Bohemia. 1370. A disgraced knight named Galien leads a band of hardened mercenaries on a mission for Mother Church. But in the dark forests of central Europe, a darker secret awaits. The Sunday Times bestselling author Giles Kristian (Lancelot, The Raven Viking Trilogy) takes us on an unnerving ride into fear and paranoia, bloodshed and redemption.
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Lancelot by Giles Kristian.
The legions of Rome are a fading memory. Enemies stalk the fringes of Britain. And Uther Pendragon is dying. Into this fractured and uncertain world the boy is cast, a refugee from fire, murder and betrayal. An outsider whose only companions are a hateful hawk and memories of the lost.
Yet he is gifted, and under the watchful eyes of Merlin and the Lady Nimue he will hone his talents and begin his journey to manhood. He will meet Guinevere, a wild, proud and beautiful girl, herself outcast because of her gift. And he will be dazzled by Arthur, a warrior who carries the hopes of a people like fire in the dark. But these are times of struggle and blood, when even friendship and love seem doomed to fail.
The gods are vanishing beyond the reach of dreams. Treachery and jealousy rule men's hearts and the fate of Britain itself rests on a sword's edge.
But the young renegade who left his home in Benoic with just a hunting bird and dreams of revenge is now a lord of war. He is a man loved and hated, admired and feared. A man forsaken but not forgotten. He is Lancelot.
Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian's epic new novel tells - through the warrior's own words - the story of Lancelot, that most celebrated of all King Arthur's knights. It is a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Raven 2: Sons of Thunder by Giles Kristian, read by Philip Stevens.
If you betray a Fellowship you are a dead man...
Raven and the Wolfpack plough the sea-road in pursuit of the Saxon traitor, Ealdred, who has left the Fellowship for dead and fled to the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne and the promise of untold riches. Sailing in search of revenge, the pagan Norsemen venture into the heart of a Christian empire that would wipe their kind from the face of the earth, a place where danger lies in wait around every bend of the great river up which they travel.
A young man with no memory and a blood-tainted eye, Raven has found friendship and purpose amongst this fierce band of warriors. Having proved himself in battle, he is now certain that Viking blood flows in his veins, but to survive this adventure, his cunning must be as sharp as his blade...
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Raven 3: Odin's Wolves by Giles Kristian, read by Philip Stevens.
We lusted for an even greater prize: one that can never be lost or stolen or burnt...
Raven and his fellow Vikings have suffered. Good men have died. Hard-won treasure has been lost. But for these Norsemen, there is something more precious than gold or silver, and that is fame - for this is what a warrior leaves behind when he has breathed his last.
And so the brotherhood sail for Constantinople, the city they call Miklagard. There, it is rumoured, both riches and glory are to be found, but the journey takes them through unknown and dangerous waters - from the wind-whipped marshes of the Camargue to the treachery and faded glory of a once-mighty Rome.
For Raven and the Wolfpack there is a high price to pay for the fame they seek. Miklagard's streets may seem paved with gold, but they also run with blood . . .
A brilliant, brutal new chapter in the story of Raven, this is historical fiction at its most authentic and exciting.
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Raven: Blood Eye by Giles Kristian, read by Philip Stevens.
The first book in a thrilling Viking trilogy that launched the career of acclaimed historical novelist Giles Kristian - who's now confronting the tumult and devastation of the English Civil War in The Bleeding Land...
For two years Osric has lived a simple life, though he is feared and shunned for his mysterious past and blood-red eye. When raiders from across the sea ransack his village, Osric finds himself taken prisoner by their chief, Sigurd the Lucky.
Immersed in the Norsemen's world and driven by their lust for adventure, Osric proves a natural warrior and forges a deep bond with Sigurd, who renames him Raven. But the Norsemen's world is a savage one, where loyalty is often repaid in blood, and a young man must become a killer to survive...
Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Wings of the Storm by Giles Kristian, read by Philip Stevens.
Fighting in Sweden for an ambitious warlord, Sigurd Haraldarson and his small but loyal band of oathsworn warriors are winning fame and reputation. But Sigurd knows that to take on his hated enemy, the oath-breaker King Gorm - the man who betrayed his father, a man Sigurd has vowed to kill - he must earn riches enough to build an army.
