What do you think?
Rate this book
Freya 800 AD
Freya lived more than a thousand years ago at the beginning of the Viking raids on Britain.Home was a longhouse, one of several in the settlement; a stockade protected the small community from bears and wolves roaming the vast glacial wilderness.Freya's husband, Olaf, hungered for wealth. He sailed the longship, Odin's Thunder, across the Norse Sea to wreak havoc the Picts of northern Britain. Freya, haunted by images of her husband's rapine and cruel infidelity, prays to pagan gods for his return. With the settlement almost deserted, Knut, a man of the mountains with a warped and cruel mind, crossed the threshold of Freya's longhouse, with devastating consequences.In a dreadful twist of fate, Freya is forced to live in isolation. It takes all her willpower to survive a dark and frozen winter with only Brock, her favourite hound, for company.When Olaf had been missing for two winter seasons, Freya sailed to the shores of Britain to find him. Betrayal and tragedy lie ahead.
267 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2012
1 person is currently reading
290 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 2, 2012
Read some of Tim Severin's books, but this is the first Viking book I've come across with a woman as the main character. I really related to Freya, and felt her pain as she is forced into taking a nightmare journey into the mountains. The descriptions are vivid, the characters truly alive. I was eager to read Freya 800 AD as I had read other books by this author. Fantastic. Brilliant. Thought provoking. A story that will stay with me for a long time.
September 23, 2013
Read from September 12 to 16, 2013
Goodreads indie group non fantasy book of the month.
I struggled to rate this as somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
I did enjoy the book and the concept of the female main character, and her thoughts and difficulties whilst the menfolk were away Freya is realistic, she has fears, loves and strength and it is nice to see a book with a strong female lead set in such a time. She is very human, with the frailties involved.
However there were a few scenes which didn't quite work for me. One scene in particular near the beginning I found disturbing and over done, which almost made me stop reading. It was not out of place as an event just rather gratuitously done, although the way the aftermath was handled was well written and well characterised.
The ending seemed rather abrupt and almost unfinished, almost rushed and I would have liked a bit more. There were a couple of lose ends which could have done with tying up.
Over all the concept was interesting enough and the descriptive scenes worked well, portraying the world nicely but I did find it a little generic regarding Viking practices. Not all Vikings were marauders who raped and pillaged, that said the author did deal with those concepts fairly well and a couple of the characters questioned the behaviour which was a nice touch.
Enjoyable read 3.5 stars and an interesting dip into the era.
EDITED.
Goodreads indie group non fantasy book of the month.
I struggled to rate this as somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
I did enjoy the book and the concept of the female main character, and her thoughts and difficulties whilst the menfolk were away Freya is realistic, she has fears, loves and strength and it is nice to see a book with a strong female lead set in such a time. She is very human, with the frailties involved.
However there were a few scenes which didn't quite work for me. One scene in particular near the beginning I found disturbing and over done, which almost made me stop reading. It was not out of place as an event just rather gratuitously done, although the way the aftermath was handled was well written and well characterised.
The ending seemed rather abrupt and almost unfinished, almost rushed and I would have liked a bit more. There were a couple of lose ends which could have done with tying up.
Over all the concept was interesting enough and the descriptive scenes worked well, portraying the world nicely but I did find it a little generic regarding Viking practices. Not all Vikings were marauders who raped and pillaged, that said the author did deal with those concepts fairly well and a couple of the characters questioned the behaviour which was a nice touch.
Enjoyable read 3.5 stars and an interesting dip into the era.
EDITED.
June 10, 2012
I received this book through the goodreads give-away.
I enjoyed this book and found it highly interesting. I love stories set way back in time (Viking's and before) when life was simpler, and this book did not fail to please, I found it offered a realistic and historical view of that time and the population.
The story contains relate-able characters, Freya being the main character that the reader can link to and the reader easily experiences the same emotions as Freya. At first I did think that she though of Olaf a bit too much but after considering this point I realised that I often think about late loved ones too much showing that Mead presented Freya's longing effectively and realistically.
