Bloodaxe

Erik Haraldsson #1

by C.R. May

Under the iron rule of Harald Fairhair, Norway has been a land at peace for half a century.

Groomed for the succession, the king’s eldest surviving son has lived the life of a Viking prince; harrying wherever his longships can reach, from the frozen forests of Bjarmaland to the rocky shores of Brittany and beyond.

But none expected Harald to live so long, and as the king enters his ninth decade his powers begin to wane.

Seizing their chance other Haraldssons move to snatch the crown for themselves, and a brother war sweeps the land as Erik fights to defend his birthright…

Bloodaxe is the first volume in a trilogy which will tell the story of one of the Viking Age’s legendary kings.


ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

SWORD OF WODEN
‘Entertaining and building into a really good trilogy. If you like Bernard Cornwell or Simon Scarrow you will love this.'

KING'S BANE
This is a book the likes of friends Cornwall, Kristian and Low, would give their eye-teeth to have written...do what you can or must to get hold of this book, you won’t regret it.
SPEESH READS

CONQUEROR OF ROME
I…enjoyed this far more than most of the commercially published fiction I have read and reviewed in the past two years.
HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY REVIEWS

Genres: Historical Fiction

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2018

Reviews

[Speesh]

Swept up suddenly, you are grabbed bodily and thrown through the centuries and you land, with a thud, slap, bang in tumultuous 10th century Scvandinavia, in the area known as the North Way. You find yourself in a Viking village, pigs are grunting around you, men and women and thralls going about their daily chores. Down by the fjord's edge, other men, bigger, burlier, bearded men are packing stores onto a longship, you hope it  is, then see it is - a Viking dragon ship. A ship that will sail you to new lands, to new battles to new conquests. You realise you are to go with them! The warriors crowding about you are so real, you can almost smell them. The tang you taste is from the wind-spray of the ocean crossing, the anticipation tingle in your stomach, and the glint of sun on shield and sword in your eyes - and you're off, not caring where as long as these warriors are with you. To battles so vivid, you can feel the pain from hits on your shield, the blood on your tunic from wounds that may or may not be yours. There is blood, the whirl of sword and axe, the anguished cries of dying enemies....

...that is what happens when you open this book, trust me. It picks you up and absolutely will not let you go until you've turned the final page. And when you have, after you've mopped your brow, well...
 
Yes, Bloodaxe, the first part of a trilogy, deals with the early part of Erik's life, his early adventures, and his troubles succeeding his father Haraldr Hárfagri, Harald Fairhair. As the king's chosen successor, his taking command and doing so with great aplomb at the age of 12, shouldn't surprise you. At the age of 12 in the Viking Age Scandinavia, boys were legally considered adults. Before that age, they were often sent out to foster, with another family for some years, to create a bond between the families, providing help and whatever assistance might be required, to each other. Erik's foster family is that of the Hersir (a local Viking military commander, who owes allegiance to a Jarl, or king), Thórir son of Hróald.

When he comes of age, Erik finds his father's long life and promiscuity, has created a fair many obstacles to his assuming of power. Erik has to, cold-bloodedly even for Viking times, remove the obstacles - namely a seemingly endless series of brothers sired by his father with all and sundry, good and bad and really, really, really bad. Harald clearly wasn't too fussy when it came to a warm bed. For a number of years, in pursuit of his ambitions - and often just for the Viking of it - Erik 'visits' the Baltic coasts - and those of Denmark, Frisia and Germany; Wales, Ireland and France, also Lappland and Bjarmaland (in what is now northern Russia). A regular package tour of mayhem, mead and more mayhem! He is sucessful in his pursuit of the crown, after a fashion, but in a sign of both his growing maturity and pragmatic nature, he also shows he knows when to remove himself and his followers from the problem and thus live to fight in another shieldwall, another day. He certainly took setbacks and all a lot more sanguinely than I did.