Many believe Sigurd to be Óðin-favoured, but his exploits have drawn the eye of another god, too: Loki the Trickster, and when a daring assassination attempt goes wrong, Sigurd finds himself a prisoner of the powerful Jarl Guthrum. Bound like a slave, his luck having seemingly deserted him, Sigurd is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola, a place where the blood of human sacrifice flows to appease the gods.
It is at Ubsola that Sigurd will face the sacrificial knife. And it is here that he will find a powerful relic, the great spear that was said to have once belonged to Óðin himself. With such a spear in his possession Sigurd might now assemble a host strong enough to challenge King Gorm and wreak the revenge he craves.
For, like Óðin, Sigurd will be the Wild Huntsman tearing through the sky on his fearsome steed, and the rage of his passing will be the sound of wings of the storm.
With Wings of the Storm, one of our finest young historical novelists brings his extraordinary Viking saga - an adventure to that is sure to satisfy any 'Game of Thrones' fan - to a triumphant close
Norway, AD 785 a vow of vengeance must be kept . . .
Sigurd Haraldarson has proved himself a great warrior . . . and a dangerous enemy.
He has gone a long way towards avenging the murder of his family. And yet the oath-breaker King Gorm, who betrayed Sigurd's father, still lives. And so long as he draws breath, the scales remain unbalanced.
The sacred vow to avenge his family burns in Sigurd's veins, but he must be patient and bide his time. He knows that he and his band of warriors are not yet strong enough to confront the treacherous king. They need silver, they need more spear-brothers to rally to the young Viking's banner but more than these, they need to win fame upon the battlefield.
And so the fellowship venture west, to Sweden, to fight as mercenaries. And it is there in the face of betrayal and bloodshed, on a journey that will take him all too close to the halls of Valhalla that Sigurd's destiny will be forged. There, in the inferno of winter's fire . . .
The Vikings return in this thrilling, thunderous sequel to Giles Kristian's bestselling God of Vengeance.
Norway 785 AD. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king . . . King Gorm puts Jarl Harald’s family to the sword, but makes one fatal mistake – he fails to kill Harald’s youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side. With them - and with the help of the All-Father, Odin - he determines to make a king pay in blood for his treachery. Using cunning and war-craft, Sigurd gathers together a fellowship of warriors – including his father's right-hand man Olaf, Bram (who men call Bear), Black Floki who wields death with a blade, and the shield maiden Valgerd, who fears no man – and convinces them to follow him. For, whether Ódin is with him or not, Sigurd will have vengeance. And neither men nor gods had best stand in his way . . .God of Vengeance is a must-read for all who enjoy thrilling, action-packed fiction - from Bernard Cornwell to George R R Martin's Game of Thrones.
For readers of Game of Thrones, Ken Follett, and Clive Cussler: an epic adventure spanning land and sea. . . time and distance. . . courage, revenge, and everything in between.
He saw his father executed in battle. He spent his youth avenging that death. And now Henry 'Hal' Courtney is a man with a ship—and a family—of his own.
But fate has not finished with Hal. On a voyage along the eastern shore of Africa, a powerful enemy abducts his wife, the fearless warrior Judith… and with her, Hal's unborn child. For Hal, a man all too familiar with loss, there is only one way forward: He must track his nemesis across desert and ocean, through the slave markets of Zanzibar and the dangerous waters of the coast, in pursuit of the woman he loves, the child he sired, and the glorious destiny that awaits him.
Bursting with action and suspense, heroism and heartache, this unforgettable novel proves once more than Wilbur Smith is the world's greatest adventure writer.
England 1642: a nation divided.
England is at war with itself. King Charles and Parliament each gather soldiers to their banners. Across the land men prepare to fight for their religious and political ideals. Civil war has begun.
A family ripped asunder.
The Rivers are landed gentry, and tradition dictates that their allegiance is to the King. Sir Francis' loyalty to the crown and his desire to protect his family will test them all. As the men march to war, so the women are left to defend their home against a ruthless enemy. Just as Edmund, the eldest of Sir Francis' sons, will do his duty, so his brother Tom will turn his back on all he once believed in...
A war that will change everything.
From the raising of the King's Standard at Nottingham to the butchery and blood of Edgehill, Edmund and Tom Rivers will each learn of honour, sacrifice, hatred and betrayal as they follow their chosen paths through this most savage of wars.
