Swain's Vengeance

“All who admit friendship for Frakork and Olvir are likewise my enemies. Let me hear of such and they shall feel the edge of my sword and the burning of lighted brands such as those with which Olvir fired my father’s skalli at Dungalsbae and drove both him and Valthiof, my brother, forth to die upon the spears of a hundred men.” Swain Olaf’s son is a man who will let nothing stand in the way of his goals. And no goal is more important to him than avenging his father and brother, who were done to death by the despicable Olvir Rosta and his grandmother, the witch-woman Frakork. If that means Swain must depose a Jarl to achieve vengeance, then so be it! As acclaimed author Howard Andrew Jones writes in the introduction, “Arthur D. Howden Smith based Swain on material found in the later portions of the Orkneyinga saga. If you think that means Smith was recounting dry history, you’re in for a rude surprise. These tales are based on the recollections of a warrior culture, and Swain’s stories are rich with deeds of daring and cleverness and are absolutely drenched in warfare and violence, from the very first pages.”