Fiction
Axe of Iron: Confrontation
J. A. Hunsinger
Vinland Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9801601-5-4
Pages: 311
Axe of Iron: Confrontation is the second
installment in author J. A. Hunsinger’s fictional series about the
migration of the Norse of Greenland to North America. In the new book,
Hunsinger adds depth to the characters, including their leader Halfdan
and his lieutenant Gudbjartur, introduced in The Settlers. He
broadens the reader’s knowledge of how the Northmen may have survived as
they built their lives in a new world. As in the first book, the
author’s writing is vivid and rife with details of his research and
extraordinary imagination.
Three tragic incidents set the tone for this book.
The story opens with a hunting trip lead by Halfdan and Gudbjartur.
Gudbjartur’s sons, Ivar and Lothar, and their friend Yola accompany the
men on what was to be a rite of passage. One member of the hunting party
meets a violent end in the middle of the hunt. During a scouting trip
to explore an area outside of their settlement and to develop trading
relationships with the native people, Gudbjartur is captured. In a
separate expedition that includes Gudbjartur’s sons, a group of natives
called the Haudeno, stalk and subsequently attack the Northmen.
These events dramatically impact the lives of the
Northmen, making them more aware of their vulnerability in this strange
land that they have adopted. While the group desires to live in peace,
they do not hesitate to protect themselves when necessary.
Hunsinger has done an amazing job of fleshing out
these characters. The previous book focused a great deal on the
Northmen’s daily living practices and values. The new book illustrates
the many dimensions of the people. Gudbjartur’s personality, for
example, is fully explored. The author highlights the lieutenant’s skill
and acumen as a warrior while also displaying his effectiveness as a
father (which is apparent in the bravery and self-control that his
eldest son exhibits) and his gentleness with the native people he comes
to live with after his capture.
This is an exciting book, the kind that makes you
cling to each word and hold your breath when something you saw coming
actually happens even as you shake your head in disbelief. The world of
the Northmen is dangerous and the possibility of violence is constant.
Hunsinger doesn’t spare the reader any details. This makes the loss of a
character due to a fight or abduction even more difficult to accept. The
ability to pull the reader into the story and create characters that are
cheered and mourned for is the mark of a great writer.
Axe of Iron: Confrontation is a remarkable
book that will have readers longing for the third installment. I highly
recommend it.
Melissa
Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
April 5, 2010
