Monday 21 November 2011

Raven Blood Eye

I’ve just finished reading Raven Blood Eye by Giles Kristian. If your into the Saga game by Gripping Beast then it’s a must read. I’ve yet to buy the rules but I’ve read the reviews and have got the idea behind them. The book could have been written for the rules, similar to how all the warhammer books are written to accompany the rules of the same name.
It tells the story of a young man called Osric, who has a permanent bloodshot eye from a head injury, hence the title. Captured by Norsemen (the author rarely uses the term Viking in the book believing the word brings pre conceived ideas) he quickly becomes indoctrinated into their fellowship and embarks on a bloody quest across Britain, battling war bands from Wessex, Mercia and the Welsh.
One of the things that I really enjoyed in the book is the portrayal of the two religions. The clash of paganism and Christianity runs through out the story. The pagans see the Christ worshippers as weaklings and the Christians see them as blood thirsty heathens. By the end of the story you get a better understanding of the religious driving force behind the Viking raids across the sea and their fearless confrontation of death on the battle field.
All in all, its an excellent read and I highly recommend it, there’s also a follow on book called Sons of Thunder. Right I’m off to buy a copy of the Saga rules now.

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