{"product_id":"hammer-of-the-gods-coming-soon","title":"Hammer of the Gods (Coming Soon)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Norse Earls of Orkney and the Viking World\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe story of the Norse Earls of Orkney, whose lands once covered much of Scotland, and whose reach extended as far as Scandinavia, continental Europe and even the Mediterranean.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Norse earls of Orkney owed their allegiance to the Kings of Norway and ruled their own semi- autonomous empire, with lands in mainland Scotland and the Western Isles. At their military height in the 11th century, they held a 400-mile swathe of territory, stretching from Shetland down to the Clyde Estuary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom their base in Orkney these Norse earls and their followers led Viking raids around the British Isles and even further afield. For over four centuries their warriors and longships battled alongside Scandinavian kings and Norse rebels, and as Norse kingmakers these warlike earls sometimes paid the ultimate price for dabbling in international affairs. They were the key players in Viking Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLords of the Salt Road\u003c\/i\u003e draws on contemporary sagas as historical sources and captures \u003cb\u003eDon Hollway weaves together traditional Norse sagas and Anglo-Saxon chronicles to vividly depict the violence and spectacle of the Viking age, bringing to life the legendary Olaf Trygvasson.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHammer of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e tells the extraordinary saga of Olaf Tryggvason – warlord, wanderer, king, and crusader – whose life rivals the most legendary figures of Viking lore. Born in exile and hunted from birth, Olaf survived slavery, betrayal, and shipwreck to become a fearsome warrior across the Viking world from the icy fjords of Norway to the courts of Kiev, the slave markets of the Baltics, and the battlefields of England and Ireland. His rise would shake the foundations of Norse society, forge new kingdoms, and ignite a holy war against the old gods themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn an age of axe and flame, when the Viking world stood at the crossroads of pagan traditions and the spread of Christianity, Olaf emerged as the fiercest adherent to the new faith – a sword in one hand and a cross in the other. Drawing on a vast array of early medieval sources from Icelandic sagas and skaldic verse to Byzantine and Anglo-Saxon chronicles, Don Hollway brings the world of Olaf Tryggvason vividly to life cutting through the legend to reveal the man behind the myth. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor readers of Bernard Cornwell and lovers of Viking history, \u003ci\u003eHammer of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e is the epic history of a great Norse king whose story shaped the fate of a civilization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDon Hollway\u003c\/b\u003e is an author and historian. His first book, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Viking\u003c\/i\u003e, is a gripping history of King Harald Hardrada which was acclaimed by bestselling author Stephen Harding, by Carl Gnam of \u003ci\u003eMilitary Heritage\u003c\/i\u003e magazine and by Michael Dirda in \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also a classical rapier fencer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardcover.  400 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"pve_illustrationNote  textSmall\"\u003e8-page plate section in color\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"pve_measure\"\u003e9.6 in H | 6.5 in W | 1.5 in T\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Skandisk","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49545901572311,"sku":"LIT226","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0566\/5226\/7687\/files\/lit226.jpg?v=1786030733","url":"https:\/\/skandisk.com\/products\/hammer-of-the-gods-coming-soon","provider":"Skandisk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}