Bloodaxe has proved to me, that C.R. May is rapidly developing into one of the most important Historical Fiction novelists writing today. He has, as is a feature of his books (along with consistently superb covers), once more created an immediately immersive, this time Viking, world, believable, solid and - for the reader - utterly addictive. You want to go there, you don't want to come back. In his Eiríkr Haraldsson, or Eiríkr blóðøx - as we scholars of Old Norse know him - Mr. May has brought to life a true Viking hero of the old school, one who promises to be more authentic, more believable and almost touchable, than any number of cartoon, Cutthroat Jake clones, or constant rainy, cloudy, doomy portents contained in constant bad weather and crows flying about telling fortunes... Just characters that are full of life, vigour and colour - not just to the main, here royal, characters, but all the other Norse and non-Norse Erik encounters on his way - a real band of Viking brothers awaits you.

Now, I'm no writer - no, seriously, I'm not - but if you too haven't had a serious attack of the skalds by the time you've returned from 10th Century Scandinavia and finished this book, then my name isn't Snorri Speeshson.

Blog: Speesh Reads
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[Paul Bennett]

An exhilarating start to a new series, Bloodaxe follows the early life of Eric Haraldsson, the favored son of Harald Fairhair, King of Norway. Favored son or not, the path to true acceptance as rightful heir is strewn with Fairhair's bastard progeny. Honing his skills as a warrior and a leader of men, and enriching himself and crew by raiding villages and churches, Eric returns to his homeland ready to rule. What follows is a stirring rendition of revenge for wrongs done in the past, and making war on half-brothers who dare to resist. Through the telling of this tale I felt myself relishing in the spray of the sea as Eric's warship plowed from one adventure to the next. Eric Bloodaxe, as the name implies, is a character true to his time, and is not hesitant to deal out death. however, the author has endowed him with a depth that complements that warrior instinct with a clarity of purpose, and a will to succeed. Looking forward to the next chapter. 4 stars

[David Baird]

Bloodaxe is the story of Eric Haraldsson, son of Harald Fairhair, King of Norway.

You’d always imagine in the modern day that being heir to a throne would be an easy, sheltered life. Not so in times past! It just leads to bloodshed.

I loved Eric from the start, the guy just oozes confidence and strength, he’s got something about him.

As a young boy Eric was sent away to live with one of Harald’s most trusted, he learns the ways of a warrior and soon starts to build a relationship of sorts with his father.

It’s the real brutal Viking tale you’d expect as Eric leave a path of red behind as he makes a name for himself and earns the respect of the men who fight at his side.. he’s going to need those men.

Eric isn’t one to shy away from a fight, he’s got wits and knows when to use them. I think he proves early on that he has the qualities needed to become King when Harald eventually dies.. but the old king has been rather promiscuous to say the least and there is many with a claim to the throne.

What we see then is a rather brutally vivid and well actioned series of events to see Eric claim power… there’s no time for niceties.. he’s going to seize power one way or another. It’s not an easy ride for Eric but you see him prove time and time again he’s got the qualities needed to rule.. yes he’s still up for a good slaughter but he’s learned to pick his battles well.

C. R. May effortlessly transported me back to the age of Vikings and showed how rough life would have been for them.. It’s a fight from day 1..You have to prove yourself and if you aren’t a warrior you might as well be dead already.

The plot was very enticing to say the least and while history can be a little incomplete at times I loved that C. R. May offers up a plausible storyline but at the same time hits the high notes with the use of descriptiveness to an awe inspiring level. Bloodaxe isnt a book you can just skim read.. it’s not the kind of book you read a chapter here and there..No, Bloodaxe instantly sucks you in.. immerses you in Viking world.. It’s vivid and packs a punch and the turmoil/fear is real.

Take your time to enjoy Bloodaxe, there’s a lot to get to grips with.. so many names…why did Harald have so many sons? Ha.. It’s worth savouring.. sit down in your favourite chair and watch the hours fly by.

I don’t think you’ll find a better example of an Historical Fiction novel as the author perfectly demonstrates his knowledge of the subject expertly woven with his imagination and storytelling skills.

The only word to describe C. R. Mays’ work is “detail” he knows his stuff and these detail shines through to give us the most beautifully brutal book I’ve read in a long time!

Bloodaxe is the 1st in what can only be an epic saga!

