THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES

Witches, warlocks, Norse Gods and historical Viking battles, a teenage necromancer and a cursed ceremonial sword with a strange influence over its possessors.
Circa 926 A.D: King Athelstan, the first king of all England, gifts the jewelled sword to Harold Fairhair, the first king of all Norway, setting in place a series of events that will shape the future of Norway. Alphonso, a young monk in search of redemption, and Theresa, a beautiful Asturian s woman, are enslaved by Vikings, and crave their Spanish homeland. Rota, the daughter of Heidre the sorceress, is a necromancer with a secret. She has inherited her warlock father’s curse and hunts the woods at night. Wilhelm, a soldier of fortune, clings to his Christian beliefs whilst surrounded by sacrificial worship to the Norse Gods. Ragnarr, the Viking son of Hauk the Red, reveres the sword and plans to take it with him to the new land: The Lake District of England. Does he own the sword, or does the sword own him? The emigration is fraught with danger, and peace in the settlement is elusive, as a female warrior seeks revenge in a battle that must be won.

REVIEW:
Kay's use of interwoven storylines is impressive. The reader is initially presented with snippets of the characters' lives, all connected by the titular sword, gripping and captivating. The narrative quickly coalesces around the figure of Ragnarr, whose presence weaves religion and Norse customs into an increasingly tense plot.
Overall, THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES offers a captivating tale of emigration, a departure from established traditions, relations, and physical domains.-a sprawling saga of Norse kings, jarls and warriors, linked and menaced by the same exquisite, cursed sword-David Thomas Kay proves that an impassioned imagination and an expertly wielded pen produce storytelling that defies the creative limitations of any set genre.

~Neil Czeszejko for IndieReader 4.8 Stars