The Golden Wolf

June 15, 2019
The final installment of Hartsuyker's epic trilogy (The Sea Queen, 2018, etc.) brings together old friends and foes with a new generation of characters to follow, admire, and cheer. When we last saw Ragnvald, he was the captive of Solvi, his sister Svanhild's seafaring first husband, and in bad need of rescue. Years later, the venerated warrior feels the effects of old age and constant battle. As King Harald's best friend and most trusted warrior, Ragnvald manages the king's ever expanding holdings while Harald is distracted by a beautiful new wife. To make matters worse, Ragnvald's visibility throughout the kingdom marks him as a suspected usurper of Harald's power. But it's Harald's scheming son, Halfdan, who presents the real problem. Tired of waiting his turn, Halfdan mounts a rebellion by gathering allies from Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, and Sweden. Meanwhile, Svanhild has become disenchanted with her husband, Harald, despite having an unusual amount of freedom and power as his queen. So when she suddenly has the chance to return to Solvi, exiled in Iceland, she takes it. As Hartsuyker weaves the conclusion to her masterful epic, she artfully passes Ragnvald and Svanhild's story on to a new generation of characters. How have Svanhild and Ragnvald's complicated web of decisions affected their children? And what kind of world will they inherit once their parents are gone? Freydis, Svanhild and Solvi's teenage daughter, is a compelling new character, and she transforms from a scared young girl into a leader who wields soft power and political influence with a just hand. Ragnvald's sons, Ivar, Einar, and Rolli, each become, in their own ways, casualties to the constraints of Viking masculinity, steeped in both honor and vengeance. As the book races toward its conclusion, Ragnvald senses the fulfillment of an old prophecy and must decide whether to sacrifice himself for those he loves--or feed his family to the wolves. A political whirlwind with adventure galore; Hartsuyker bows out on a high note.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 5, 2019
This satisfying final volume in Hartsuyker’s Golden Wolf Saga (after The Half-Drowned King and The Sea Queen), drawn from Norse sagas, follows the children of Ragnvald, Svanhild, and Norway’s aging King Harald through tragic accidents, battles, and betrayals. Though this is the third in a trilogy, Hartsuyker’s opening map, list of places and characters, and seamless inclusion of backstory make it easy enough to follow the action, even for readers unfamiliar with the first two novels. The novel begins with the mistaken killing of Kolbrand Aldufson by Rolli Ragnvaldsson because Rolli and his shipmates believed Kolbrand’s ship to be that of raiders. Rolli’s cruel companion, Hallbjorn Olafson, takes hostage Freydis Solvisdatter, Svanhild’s child, then all three flee to the Orkneys, where Hallbjorn forces himself upon Freydis. In Norway, Ragnvald’s sons, Einar and Ivar, are sent to bring Gyda Eiriksdatter to her wedding to Harald, but Einar and Gyda begin a physical relationship. Meanwhile, Harald’s son, Halfdan, plots against both Ragnvald and his father. As in the medieval sagas that provide Hartsuyker with her source material, these characters cannot escape the fates that lay in store for them. This quality tale will appeal to fans of Viking fiction and could cross over to those who enjoy epic fantasy as well.

July 1, 2019
With expertly described settings spanning late-ninth-century Norway, Iceland, and the Orkney Islands, this satisfying finale to Hartsuyker's Golden Wolf trilogy, following The Sea Queen (2018), expands into the next generation. After a mistake results in a man's killing, trouble erupts, tangling Ragnvald of Sogn and his family in a lengthy conflict. With the goal of uniting Norway, Ragnvald has fought King Harald's battles for years and feels the cost of his continued loyalty, and both have many sons seeking their own alliances and kingdoms. Hartsuyker again displays skill at evoking the complexities of human relationships and the different facets of masculine and feminine strength. Unlike her adventurous mother, the sea-queen Svanhild, Freydis Solvisdatter is a gentle spirit. She endures hardships after a Norse warrior claims her, and Svanhild, one of Harald's wives, faces tough choices herself. Gyda of Hordaland, Harald's long-betrothed bride, is another intelligent, admirable woman. The number of characters and subplots threaten to affect the novel's cohesion initially, but Hartsuyker's smart storytelling soon takes over as the threads overlap and come together in a fitting conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)