The Wolf Sea. Robert Low (Oathsworn) Paperback – Import, September 30, 2008

Though I would have liked more development of more characters close to Orm and would definitely have liked to have had a more plot driven novel (this one seems to meander without reasoned planning or purpose) for the quest sword and spear staff are so cliche!But the language saves this novel from boredom: the descriptive detail is astonishing and the similes and metaphors are both abundant and fresh. I have purchased the rest of the series just to enjoy the language.

Certainly not as much of a page turner as the novels in Bernard Cornwell's Lords of the North series (which is excellent) but it was worth a read. I found it to have a very interesting plot that ties together historical events from the Nordic through the Holy Land during the 10th Century. I found it to be a bit excessively "dark" and there were some parts of the plot which require careful reading in order to understand who is doing what and why. I will definitely read the rest of the Oathsworn series, and I expect them to be easier reads now that I understand Robert Low's writing style.

I'm on a bit of a Viking kick right now, because of the History Channel and my love of JRR Tolkien and his interest in the Norse sagas. I've read a number of fiction and non-fiction books on the subject, and the Oathsworn series is easily the best. Mr. Low does a masterful job of informing and entertaining at the same time. He weaves the series into the history of the time with great attention to historical accuracy (insofar as that can be achieved on a subject so shrouded in legend). I especially enjoyed the way he depicts the clash of various religious cultures, and the time he takes to introduces terms from a wide variety of languages. His writing style takes some getting used to, but once you adapt to it the story flows along beautifully. We are fortunate to have someone of Mr. Low's wit and intelligence and storytelling prowess writing on such a fascinating topic.

I hung my head as I felt the bad times with them , and smiled when the hairs on my arm stood on end to be with the oathsworn at the times when the veil between this world and the other were thinnest. smelling only blood and iron and fear. After reading the saxon tales series from bernard cornwell and the norsemens saga from james l nelson it seemed no other stories could compare. Then I found the oathsworn. If you love the Viking stories you'll love this. spine tingling adventure and bloody battles. Excellent battle scenes!

A rough tale--the second in the Oathsworn series. Orm the Trader's thinking seems to be a tad more convoluted this time around...the reader is oftentimes as confused as he is, and the story set-up bogs down now and again. That said, the historical backdrop is commendable, and the action non-stop. Seeing and hearing Norsemen in the desert (especially the mid-east--the holy land to boot) is definitely off the beaten track, and vividly entertaining. Orm displays an abundance of Odin luck...not so much for the people surrounding him though, whether friend or foe.

This is the second in Low's Oathsworn series about a band of intrepid Norsemen. I very much like the historical details Low includes such as the fact he doesn't ever make the mistake of calling them Vikings (Viking is a verb not a noun, there have never been people called Vikings), or the reverence given to swords (swords were extremely expensive weapons, they would not be left strewn on a battlefield as shown in many films).I will definitely continue reading this series.

Kind of joking with the descriptions. All of these viking books are dark, fast and one-dimensional. That's why they're great. Low's written some books that are hard to get through, these viking novels are not among them. The author just hit his stride with these and should probably go back and write more books like the viking novels.

This is not a book I would typically read, on any account. But I thought I'd challenge myself with something new, upon recommendation by a friend. It's beautifully written, with much detail and suspense. I was so filled with visuals and emotions throughout the whole story, it was very moving. It took me a while to read it, as the language is unique and it's occasionally hard to follow who exactly he's talking about at the moment. I did enjoy the book, and have ordered the rest of the series.

Read this in 2008, and its the 2nd volume of the amazing "Oathsworn" series, from the author, Robert Low.In this tale Orm and his band of Followers are washed up ashore, and reluctantly the men are waiting for their young leader, Orm, to come back and bring them for riches and battle fame.The famous precious sword, Orm's sword, the legendary Rune Serpent, is stolen by Starkad, and with the runes writ upon the hilt that only Orm can decipher.With enormous character and determination, Orm and his men will set out across the turbulent Wolf Sea to wreak vengeance on Starkad and retrieve that elusive sword, and at the same time to slay as many enemies as possible.They will finally end up in the East, from Greece to Jerusalem and so to Constantinople, where the rulers there are fighting in a world of treachery and deceit, and in this dangerous and deadly environment Orm and his men will do their Viking best to win their battles and survive to return to the Wolf Sea and make more names for themselves in future times.Highly recommended, for this is a marvellous addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Fantastic Viking Oathsworn Sequel"!

This seems to be another instance of an author beginning a series (the first book was THE WHALE ROAD) without much idea of what subsequent books would consist of. Consequently, the story wanders a bit, lacking the compelling narrative thrust of the first volume. Also, this and most of Low's subsequent books suffer from a particular weakness in that they are thin on characterisation: while the characters in WHALE ROAD leaped off the page, here you don't get much of a sense of what most of them are like, and they remain a bit vague in your mind as you read.But that makes it sound that this is a poor work, when in fact everything else about it is great. The historical detail is rich and interesting. It deals with a milieu that isn't much addressed in other historical novels, the viking protagonists going from Constantinople to the Mediterranean islands, then to the contested Middle East. And while the narrative does wander a bit, a lot of fascinating, engaging stuff happens on the way. There is a lot of pleasure to be had here.And then there is the writing. Most authors of historical novels are, frankly, poor writers - if the writing isn't a little embarrassing, that's the best you can hope for. Robert Low, though, can really write. At his worst, he is exciting and engaging: at his best, he is gorgeous. It is not direct, simple writing - at times you have to work a bit - but is evocative and inventive, a pleasure in itself. In a genre where really quite poor writing is often the norm, he stands out.Recommend this without qualitifcation

This is a replacement for my battered paperback copy of this book which is falling apart. The Oathsworn series are a favourite of mine which I re-read frequently.I have always been fascinated by the Vikings and have enjoyed how recent research and archeology has rehabilitated them from savage barbarians to something far more complex, cultured and interesting. Robert Low knows his stuff - from how to stop your ring-mail rusting at sea, the machinations of the Byzantine empire or the spread of Christianity.This does not prevent him from writing a gripping story of the Oathsworn travelling across the sea ways under the leadership of Orm, their new young jarl. This is an excellent sequel to the Whale Road and a book I highly recommend.

Im so engrosed with this tale that im on my 3rd book in this series and its only been 3 weeks. ive put down Manda Scotts Boudica series twice now in favour of the next enstallment of Orm and his men. what i love most is that the main character is so real, he is not mighty, he is not a testosterone adonis thats unmatched in combat, he's just a boy and the battles he's one, Odin luck and at any moment old One Eye will cast runes to seal his fate. Nice tie up in this book from the last one with the remainder of the Oathsworn and i love all the Odin and supersticous talk. i love Big Botolf and Brother Johns latin and Sighvat's bird talk mixed in with mutterings of "Odins balls" from the gruff Finn. Love it will read them all!

If anything, this is even better than the first in the Oathsworn series. Robert Low writes really well, with some wonderfully evocative phrases which paint a vivid picture of life in the 10th century. The story fairly rattles along, with plenty of action. His femaie characters are rather peripheral, but his descriptions of the Viking band and their interaction within the group and with outsiders, is excellent. Top notch historical fiction.