VIKING The Plains of Althing, Paperback/Katie Aiken Ritter

Book I, Norse Adventure series: ICELAND, 979 A.D. A GOOD MAN, BETRAYED. A WOMAN, THREATENED. Two people bound by brave ideals-and torn apart by a terrible secret. A corrupt chieftain plots to rule of all Iceland, and his steward Kel Coesson may be the only man who can stop him. But there's a catch: if Kel dares to defy his leader, Kel's love Ald s will be killed. A fearless slave called ' The Black Mountain' starts Kel down the treacherous path of treason-and when the chieftain commits a loathsome crime, Kel snaps. An unseen force draws Ald s to a place she vowed never to return, forcing her to confront her past-and a long-buried secret threatens her future. As strife grows, others meddle: a bishop eager to convert pagans, and a foreign jarl's furtive agent with her own designs on the country's young democracy. Set in the dramatic landscape of Viking-era Iceland, a rich cast of characters battle corruption, lust, and loyalty in a spectacular setting of lava flows, northern lights, plunging waterfalls and blood sacrifice. This first novel sets up the prelude to an Icelandic family saga: five books spanning two generations and two continents explore themes such as the hero's journey, loyalty under duress, accurate everyday life in medieval Scandinavia, slavery in European societies, the rule of law against corruption and creeping authoritarianism, the world's first democracy at Althing, pagan beliefs and conversion to Christianity, with strong female, Norse, enslaved and black protagonists-all amid Iceland's dramatic landscape in the land of fire and ice. Readers who enjoyed Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear , Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth , or the History Channel's V ikings may appreciate this well-researched and historically-relevant novel. Get your copy of THE PLAINS OF ALTHING to experience the intensity of Viking-era Iceland Katie Aiken Ritter is a 2016 AWC Novel Award winner and 2017 Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society finalist. "Great summer reading and thrilling escapist fiction in a deeply-researched historical novel. Highly recommended." "Excellent book. You won't want to put it down " "FIVE STARS " VIKING: The Plains of Althing is Book 1 of the Norse Adventure series