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Akiniwazisaga: A Light Rises in a Dark World
What determines the value of a soul?
Despite the heroics of young Reimar, the farmhold of Aattaettirstrond is desperate. Their crops burned in a Skaerslinger raid and winter is fast approaching. Without aid, starvation is assured.
Brother Finn, is stranded by a viking attack that damaged the ship taking him into exile. Now under the authority of an overwhelmed priest, he is ordered to the farmhold of Aattaettirstrond and evaluate their need. Upon learning the magnitude of the farmhold's distress, Brother Finn negotiates a trade: seven children for the food needed to survive the winter.
The deal done, Brother Finn is forced to escort Reimar and six other children on their journey through a gauntlet of natural and supernatural dangers to Saint Martin's Academy. Once complete he must finish his journey into exile lest he be declared a fredlause and placed outside the law and marked for death by any one who desires it.
Despite the heroics of young Reimar, the farmhold of Aattaettirstrond is desperate. Their crops burned in a Skaerslinger raid and winter is fast approaching. Without aid, starvation is assured.
Brother Finn, is stranded by a viking attack that damaged the ship taking him into exile. Now under the authority of an overwhelmed priest, he is ordered to the farmhold of Aattaettirstrond and evaluate their need. Upon learning the magnitude of the farmhold's distress, Brother Finn negotiates a trade: seven children for the food needed to survive the winter.
The deal done, Brother Finn is forced to escort Reimar and six other children on their journey through a gauntlet of natural and supernatural dangers to Saint Martin's Academy. Once complete he must finish his journey into exile lest he be declared a fredlause and placed outside the law and marked for death by any one who desires it.
418 pages, Hardcover
Published February 17, 2017
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Boncher
9 books8 followersAs an author, artist and musician, M. D. Boncher has lead, a “Writer’s Life”. He has held several careers in many different industries from hospitality to trucking, giving him a wide breadth of experience with the human condition to draw on for his work. He has a passion for history, philosophy, and his Christian faith. His hobbies include such nerdy things as Tabletop RPGs, videogames, camping, gardening and (now) hunting, but most of it is spent in artistic creations. When not creating he’s either reading or watching a movie from his extensive curated collection of sci-fi, fantasy, comics, horror, action, comedies, classics literature or film, detective fiction or pulp.
An expatriated native Wisconsinite, he relocated during the pandemic and now lives deep in the mountains of West Virginia with his wife, three very fluffy cats and small flock of feisty but naïve chickens.
An expatriated native Wisconsinite, he relocated during the pandemic and now lives deep in the mountains of West Virginia with his wife, three very fluffy cats and small flock of feisty but naïve chickens.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 23, 2025
Inititally, I was at a loss for what the hierarchy or atmosphere was set up as, with words like Herse, Kyrkja, huskarl, greithr, and Hird used within the same paragraph and giving no detail as to what they mean. Lines like, "The decree of skoggang that exiled him to Kynligrspeijl" is me trying to get the Kindle to define it (it doesn't), or flipping to the book's glossary to see if the word is there, which isn't a fun read when it happens often enough. Like many new books/series, it was hard for me to get into, not knowing if this was targeted for a younger crowd or older but eventually the environment started to pan out. The demonic presence and their connection to shared mythology, as well as the atmosphere of apostasy through orthodoxy and the pillar-shaking ideas of reformation did make this a compelling read, at least for a Christian. The threat of draugrs, reanimation, birds of thunder and lightning, possession, and simply humanity gives this a darkly adult feel where Hope is there, God's Will is there, but our understanding may be at odds. I would seek more to see where it goes.
August 29, 2025
This work is very ambitious, and I admire how the author took so many chances and (mostly) pulled them off! He certainly took a risk placing this story in the New World while asking many bold 'what ifs!!
Set in a kingdom where massive ice walls have shut out the rest of the world, Christian descendants of Norse settlers are constantly battling the demonic forces that have enslaved the indigenous peoples.