The arrival and incident with Knut was exceptionally detailed and in my opinion Mead created a fantastically dark and manipulating old man, who's hold and influence on Thorid was imaginative, causing the reader to be aggravated and annoyed with the helpless mother's actions with disbelief that she longed for a new relationship more then caring for her raped daughter.
I didn't expect the reasons for Freya's isolation to be what they were, but it showed Freya as being stronger and more independent then she'd otherwise been portrayed, I liked the relationship she had with her hound, Brock, whilst living in isolation as it showed how humans can benefit and rely on animal's company.
I enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, when Freya sails to Britain to find Olaf, and the events which followed were captivating and fanciful. I also found it amusing, how Olaf was the main feature through out the story and was probably the most spoke of character, but he was not actually present in most of the book;only the first few chapters and the final chapter.
The only main con of this book is I sometimes felt it lacked in urgency, it did NOT have a slow pace, but I felt it took longer then expected for certain events to happen for example when Freya began living in isolation.
I would give this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Overall this book is a pleasing, page-turning book which contains a fascinating and imaginative plot with deeply detailed chapters. xxx
I enjoyed this book and found it highly interesting. I love stories set way back in time (Viking's and before) when life was simpler, and this book did not fail to please, I found it offered a realistic and historical view of that time and the population.
The story contains relate-able characters, Freya being the main character that the reader can link to and the reader easily experiences the same emotions as Freya. At first I did think that she though of Olaf a bit too much but after considering this point I realised that I often think about late loved ones too much showing that Mead presented Freya's longing effectively and realistically.
The arrival and incident with Knut was exceptionally detailed and in my opinion Mead created a fantastically dark and manipulating old man, who's hold and influence on Thorid was imaginative, causing the reader to be aggravated and annoyed with the helpless mother's actions with disbelief that she longed for a new relationship more then caring for her raped daughter.
I didn't expect the reasons for Freya's isolation to be what they were, but it showed Freya as being stronger and more independent then she'd otherwise been portrayed, I liked the relationship she had with her hound, Brock, whilst living in isolation as it showed how humans can benefit and rely on animal's company.
I enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, when Freya sails to Britain to find Olaf, and the events which followed were captivating and fanciful. I also found it amusing, how Olaf was the main feature through out the story and was probably the most spoke of character, but he was not actually present in most of the book;only the first few chapters and the final chapter.
The only main con of this book is I sometimes felt it lacked in urgency, it did NOT have a slow pace, but I felt it took longer then expected for certain events to happen for example when Freya began living in isolation.
I would give this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Overall this book is a pleasing, page-turning book which contains a fascinating and imaginative plot with deeply detailed chapters. xxx
September 12, 2015
Rated this "mature-readers only" because of the violence, rape scenes and language. However, this is a book about a time long ago (800 AD) when conquest and pillage by marauders and warring factions was more of an everyday occurrence. We may live in a so-called civilized era but such things continue in this era when war and social turmoil occur.
I particularly love stories with women as the main character(s). For far too long, history has been about men and their conquests. Women are rarely discussed except as subservient minor players.
The story ending left me with many questions. Would Freya find love again? How would her newly-acquired hunting and survival skills change her position in her community? Would her relationship with her daughters shift because of her husband's actions while he was away?
A decent book that kept my interest, with the focus on the thoughts of a woman during a distant time in history.
I particularly love stories with women as the main character(s). For far too long, history has been about men and their conquests. Women are rarely discussed except as subservient minor players.
The story ending left me with many questions. Would Freya find love again? How would her newly-acquired hunting and survival skills change her position in her community? Would her relationship with her daughters shift because of her husband's actions while he was away?
A decent book that kept my interest, with the focus on the thoughts of a woman during a distant time in history.
August 1, 2016
I thought this was going to be a good read because you don't find a lot of novels from the women's perspective during the Viking Period. It started slow and I continued through it waiting for the story to really begin. For me it didn't. I didn't like the main character she seemed a bit too whiny and self centered and I didn't see why it took her so long to really understand the man she married.
April 17, 2016
The book was interesting and held my attention. The ending was abrupt and left questions unanswered so perhaps the author intends to write another book and make it a series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews