5 Star Book Reviews For An Axe Of Iron Series by J. A.
Hunsinger
The Settlers: Book One In An Axe of Iron Series:
5 Stars: The Viking ship called ‘Steed of the Sea’ sailing in the cold dark
waters in the foreground of tall glaciers under a foreboding sky on the cover
is just the beginning.
Whether you sat under the history lessons of Columbus
discovering America or are more adventurous in your approach to history and
have a yearning to know who was here when Columbus arrived and where did they
come from, ‘The Settlers’ is a tale that should be on a mandatory reading list
in all schools in order to provoke thought and discussion on native North
America in the latter half of the tenth century. Scholars can’t agree but this
tale offers a new perspective about America’s indigenous people, how they
viewed explorers, handled settlers and coexisted on a bountiful body of land
with all its beauty and treacherous environment.
It is important to read the ‘Author’s Note’, ‘Historical
Perspective’ and the ‘Glossary Of Norse Terms’ provided by the author to
educate the reader. In the Author’s Note you will meet Gudbjartur Einarsson who
is an Icelander, a Northman or Norseman who is second in command under Halfdan
Ingolfsson. Chapter one unfolds six wooden ships carrying 163 Greenlanders and
152 Icelanders (including men, women and children) set sail with horses, cows,
pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, equipment (tents and parts to horse drawn carts)
and supplies to explore areas of what they call Vinland (North America).
Exhaustive research, realistic characters garbed in
functional layers residing in a true to life story line that allows the reader
to experience the sea voyage and land exploration with exquisite writing that
creates a sense of being present in the story even when this first book in ‘An
Axe Of Iron Novel’ series has been closed on a night stand.
Here’s a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
“He whistled tunelessly to himself, the notes blown away on
the wind. His eyes darted over the sea ahead and aloft at the trim of the sail
and rigging. The heart of the ship pulsed through the soles of his feet,
vibrated up through the steering oar and the palms of his hands, an inaudible
hum that told him all was well in his world.”
“Wind driven rain stung exposed skin like bees protecting
their hive.”
“Several kettles of whale blubber boiled over individual
fires on the beach to render the valuable oil. The thick, rich oil skimmed of
the connective tissue – the crunchy fried meat and curled pieces of skin were a
delicacy-had many uses. It was a valuable food source, preservative, and lamp
fuel.”
…After the journey across treacherous seas land was a
welcome sight with all of its wild game like “Grunting herds of Reindeer” not
to mention the predators like wolves and bears. Women and children scour rocky
cliffs for seabird eggs to add to their food supply giving the kids some stress
relieving egg throwing activity.
…Unforeseen and inevitable injuries, herbal treatments,
Viking burial ceremony amidst deep held Christian beliefs.
…Attraction and a “bed of soft, furry skins nestled in the
scrub brush, well protected from the north wind’. Passion, “eyes smoldered with
lust” hands explore, tongues probe, “locked bodies swayed in the throes of
passion”.
…Hunting and cooking for survival, sewing for protective
covering, animal pelts and jewelry making for trade commodity. The best and the
worst of human nature revealed in a hostile new world.
…Now heading into the reading of ‘Confrontation: An Axe Of
Iron Novel’ book two of the series gives clarity as to the sequence of history,
characters and events that readers should follow in order to understand and
digest the fiction history which is laid out in great detail, humanity and
historical correlation regarding much debated events.
…The Settlers – An Axe of Iron Novel book one is the
fictional historical accounting of exploration and settlement of Vinland (North
America).
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
*****
Confrontation: Book Two In An Axe of Iron Series:
5 Stars: This character driven, action packed historical fiction saga
continues from ‘The Settlers: An Axe Of Iron Novel’ where 163 Greenlanders
and 152 Icelanders (including men, women and children) set sail with horses,
cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, equipment ( tents and parts to horse drawn
carts) and supplies to explore areas of what they call Vinland (North America).
Confrontation – An Axe Of Iron Novel cover with the Viking
battle axe reflecting warriors gives us the first clue regarding the brutal
facts of survival and desperate measures taken by men to protect their women,
children and settlement with blood sweat and tears. Author J. A. Hunsinger has
provided an in-depth ‘Glossary of Norse Terms’ and ‘Native Terms’ to help
readers understand the people and culture.
…Settling into a new land will prove challenging when the
indigenous tribes who have a distaste for any fair skinned men due to those who
cheated them in trade, abused them and killed their tribesmen in the past.
Apart from expected interaction with the variety of native cultures, life in
the new settlement is forced into daily and seasonal routines out of necessity.
…Halfdan Ingolfsson and Gudbjartur Einarsson (his second in
command) walk the settlement commons overseeing the duties pertaining to
survival like the grueling process of filling the Kiln (furnace) with dry birch
wood, burning the wood until only charcoal is left and then storing this
precious commodity under the shed roof to be used for heat and cooking during
the harsh winter months.
