Commentary/review

Though I am not a big fan of historical fiction about medieval warfare, the “Wolves of Odin” series makes for an exciting weekend reading. The story is inspired by a kind of drive and imagination to appreciate, cherish, and reward. The Author, S.J.A. Turney, chose the name for his main character in Hagia Sophia, in effect basing the story on a thousand years old graffiti written in runes with a sharp knife. Just this is cute enough to start reading and once you do, good luck trying to put the thing away.

The storyline is woven around a selection of historical facts and speculations, making the finished product unpredictable and fresh. I truly enjoy the moderation with which S.J.A. Turney deals descriptions of violence, emotional introspections and suspense. In his world, women are free to travel with warriors, make their own decisions and even stand up against their own gods. Romance is not at the center because the Author does not play with emotions, just tells his story. If anything lies at the centre, it is the old and innocent notion of basic friendship. The characters are both realistic in their motivations and a little cartoonish in their actions, at times reminding of Asterix – if he traveled not only with Obelix but also with an extraordinary female warrior and a few others.

Our Narrator is prepared very well for reading the series. I noticed some misplaced accents in Greek words but the pronunciation of Nordic words sounds convincing, even exotic and adds greatly to the overall atmosphere of this excellent series. The voice acting is perfectly professional and imaginative. The production creates a kind of movie in the mind, the main point of such audiobooks.

The covers are boring and underwhelming. I have no idea why no one cared about them when bringing such excellent recordings to the audiobook market.

Cover Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash