ENGLAND AT WAR

The foolish King Ethelred has fled, and Askeladd's band is one of hundreds plundering the English countryside. Yet victory brings no peace to the elderly Danish King Sweyn, who worries that his untested, sensitive son Canute will never be ready to take the throne. The king's attempt to force his son to become a man places the young prince within the grasp of the gleeful killer Thorkell Whoever holds Canute holds the key to the thrones of England and Denmark - and Askeladd has his own reasons for joining the fray

"With its rich visual details, emotional pull and...

A BLOODY COMING OF AGE
In a gambit to become the power behind the Danish and English thrones, Askeladd has taken the prince, Canute, and plunged deep into a winter storm behind enemy lines. Canute's father, King Sweyn, gives him up for dead in his haste to suppress English resistance. But Askeladd's small band can't outrun the tenacious maniac Thorkell forever, and when the warriors finally clash, a storm of sweat and gore ensues that will turn a boy into a man and a hostage into a ruler of men
-Gripping doesn't begin to describe Vinland Saga. 5 stars.- - ICv2
-Deeply engrossing......

A KING IS BORN
Pushed to the brink of despair after his father attempted to have him killed, Prince Canute has experienced an awakening, transforming him from a timid, gentle boy into a clear-eyed man with the heart of a king. But a king needs a crown, and Canute now knows that nothing will be given to him. If he wants to rule, he will have to prove his ruthlessness with a plot that will change the fate of the kingdom and spatter the throne with blood Meanwhile, Thorfinn watches events unfold that could steal away the vengeance he has waited so long to achieve...

A Life Without Purpose
After the assassination of King Sweyn and the execution of Askeladd, Thorfinn lost the object of his vengeance, his sense of purpose, and his freedom. Now a broken young man, he labors far from the battlefield, clearing a forest for his slave master's farm alongside the amiable Einar. But a sudden and brutal tragedy will shock Thorfinn out of his apathy, and force him to answer the question, -Do I still want to live?-

WITHIN THE KING'S GRASP
As Canute plots to become ruler of the entire Danish world, Thorfinn's only ambition is to see a harvest profitable enough to buy his own life back. But the fates of prince and slave will come together once again, as Canute plans to seize Ketil Farm from its kindhearted master. What sinister tricks does the have up his sleeve, and could they dash Thorfinn's hopes for freedom? Meanwhile, Einar's infatuation with Arnheid takes an unexpected turn when her former husband - an escaped slave - barges onto the farm, insisting she run away with him...
-A fascinating,...

DEATHS AND DECISIONS
His army starving for resources, King Canute schemes to confiscate Ketil's farm. Ketil and his sons become fugitives, barely escaping the capital aboard Leif Ericson's ship, but Canute follows in pursuit with his best men. Upon Ketil's return, he finds his beloved slave Arnheid has helped her former husband, a runaway who has killed many of Ketil's bodyguards, escape. Beset by betrayal on all sides, there may be no way out for Ketil, but Thorfinn finally has his freedom. Yet, the son of Thors feels bound to Denmark by his unfinished business with Canute...