Hammer and the Cross by Harry Harrison

From start to finish this book is full of action, intrigue and brutalness! Shef the english thrall rises up from his near slavedom to his stepfather, eventually joining the ranks of the great viking army. Through bravery and deed he eventually commands his own army and then his own land as king! Throughout the story you will find vivid scenes of battle as Viking battles English for control over the fate of humanity!

This is a great fantasy novel that combines alternative history and a little norse mythology. This is a epic novel that asks the question what is the Vikings invaded England and norse myths won over Christianity? That is the basis of this novel. We see this thru the eyes of Shef who rises from Slave to King when he gets visions on how to make weapons from Odin, chief of the norse gods..This novel has lavish historical detail on how people live in the Dark Ages and brutal battle scenes.