[Rebecca]

An exciting tale highlighting an often forgotten Norwegian King.

Each chapter brought the reader closer to the man behind the legends and sagas and history. Each chapter is a delightful snapshot of key dramatic moments as Eric's life changed forever, one battle, raid, and victory at a time. Each chapter showcases so many fascinating characters, real and fictional, that circled Eric in an orbit as ally and as foe.

It is a refreshing journey and experience to read historical fiction with such a strong narrative arc, strong cast and set in the magnificent landscape of Norway and beyond at times in the Viking Age.

[Robert Southworth]

High standard...

I really enjoyed how the author built this story. Both plot and characters were believable. I have read a couple of books by C R May and enjoyed them all but I think this was the most rounded. It didn't falter in character development, plot or pace. I'm very impressed.

Robert Southworth author of the Ripper Legacies

[J. Bauer]

Bloodaxe by C.R. May: The making of a Viking king

Bloodaxe is the tale of a Norse warrior, son of a king, who must find his destiny and make his reputation in the turbulent world of the Norse where if you were unwary, you could find yourself burned in your own home or cut down in sudden battle.

At seven, Erik Haraldsson, one of twelve sons of the greatest Norsemen, Harald Fairhair, is sent to live with one of Harald’s most trusted Hersirs. He is taught the ways of the warrior and leader and at twelve embarks of his first raid and burn in.

Sail on with Erik who grows as a warrior and a leader, becoming a fabled Viking with a loyal ship army and land army at his back. When Harald leaves Midgard, Erik is determined to be king in his father’s place. He is just one of twelve Norse brothers though and will not ascend the throne without being tested.

A Viking tale that brings to life the way of those wild and rugged warriors that struck fear into the hearts of all. Mythology comes to life on the pages with the fears, dreams, and follies of Norse warriors and women laid bare for the reader.

Fortunately, there are many more books by this talented author for me to get stuck into now that I have had the pleasure of discovering his books.

[mr d race]

Cracking good read

Super smashing proper gripping saga, can't wait to read the next instalment hope it's just as good as this is.

[Adam Lofthouse]

A truly exceptional book, this. Gripping from start to finish!


It follows the tale of Erik Bloodaxe; his journey from a young boy with a foster family, with no relationship to speak of with his father, the King of Norway. As the story develops you follow a young Erik as he builds a friendship with his father, leads men into battle and one by one wipes out his many brothers that would seek to destroy him and claim the throne for themselves.


The research Cliff must have put into this is staggering. Everything feels so real, the locations springing to life from the page. I think the only thing even more staggering is that this is based on a real man, and what a man he must have been!


Highly recommend this, can't wait for the next one!

[Anthony W Fleming]

Very good characters. More nuanced and political than many books about the Norse

Very entertaining. Stayed up late reading this book.A really good historical fiction. The characters are well beyond paper cut outs of Vikings, and the dialogue is great

[Juan Gallardo Ivanovic]

