Various Things · Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday: A Gathering of Ravens By Scott Oden.

Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek

waitingonwednesdayjan2017

Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  Each Wednesday you get to highlight a book that your really looking forward to. This week I’ve chosen:

 A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden.

agatheringofravens

Book Blurb:

To the Danes, he is skraelingr; to the English, he is orcneas; to the Irish, he is fomoraig. He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. He is Grimnir, and he is the last of his kind the last in a long line of monsters who have plagued humanity since the Elder Days.

Drawn from his lair by a thirst for vengeance against the Dane who slew his brother, Grimnir emerges into a world that s changed. A new faith has arisen. The Old Ways are dying, and their followers retreating into the shadows; even still, Grimnir s vengeance cannot be denied.

Taking a young Christian hostage to be his guide, Grimnir embarks on a journey that takes him from the hinterlands of Denmark, where the wisdom of the ancient dwarves has given way to madness, to the war-torn heart of southern England, where the spirits of the land make violence on one another. And thence to the green shores of Ireland and the Viking stronghold of Dubhlinn, where his enemy awaits.

But, unless Grimnir can set aside his hatreds, his dream of retribution will come to nothing. For Dubhlinn is set to be the site of a reckoning the Old Ways versus the New and Grimnir, the last of his kind left to plague mankind, must choose: stand with the Christian King of Ireland and see his vengeance done or stand against him and see it slip away?

The expected publication date is: 20th June 2017 US and 29th June 2017 UK.

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Published by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek

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45 thoughts on “Waiting on Wednesday: A Gathering of Ravens By Scott Oden.”

      1. (The last time I tried writing a series I got burned — the first book bombed and the rest were cancelled by the publisher before the loose ends I’d left on purpose could be tied up. Now, I’ve resolved to never write a book intended as #1 of a series, but instead have characters who can reappear over successive books, kind of like Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels or Steven Saylor’s Gordianus the Finder novels)

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    1. I don’t know if I’d call this a Viking book — it’s firmly rooted in Norse myth, but with some reverse-engineered additions thanks to good Professor Tolkien. I also dealt Anglo-Saxon and Irish myth a good clout to the head and rifled their pockets for inspiration 🙂

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    1. It is, isn’t it? 🙂 I still have no idea who designed it (though I’ve since figured out it’s a few artfully arranged pieces of fancy clip art put together by someone with a fine eye for color and the dramatic).

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    1. Just remember, as you read Lion, that it’s an homage to Robert E. Howard; that it was mismarketed as historical fiction when, in fact, it’s historical fantasy; and that it remains unfinished (sadly). Otherwise, it’s a cracking read — though I’m a smidge biased 🙂

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  10. Well, blimey! This one is defo going on the TBR pile! the blurb starts off so well, I imagined I was in the story already… “He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent.” = fantastic!

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      1. Drew… we’re ‘old’- time passes by way faster for us on the wrong side of 21! 😀 Soon… soon, we’ll be reading this book, being mind blown and loving it! 😉

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      1. The plan, as of today, is for three books connected only by the main character, Grimnir. I’m working on the next, called Twilight of the Gods, which is set 200-ish years after Ravens. In it, a celebrated Crusader returns to the North, charged by the Pope himself with bringing the pagan tribes around Lake Vanern to heel. Unfortunately for him, one such tribe worships the last remaining skraelingr as an avatar of Loki . . .

        After I wrap Twilight of the Gods up (scheduled to be finished and handed in by April), I’ll start on the third book, The Doom of Odin, which takes our erstwhile hero into the age of the Black Death to combat an ancient enemy who has plans for him. Plus, there might be a short story or two in the wings.

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      3. Unless someone who shall remain nameless slips you an advance pdf of the first book, for review purposes . . . *whistles innocently*

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      4. Well, that would be very kind of someone, it’s a wonderful offer but I’d have to decline at the moment as I’ve currently got lots of books to read and until I’ve got some of them read it’d be wrong to accept at the moment.

        I’d be more than happy to have someone on my blog though for an interview, guest post, extract, etc though.😀

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      5. I’ll add your name/url to the list for the marketing folks; and someone would be glad to do interviews/guest blogs/extracts. Just let him know when!

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      7. I’ll get something hammered out as the day draws nearer, and consult with my editor on a good extract we can use! And thanks! You might be “just a blogger” but because you took an interest in the book and said so, it has allowed me to reach a few more readers and potential readers! Blogs like yours are what helps keep mid-listers like me in the word-carving business 😉

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  12. Awww yiss! I’m really looking forward to this one, especially since I’ve been seeing Scott post about it on the Grimdark Fiction Readers & Writers group on FB for several months!

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