This is one of the best books i've read. Fridegard is the worlds most underrated writer. The book basically tells the story of Fridegard himself, he just added some action so it would be more fun to read. Fridegard had a hard time getting the book published because of it's sincere and harsh language. I would recommend anyone to read it.

The Holme Trilogy is really interesting, because in this Viking saga, the traditional warrior isn't the hero...his slave (thrall) Holme is. The book begins with a woman thrall, Ausi, giving birth to Holme's child after he raped her. (It seems that virtually every sexual relationship begins with/is always by rape.) The Viking chieftan of the settlement orders that the baby be abandoned to die in the woods, but Holme rescues the child (an unheard of act). He, Ausi & the child flee into the woods, living in a cave for a while. They later relocate outside a trading city on an island. The book has virtually no dialogue in it, and is interesting because the book shifts from blind narration to a "stream of consciousness" perspective from the characters even in the midst of a paragraph. The author does a brilliant job of setting the scenes & describing things in great detail. The book is filled with beautiful, haunting & terrifying imagry. Much like many of the works of Knut Hamsun, this is an "unromantic romance." The book grabbed my attention early on & held it fast. It's a wonderful story & a brilliant work of art. I can't wait to start reading part two later tonight. Get this!

This work is the second volume in the Holme Trilogy. This is an interesting & unique body of work, because the hero in this Viking saga isn't the traditional warrior - his slave is. Holme has freed himself & his family from the homestead that kept them as slaves all their lives. Venturing to a fictionalized trade city, based on the actual town of Birka, Holme ends up becoming a master smith & a man well-respected (by some) & feared (by all). Holme is not satisfied with just his family being free, but goes on to fight for all thralls to become freemen. Another theme in the trilogy that gains more importance in this book, is the spread of Christianity into the heathen land where most people worship barbaric & crude wooden gods. As Holme gets used to being around people, his intelligence & philosophy become sharper, & as in the last novel, there's virtually no dialogue and the book will slip from a modern-day narrator to Holme or other character's own stream-of-consciousness narrating the tale. As in the first book, this is a wonderful story, loaded with beautiful & haunting imagry. The descriptions are vivid & striking. The author is a brilliant artist, making this one of the best books I've ever read.

This is the final book in the Holme trilogy, a saga about a Viking thrall and his family. The book starts out with the aftermath of the destruction of the Christian church by Holme. He leads other thralls in an uprising for freedom, which ends in disaster. Once again, Holme is in trouble and must flee again. Holme goes to see the sympathetic king, and becomes his personal blacksmith. Holme's wife Ausi and daughter Tora move onto the king's settlement as well.

The family who originally owned Holme and Ausi is down to its last two surviving members - the old chieftains wife and their son. The old woman still wants vengence, meaning she wants to own Tora and Ausi once more. She's too afraid to want to own Holme again...he's far too dangerous. However, the son Svien has other ideas. He loves Tora and wants her to be his bride of her own free will. Svien works things out with Holme and things go well with Svien and Tora.

The clash between Christians and the worshippers of the old wooden gods comes to a head, and the battle between thralls and freemen continues. This is a very untraditional tale for the genre, written throughout with virtually no dialogue. Fridegard is a first-class storyteller, and infuses beautiful descriptions of wildlife and settings like a true master. The trilogy is a truly brilliant work of artistic literature.