As expected of a son of renowned King Harald Fairhair, young Erik is being fostered in Thorir’s hall at Nausdal. He is raised along his foster brother and friend Arinbjorn until he becomes a man. Somehow Erik has found the way to do some enemies and his first task will be to exact retribution on a man who has wronged him by burn him and his allies. The bad point is that, as he was Bolli Sigurdsson, Sigurd’s Jarl - one of Harald’s Fairhair best supporters – an increasing hate will be among Erik and this Jarl, who will put an early menace into Erik’s head.
Erik will be chosen by his Father to be his successor and will attain fame, gold and followers by going Viking and mastering the ship’s command. He will be follow mainly by his most trusted friend Arinbjorn, and Huskarls Thorstein, Kolbein and Anlaf Crow. On the way we will succeed in fulfilling Fairhair’s orders and most importantly, demonstrate to his peers and King that is his father’s best successor. But things never are easy, since his brothers will also claim the right as Fairhair’s heirs and will fight his brothers both on the battlefield and by rumors. Erik won’t have other option than fighting his brothers and prove everyone that his father’s choice was correct.
***** Commentary may contain spoilers*****
After setting colorful and emotive plots on the sixth century, Mr. May jumps in time and sends us to 10th century Norway, a territory that is ruled by some minor kingdoms and regions collected under the flag of Mighty Harald Fairhair. This is man of war with great feats on his account and with questionable reputation of producing many sons. Among them is our main character Erik, who is clever and brave boy turned into one of most fearsome Norse warriors. As he performs mighty deeds for his reputation (and also by following his father’s orders), Erik will be chosen as apparent Heir to Fairhair’s kingdom, bearing this title with pride and honor until his father died and he takes the King’s position. Nevertheless, there is people opposing this decision and will do the unthinkable to avoid Erik be their Overlord. But our hero is not going to allow them to succeed and will play his cards wittingly proving that he is both a capable warrior and commander. Even by defeating them, the Norns have other plans for Erik as treason will be performed among the king’s allies and he will be forced to exile himself and plan a vengeance upon a usurper who throws him out of Norway.
We have another great tale of fighting men, honor and battles. Somehow, May’s idea factory has not gone down and he proves once again that he can deliver a story that is both educative and fun, without losing focus on the intention and the message inside the plot. There is no filler chapter as anything in the book is worth reading. You will also get the mix of likeable characters, gripping moments and tough decisions that are May's trademark sign.
This is a good read as it doesn’t have any let down and is a great entry point if you haven’t read anything from this author (if you don’t please consider reading Fire and Steel and Sword of Woden series). As I have said previously on other May’s books, this is awesome fiction and it doesn’t have to envy historical best sellers.

[Lady Suzane Myles]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, can't wait to start book 2, I have to admit I did have some difficulty with all the characture names especially if they had more than one name (like a nickname). But persevere it is well worth it.

[melvia mccann]

Blood axe

Interesting story line,that illustrates a part of history that was lost to the mists of time . Harold,Eric and Hakon are the beginning and ending points for many sagas and myths ,well done!

[Carrol j Oliphint]

I could use a translator..

While I very much enjoyed the story, I found it initially difficult. I eventually figured out most of the Norse/Danish words. It would have been so much more pleasurable a read if I had been able to reference even a basic in book translation.

[Sue Merritt]

One of the Viking kings, Erik Haraldsson was faced with a number of half-siblings who wanted the crown of the "North Way" high king. One of the most troublesome opponents was Haakon Haraldsson who had been fostered in what became England. During Haakon's fosterage, he became a Christian. At this time historically, Christianity was becoming the prominent religion throughout Western Civilization. The serious conflict between the established non-Christian religions and that of Christianity was a firestorm throughout all of the emerging European countries. The ebb and flow of change was a part of the development of the modern countries we know today. Erik and Haakon had a father in common - King Harald Fairhair - the first king of a united Norway. King Erik was not a faultless character - but he was an innate leader and stalwart, loyal man to his friends. I recommend this series unreservedly.

[Jeremy]

This was a great read that takes the reader through the rise of Erik Bloodaxe and I can’t recommend it enough.

I am a fan of the author as he often dives into a dark (not as well recorded) period of history and spinning a wonderful version of events and explaining his choices at the end of the book. Bloodaxe is sadly not quite in an era where a complete view of his life was maintained but C.R.May did successfully bring him and his companions to life and paints a vivid picture of the world he was a part of

[Donald]

Another good book n the series! Well written with plenty of action and cultural insights. Characters were well developed as well. The timeline was not as complete as I would have liked. Erik certainly did much more than we see in this book that covers a span of years, actually several decades. Overall a good read!

[Erik Mikkelsen]

Erik Bloodaxe

An interesting story of one of the more famous of the “Viking” kings. This tells of his story and his family. Based on more historical than most with some literary license as to how and why. Bloodaxe has been portrayed as a villain long enough. A great read for history buffs.

[John Francis]

Awesome read. Every Cliff May book I've read, i've given 5 stars. This is the start of a new series about Eric Bloodaxe and I couldn't put it down. Check out all his other books to, you won't be sorry.

[Liz C]

Good read

A good and interesting read about the early life of Eric Bloodaxe. Fast paced. I would recommend it to anyone who likes this sort of thing. Will definitely read the next one.