The world building is unique, vivid and immersive. I LOVED the characters!!! The relationship between Brother Finn and young Reimar is so touching and believable! Even Bergamot is like a 'real' dog, but still heroic and legendary.
The way Boncher handled the scenes where the spirit world intersects with the everyday plane was very good. It was a great touch having the angels and demons described with a more American Indian appearance rather than European.
My main problems with this book is that is hard to pin down who it was written for. It contains a lot of genuine Christian ritual, theology (and politics), mixed in with some very imaginative digressions. It's more of an alternate history than a traditional fantasy epic. There are also some overlong Biblical references, which, while relevant to the action in the story, run the risk of pulling the reader out of the world. As such, traditional Christians and non-religious readers alike might be confused or offended.
However, I found these parts easy to pass over. The story bursts with so much imagination, the prose is so skillful, the characters so appealing and the adventure so rip-roaring, that I was utterly captivated.
Additionally, I happened to purchase the paperback version and was quite pleased to find it a beautifully formatted and produced work. The addition of an index and glossary at the back was appreciated.
Set in a kingdom where massive ice walls have shut out the rest of the world, Christian descendants of Norse settlers are constantly battling the demonic forces that have enslaved the indigenous peoples.
The world building is unique, vivid and immersive. I LOVED the characters!!! The relationship between Brother Finn and young Reimar is so touching and believable! Even Bergamot is like a 'real' dog, but still heroic and legendary.
The way Boncher handled the scenes where the spirit world intersects with the everyday plane was very good. It was a great touch having the angels and demons described with a more American Indian appearance rather than European.
My main problems with this book is that is hard to pin down who it was written for. It contains a lot of genuine Christian ritual, theology (and politics), mixed in with some very imaginative digressions. It's more of an alternate history than a traditional fantasy epic. There are also some overlong Biblical references, which, while relevant to the action in the story, run the risk of pulling the reader out of the world. As such, traditional Christians and non-religious readers alike might be confused or offended.
However, I found these parts easy to pass over. The story bursts with so much imagination, the prose is so skillful, the characters so appealing and the adventure so rip-roaring, that I was utterly captivated.
Additionally, I happened to purchase the paperback version and was quite pleased to find it a beautifully formatted and produced work. The addition of an index and glossary at the back was appreciated.
February 18, 2017
Bottom line – TLDNR – This is a very entertaining book. It is exciting, has great characters and great descriptions of the spiritual battles. This book is of the same caliber as Peretti’s books, “Piercing the Darkness” and “This Present Darkness”. IMHO. A helpful hint is keep the glossary close.
There are a lot of things about this book I enjoyed. I liked the aspects of Nordic culture (Vikings). Although the pronunciation of some of the words is tough. The Glossary helps. I liked the farming community setting at the start, the trials and the way life changes. Brother Finn is a great character and adding the children to the story is a new and interesting way to develop the story. I really like the discipleship aspects between Bro. Finn, Reimar and the other children. Later in the book, the questions of evangelism are explored. The spiritual battles are epic because the battle is happening in the world with the characters and at the same time in the spiritual world. The way the author works in the church and the Protestant reformation is extremely interesting. The different skills and trades of the priests, the politics, the aspects of steam punk and swords and sorcery sci-fi are all here. The “bad guys” in the book are an extremely interesting race or tribe and they have aspects of the native people of North America and Africa. Which do include some of our perceptions and prejudices. In my opinion, the book is as good as Peretti’s books, “Piercing this Darkness”, “This Present Darkness” and “The Oath”. The descriptions of what is happening on a spiritual level and how it touches the character’s world and their reality is especially intense. I also see aspects of the book that are like, and just as good as, Ted Dekkers, The Circle Series. If you like Christian Fiction, you will like this book. It had me thinking about the story and the characters for weeks after reading it. Bergamot is wonderful, and watch for Daniel…read it and see! I understand there will be more too!!!