…Children in the settlement (especially the boys) had to
earn their place in their family and settlement by moving from boyhood into
manhood by demonstrating skills taught and mirrored to them by their fathers,
brothers, cousins and other men around them. Skills like hunting which was the
core of survival. Unfortunately, dangers exist when dealing with wild animals
like a Bull Moose protecting his territory, cow and calf. Death can be
mercifully quick and brutal. The burial ceremony, reverence for even the youngest
hunter/warrior, tradition and spirituality (Gods Will) play a role for the dead
and those who remain.
…Seasons marked by the moon predict work, trade, play,
marriage and birth. I quote Bjorn “as a pleasant smile curved his lips”. “Yes,
it is time I thought of a mate. Another long winter comes and company in my bed
would be welcome. Perhaps this is the one (as he recalls the tall blonde
woman)”.
…Confrontation is inevitable, warriors’ attack, prisoners
taken, injuries sustained, spoils of battles and questions about their ability
to live in peace brings us to the anticipation of the third book in An Axe Of
Iron Series titled “Assimilation”.
J. A. Hunsinger’s series ‘An Axe Of Iron’ has been
exhaustively researched and parallel the actually events as close as a
historical fiction can. I recommend this series to both men and women and
suggest that the series be placed on a high school/college reading list.
This reviewer is looking forward to ‘Assimilation – An Axe
Of Iron Novel’ which is the third book in the series.
Confrontation: An Axe of Iron Novel by J. A. Hunsinger’s
book two is the fictional historical accounting of exploration and settlement
of Vinland (North America).
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
*****
Assimilation: Book Three In An Axe of Iron Series:
5 Stars: Assimilation is the final novel in the Axe of Iron series by J. A.
Hunsinger. The author asks that you read or reread the ‘Historical Perspective’
that is located in ‘The Settlers’ which is the first volume in this series. The
author’s research into the historical time frame and authentic pre-historical
Indian names is irrefutable. The ‘Historical Perspective’ goes into the whole
concept of the Norse sagas. Even though each book stands alone, as a reader who
has enjoyed the entire series, I encourage you to purchase all three books.
As the author states in his book’s description, the first
two books in this series (The Settlers and Confrontation) “dealt with the
plight of the Greenland Viking settlers”.
Assimilation begins with a map showing where the settlements
are and opens with two Naskapi warriors hidden from view, surveying the river
valley below. The saga continues with descriptive writing that puts you the
reader on the ground experiencing the mysteries of the Viking period. Smell the
earth and lush dense forests, travel the routes carved out of the land by
natives and take up residence in the villages and experience the hardships of
this pre-historical land that we now call the Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes of
Canada and the US.
…Eavesdrop on Nipishish and Ingerd as they lay in each
other’s arms, engaged in whispered conversation like couples do.
…Join warriors in their canoes as they glide in the chill of
pre-dawn morning heading toward the Haudenosaunee Village.
…Stand at the rail of a Viking ship called Steed of the Sea
and feel the motion of the sea as the ship heads towards a distant beach.
…After the storm, the Norse society dries out and attends to
the damage that Njord and Thor (the gods of weather) have forced upon them.
Catch a glimpse of the smoke that curls into the calm skies over the cook fires
where fish, meat and stew aroma awaits the barley bread and other leftovers
that will nourish the community and reward the daily chores.
…Reconnect with the characters that you have come to know
like Halfdan, his dog Fang, Tostig, and experience the council meetings where
men discuss their destiny, when in reality it is the gods like the “mighty
Thor” who have the final say.
…Strong women who cook and weave on looms by the light of
seal oil lamps, teach their girls to spin fibers of wool into skeins of thread,
care for the children and their men with tenderness in a world where both
beauty and harshness intertwine. Communities where communication and yes even
gossip are the norm, and where the outsider might find rest if assimilation is
acquired.
…Drumbeats of war are as common as the moon rising over the
snow, so too are the tracks of snowshoes where the trappers are as important as
the warriors for a civilization that exists within a fine balance between
preservation and extinction. Here is a quote: “Nipishish, Kejo, and Lothar
returned to their village as quickly as possible after the parley with Nesatin.
Word spread faster than normal through the Nitassinan that the Anishinabeg had
rejected Sachem’s peace offering regarding the people of Haldansfjord.”
I invite you to read Assimilation and discover for yourself
where the legend of the Death Wind came from and what it meant for the earliest
American colonies. Enjoy the detailed glossary at the end of this book which
will help you understand the authentic names and terms used in this book
series.
Let me take this moment to thank Author J. A. Hunsinger for
his time, research and engaging storytelling that has made An Axe of Iron
series possible. I sincerely hope that he will continue to write as some
storytellers have one story to tell, others have infinite stories that need to
be told and preserved for generations to come. The Axe of Iron novels are one
of those series that time will not forget.
Assimilation: An Axe of Iron Novel by J. A. Hunsinger is
book three in the fictional historical accounting of exploration and settlement
of Vinland (North America).
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
*****
Editorial Book Reviews For An Axe Of Iron Series by J. A.
Hunsinger:
https://bookmarketingglobalnetwork.com/book-marketing-global-network/editorial-book-reviews-for-an-axe-of-iron-series-by-j-a-hunsinger/