The Sea-King and the Sorceress

From the acclaimed author of Children of Ash and Elm, an intimate, continent-spanning human journey through the Viking world. 

For centuries, Vikings have been stereotyped as brutish and violent pillagers. But now, based on the latest archaeological research, preeminent scholar Neil Price reveals the true diversity and individuality of the Viking Age. 

From an arctic hunter to a woman of Persian ancestry; from a Sámi nomad to a bear endowed with personhood; from Viking raiders to Rus’ river traders; from sorceresses to shape-shifters; from immigrants to diplomats; from followers of many gods, to the worshippers of one; from settlers to farmers—as we meet all these and many more, Price enlists the full range of modern archaeological knowledge to reconstruct Norse lives in personal detail, presenting a new and complex image of the Viking Age. Taking the reader from Greenland to Greece and across three centuries, Price demonstrates that Vikings—in all of their heterogeneity—were both surprisingly similar to us today, and also thrillingly strange.

Densely peopled, beautifully rendered, and impressively wide-reaching, The Sea-King and the Sorceress sheds a light on the realities of life in the Viking diaspora.

• “[Price] has a talent for visual reconstruction; it’s like being with him on these digs, watching as ancient secrets are revealed. Nearly every page brings a surprise, sometimes disturbing, often moving, always profound.”
  Times (UK)
• “With the precision of an archeologist and the narrative dexterity of a novelist, Price invites readers into a world that is more nuanced and rigorous than popular portrayals allow…The Sea-King and the Sorceress is a rare achievement.”
  Shelf Awareness
• “The Sea-King and the Sorceress speaks eloquently to the beauty, fascination, and strangeness of what we call the Viking age.”
  Booklist
• “Evocative and unafraid to stray far from conventional narratives…a mosaic that gives the Viking world a clarity and colour that more straightforward histories lack.”
  Literary Review (UK)