There are a lot of things about this book I enjoyed. I liked the aspects of Nordic culture (Vikings). Although the pronunciation of some of the words is tough. The Glossary helps. I liked the farming community setting at the start, the trials and the way life changes. Brother Finn is a great character and adding the children to the story is a new and interesting way to develop the story. I really like the discipleship aspects between Bro. Finn, Reimar and the other children. Later in the book, the questions of evangelism are explored. The spiritual battles are epic because the battle is happening in the world with the characters and at the same time in the spiritual world. The way the author works in the church and the Protestant reformation is extremely interesting. The different skills and trades of the priests, the politics, the aspects of steam punk and swords and sorcery sci-fi are all here. The “bad guys” in the book are an extremely interesting race or tribe and they have aspects of the native people of North America and Africa. Which do include some of our perceptions and prejudices. In my opinion, the book is as good as Peretti’s books, “Piercing this Darkness”, “This Present Darkness” and “The Oath”. The descriptions of what is happening on a spiritual level and how it touches the character’s world and their reality is especially intense. I also see aspects of the book that are like, and just as good as, Ted Dekkers, The Circle Series. If you like Christian Fiction, you will like this book. It had me thinking about the story and the characters for weeks after reading it. Bergamot is wonderful, and watch for Daniel…read it and see! I understand there will be more too!!!
July 12, 2020
Good story, adventure, and wise words
Loved the story world and characters. Overall it was a great story. There was too much passive voice used and changing of perspective (head hopping), to the extent that it was confusing at times. At the same time I appreciated the vivid pictures of spiritual battles as well as the physical ones. Brother Finn's love for the displaced children and the way they grew to love him was very touching.
Loved the story world and characters. Overall it was a great story. There was too much passive voice used and changing of perspective (head hopping), to the extent that it was confusing at times. At the same time I appreciated the vivid pictures of spiritual battles as well as the physical ones. Brother Finn's love for the displaced children and the way they grew to love him was very touching.
June 15, 2017
I didn't care for this book. I thought the author was unnecessarily wordy and complicated. It wasn't whimsical or magical like Narnia, Middle Earth or Hogwarts. Maybe because I am a Christian who believes in spiritual things it felt too close to the line for my taste.
The whole story felt poorly executed.
The whole story felt poorly executed.
August 24, 2023
It was a really good book could not put it down. He is a truly a master of words. And a outstanding author. im not very articulate on how to convey my likes too well. But this book is one I would recommend to anyone.
May 10, 2023
Recently finished and found this to be a pleasant surprise.
I had the pleasure of meeting M.D. Boncher at a convention and found the man to be an absolute trip, so I bought one of his science fiction books. That turned out to be a lot of fun, so I went ahead and gave this one a whirl.
Dark Christian Fantasy (with Viking dressing) isn't exactly what I would call my thing, but I was in for a surprise. I found a well-thought-out world with some memorable characters and a decent amount of heart. The world feels authentic for what the author wants to convey.
I would say my biggest criticism is some parts feel a little overwritten. If Jesus is a turn-off for you, well, it is Christian Fantasy, he is invoked a lot. For me, it just felt mythological.
I can't say I was disappointed, and while I'm not jumping right into the sequel, I do plan to continue the journey.
I had the pleasure of meeting M.D. Boncher at a convention and found the man to be an absolute trip, so I bought one of his science fiction books. That turned out to be a lot of fun, so I went ahead and gave this one a whirl.
Dark Christian Fantasy (with Viking dressing) isn't exactly what I would call my thing, but I was in for a surprise. I found a well-thought-out world with some memorable characters and a decent amount of heart. The world feels authentic for what the author wants to convey.
I would say my biggest criticism is some parts feel a little overwritten. If Jesus is a turn-off for you, well, it is Christian Fantasy, he is invoked a lot. For me, it just felt mythological.
I can't say I was disappointed, and while I'm not jumping right into the sequel, I do plan to continue the journey.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews