings and he creates a tangible sense of being there. There’s a sturdy, lyrical, and epic quality about the writing that makes it feel like the kind of saga a Viking would recount in his old age.”
---Simon Scarrow

“A stirring Viking series of blockbuster battles and religious intrigue.”
---Publishing News
 
“Action-packed and evocative.”
---Herald (Glasgow)
 

Reader Reviews
When I read the description of "The Whale Road" on Amazon, I was skeptical. It seemed to me that the author was trying to bring too many elements together, and that the result was bound to be a jumble. I could not have been more wrong. "The Whale Road" is a rare treat- a book that combines high adventure, meticulous historical research and the excitement of ancient mysteries. The premise, of a band of oath-sworn comrades (in Old Norse, a "felag") seeking an ancient treasures based on clues that they have to traverse the known world to find, is believable and innovative. The characters are well-developed, from the narrator's companions to the historical and fictional figures they come across in their quest. Those who are familiar with the tale of Sigurd from the Volsunga Saga (VOLSUNGA SAGA - The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs) and other works of Old Norse literature (e.g., The Sagas of Icelanders: Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition (World of the Sagas) will delight in Low's inventive and fresh look at the legends and tales of this fascinating culture.