Harald

by David Friedman

Category: Fantasy

Recommendation:  3 Stars

I enjoyed reading this book.

The book is available from Amazon, Webscriptions and the Baen Free Library.

Harald is a grandfather who happens to be a very respected war leader and the Senior Paramount of the Vales.

The Vales are allied to the Kingdom of Karlia and to the Order, a self-ruling female military order and are occasionally at war with the Empire.  The story starts with Karlia and the Order having some problems with each other and Harald in the centre.  Harald is called to a meeting with the King of Karlia regarding issues he’s having with the Order.

This starts the book as it deals with royal pride, family ties, war, tactics all combined with a humour and a rich interaction between the characters.

I think Harald is so much fun to read.  Harald the grandfather who just happens to be a great warrior is what the story is about.  As he attends his councils of the mighty and fights the battles that keeps his holdings, people and allies safe, you get to know the man.  He is a great man, but he’s a great man who loves his family, will enjoy life, have fun, enjoy teaching the young and never stop learning.  He cares for his own but he also respects life.  I like Harald.

Warriors in this society have ways they live by.  There are several different  fighting styles that work with each other and against their enemies.  In the case of the allies, the three styles of fighting have joined to provide a very formidable fighting force that the Empire has clashed with several times, so far with no luck.

The warriors are romanticised by David, they live by their code and the only traitor/spy in the book is in the beginning.  After that, there is no possibility that plans discussed will be given to the enemy or that traps will be betrayed.  However this is a fantasy and one David has written well.

The women in this story are interesting.  The Order is made up of warrior women who are not amazons.  They are simply women who enjoy fighting and are good at it.  They die, they suffer injuries and like other warriors, they get up and do it again without making a fuss about being ‘female’.  Sisters of the Order can choose to take lovers, get married, have children and raise them.  The wife of Harald and the fiancee of King James are both strong women who are comfortable as wives and mothers, but still aware of the needs of their men and their people.

The rulers in this story are multi-dimensional.  King James can learn from his mistakes, rather then being the idiot king determined to get his own way, even if it leaves his land open to invasion.  The Emperor and the Second Prince are also more then just the evil invaders who come to destroy in order to control.  The power struggle between father and son leading to who controls the Empire sooner or later is fascinating to read.

David Freidman has made the families of the main characters live, giving them an integral and real part to play.  I can see Harald’s wife, Gerda welcoming newcomers to her home with bread and salt, then going to settle a dispute between her grandchildren, rather then her just being the ‘loyal wife’ waiting at home for the hero to return.

Harald’s children and grandchildren introduce humor and fun to the story and I hope David writes another book including more stories about some of Harald’s family members.

Many other reviewers have commented that they find the dialogue choppy but I didn’t.  I accepted it as part of the way some of the characters spoke.   Others have also reviewed that they didn’t like the book.  Well, I’m disagreeing with them and happily recommend this book.

Tagged as: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, David Friedman, Fantasy, Free book, Review