Review: Thor's Revenge by Donovan Cook

March 07, 2024

Review: Thor's Revenge by Donovan Cook

I'm delighted to share my review, today, of Thor's Revenge, the latest instalment in Donovan Cook's intriguing Charlemagne's Cross adventure series. Have a look!

Thor's Revenge is currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. Many thanks to Rachel and the publisher for a copy.

Thor's Revenge

The Charlemagne's Cross Series, Book #3

Donovan Cook

Political games between Danes and Franks abound in Thor's Revenge, where we find some familiar names again. Young Charles has been abducted by Ivor, Thora recovers slowly from a near-fatal injury, and Sven seeks solace in the cups, drowning his sorrows. As for the Charlemagne cross – the reason for murder, betrayal, and abduction – it is missing.

Charles' mother, Abbess Hildegard, has arrived in Ribe, looking for her grandson (and the cross, obviously). But neither Thora nor Sven trust the woman who had joined Holy Orders and left her son behind. Sven has not forgiven his own son's death (Charles' father), for which he blames the East Franks, Hildegard and her ilk.

Sven and Thora keep searching for Charles, but with treacherous Franks trying to get to the boy, it's no easy feat. Will they manage to save him, alive and well? Find out in the book!

Thor's Revenge begins rather slowly, in my view. The early chapters sum up the recent action, and this slows the pace. In between these long paragraphs, however, we find intriguing action surrounding Charles, the boy everyone is after. So keep reading! Once the pace picks up, the plot unfolds, with more battles and the unavoidable injuries.

I found the Frankish plotters intriguing, as this reveals much about these Christian kings of East and West Francia (usually at each others' throats), at a time when religion was in flux. The Danes, still holding on to their ancient beliefs, are looked down upon by the seemingly superior Franks, but they aren't as well-organised as they'd like to be, and both sides get their share of comeuppance. That's an aspect of the novel that I really enjoyed.

There are, however, some editorial issues with the novel, and I hope the published version is improved. For example, I found the repeated reference to Hildegard as 'Charles' mother' (from Sven's or Thora's point of view) tiring. Using her name would have added immediacy, and the flow of the narrative would have been improved. There are also quite a few repeats within a paragraph or two of each other, all through the novel – something the editor should have noticed.

But overall, Thor's Revenge is an enjoyable adventure full of intrigues, battles, losses and gains, with wonderfully flawed main characters and a clever plot, which is hopefully due to be resolved in Book 4 of the series. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Fans of Viking and early medieval fiction will enjoy this riveting chase for the elusive Charlemagne's Cross.

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Blurb:

A kingdom without a crown.

A boy forsaken by his God.

A warrior bent on revenge.

After the bloody Battle of Jelling, Denmark’s throne lies empty and chaos reigns as Jarls jostle for power.

Sven survives the bloodshed only to return home to find Ribe sacked by those he trusted and Charles, a pawn in a much bigger political game, kidnapped.

Consumed by the loss of Charles, Sven is shocked by the arrival of the Abbess Hildegard, daughter of his nemesis King Louis of East Francia, who seeks the whereabouts of Charles, her son, and also the cross of Charlemagne.

But whilst others want revenge for the chaos Sven has caused, Denmark burns and Sven must stand in the shield wall one more time if he is to survive and rescue his grandson.

Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Sven and Charles must put their fate in the hands of the gods if they ever want to see each other again.

Buy Link: https://mybook.to/thorsrevengesocial

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About the Author:

Donovan Cook

Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series and the Charlemagne's Cross series, both of which combine fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world and are inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology. Donovan was born in South Africa but raised in England.