Crowbone, by Robert Low. Book review
Harper,
2013. ISBN 978-0-00-729856-3. 369 pages
Crowbone is set mainly in Ireland and Scandinavia
in 979-981. The central character, Olaf Tryggvason (by-named Crowbone) is a
historical figure, as are his arch-enemies Gunnhild Mother of Kings, widow of
Eirik Blood-Axe, and her last son Gudrod. Other main characters are fictional.
The historical Norse Earls of Orkney and various Irish kings appear as
secondary characters.
In
979, Olaf Tryggvason (known as Crowbone) is seventeen and already a veteran
fighter and raider. Having quarrelled with his friend Vladimir of Kiev,
Crowbone is no longer welcome in the Rus lands and is at something of a loose
end when he meets his old friend Orm Bear-Slayer, jarl of the Oathsworn, in
Hamburg. Orm has received a message from a monk on the Isle of Man concerning a
secret that could help Crowbone make good on his claim to the throne of Norway.
Orm gives Crowbone silver to hire a ship and a crew, and sends him off with the
trader who brought the message. But Crowbone’s rival and arch-enemy Gunnhild
Mother of Kings and her last surviving son Gudrod – who between them were
responsible for the death of Crowbone’s parents – have also heard of the
secret, and will pursue it and Crowbone to the death. And the monk on the Isle
of Man is not all he seems... As the quest unfolds and the searchers converge
on their goal, Crowbone faces battle, shipwreck and treachery, and must decide
who – if anyone – he is willing to trust.
In
theory this is the fifth in the Oathsworn series, following The Whale Road,
The Wolf Sea,
The White Raven,
and The Prow Beast (links to my previous reviews of each title).
However, as the focus is on Crowbone (as implied by the title), rather than on
Orm and the Oathsworn, it is much more of a stand-alone. There is no need to
have read the others first, although readers who have will pick up lots of
references to previous characters and events.
Like
the others, Crowbone is a blood-and-thunder
adventure full of action and violence. The historical Vikings were part traders
and part bloodthirsty raiders, and although both aspects feature here, the
bloodthirsty raider aspect is very much to the fore. Crowbone and his followers
are fighting men, and fighting is what they do, whether it be a duel to the
death on a deserted beach, or a pitched battle among the Irish kings. Political
manipulation is another major focus, more so than in the other Oathsworn
novels, reflecting Crowbone’s status as a claimant to the kingdom of Norway.
The Norse game hnefatafl*, referred
to as ‘the game of kings’, is a recurring theme, both as the game itself and as
a metaphor for the political manoeuvring
that is as essential to the would-be Norse king as the axe in his hand and the
knife in his boot.
Crowbone
dominates the novel. Highly intelligent, courageous and a gifted storyteller,
he has more than a hint of the uncanny about him (as was foreshadowed when he
was a boy in The White Raven). Not surprisingly, given his ambitions and his
traumatic early life, he is not a particularly attractive character,
manipulative, suspicious and ruthless. Not a man you want to be around, as Orm
muses. In this novel, Crowbone is emerging into adulthood and beginning to carve
out his place in history. He is often very much alone, even when surrounded by
his companions, and this is in large part his own choice, recognised as part of
the price he must pay for power, however much he may occasionally hunger for
human warmth.
The atmosphere
is brooding, with a strong sense of supernatural undercurrents – whether due to
gods, Fate or seidr magic – that
could erupt at any moment. The religious divisions of the late tenth century
are never far away. The Oathsworn are bound by an oath taken before Odin, yet
some of Crowbone’s other followers are at least nominally Christians. They
encounter Christian kings, priests and monks in Ireland and elsewhere, even as
they pursue their quest for a symbol of Odin’s power to a distant land renowned
as the domain of a goddess of yet older beliefs. Religious tensions simmer
beneath the surface, occasionally erupting into open conflict.
The
writing style is dense, liberally sprinkled with Norse words for atmosphere
(like hnefatafl, seidr, etc). There is no glossary in the book, but I found no
difficulty as most of the Norse terms are translated or were clear from the
context (caveat that I’m interested in the Norse world, so they were probably
more familiar to me than might be the case for other readers). Scots dialect
words and phrases seem to be used to indicate a Norse style of speech; again, I
had no difficulty, but they may not be familiar to all readers. There is a map
at the front that may help to follow the characters on their far travels, although
it does not always give the Norse names used in the text (e.g. Dyfflin for
Dublin, Hammaburg for Hamburg) and some places are not shown at all. A helpful
Historical Note at the end outlines some of the underlying history.
Gripping,
violent action-adventure following Crowbone (Olaf Tryggvason) on his quest for
a dark secret that may be his key to claiming the throne of Norway.
*Hnefatafl is a board game of skill, a
little like chess except that it is a hunting game rather than a battle game. Readers
of Terry Pratchett’s Thud! will
recognise it.