[Karen Campbell]

Very immersive

An insightful look into medieval Nordic society, as well as a good hack and slash novel. My only criticism is the pacing: highpoint to highpoint. Nonetheless, well written, and an enjoyable read.

[John Phillips]

Another great read

Great read I highly recommend this book and all the others by Mr May. action-filled loved the interaction between characters. Looking forward to his next book

[Robert Cargill]

Wonderful

Best read all year, I was there every step of the way . I loved every line.congratulations on a brilliant book.

[Stacy Townend]

Bloodaxe by C R May

You can tell when reading this book that Cliff has spent considerable time researching places historical events before writing this excellent book.
The story follows Erik Bloodaxe son of Harald Fairhair this books follows the start of Eric's life living with his Foster father, learning the skills of a warrior. after an event that saw Eric trekking the wilds of the North land in the deep of winter to extract revenge, Eric's father visits and makes him his Heir, sending him off to go Viking with a small fleet of ships Eric is still only 12 but considered a man. The story is well written and has Eric and others are great central characters the plot moves on as Eric goes Viking and builds a strong bond with the crews and the respect of the warriors. The description of the lands and actions taking place leave you feeling you could have been stood training with Eric or sat in the bench of a boat at an oar helping to power the boat to into action. You can see Eric's persona and character with his crews building as the book moves on. This is the first book in the series and i look forward to reading more about Eric, If you are a Fan of the Viking era this is a must read i suggest you click and buy the book now, grab a coffee sit down and begin, thats what i did and read a 1/4 of the book . yes it grabs you from page 1. work and sleep got in the way of reading more. well done Cliff it is a well written book

[Dave Dodgson]

On paper, this novel is my kind of reading material - historical fiction with an early medieval/Viking setting. And yet, I struggled to get into it. Early on, I found myself checking that I hadn't jumped in part way through a series as the characters came in thick and fast.

I enjoyed the campaign in Finnmark and the battle for Erik to wrest control of Norway from his half-brothers as the book passed the midway point. However, the teasing of the battles to come in book two felt anticlimactic to me as it undermined his victories in this story. I might come back for that story in by the future, but I'm in no rush to do so.

[Craig]

The life and times of King Eirik Harraldsson were as violent and bloody as anyone could make them. His marriage to Gunnhild might have been the smartest thing he ever did. Brothers plotting against, and attacking, their own brothers; victors often taking their brothers' wives as their own; inheritance and the rule of law being derived primarily (and in some cases, solely) by might; war and pillage were part of every year. Battlefields were not the only places of violent death; men were murdered using poison, some were burned alive, others were deliberately drowned at sea. A Viking's story isn't for the squeamish or faint-of-heart.

[Jordana Diengdoh]

I love books that keep me engaged, but this is not one of them. However, I finished reading it because it is about Vikings and their exploits which interest me. It is also interesting to come across the character Blood Axe (not Bloodaxe) in a book I read afer this one. It seemed I have not wasted my time knowing about this historical figure.

[david stewart]

Bloodaxe

At first I found the story didn't grip me as I hopped I'm an avid reader of Viking and dark age literature but as I persisted the characters came more to life and the political intrigue of the age grew on me , I found it unable to put down racing to see the outcome and eagerly waiting for the next instalment .

[Jeff Hall]

Very good series opener

I enjoyed this book, Bloodaxe, a lot and hope the rest of the series will continue the momentum of the first book. The characters seem real, and the story has a basis in actual history with the author's added flair. Off to get the second book with optimism.

[Mrs Rosemary]

A great read!

A great and engaging account of Erik Bloodaxe’s early years. Not as action-packed as some books are about the Viking Age and nobody on Erik’s side seems to get killed which is unusual. Nevertheless I enjoyed this first book of the series and I’ll definitely be reading the next.

[Brandon Montgomery]

I like a good battle description but there were very few with very little detail. I understand that the battles can get.. repetitive but it would have been nice to have one very detailed battle scene in here. Very interesting read otherwise and I enjoyed it