The Silver Sea (review)

When Freydis emerges from the hole where she has hidden during a raid on her first-century Norwegian village, she is met with nothing but destruction. Struggling against grief and a serious injury, she manages to bury the dead and keep a fire going until her father, the jarl Ohthere, returns from his year-long voyage. He immediately sets off after Sulke, the pirate responsible for the raid and Ohthere's long-term foe, who has taken Freydis' brother, Toki, prisoner. Ohthere clearly disdains Freydis because she was born prematurely, causing him to question his wife's fidelity, but he has brought her a curious gift—a North African slave, Enno. Alternating chapters follow the fates of Toki and Freydis, whom Ohthere leaves with Enno in a secluded stronghold. While there, Freydis and Enno develop a strong affection for one another and learn of a prophecy that implicates them in the upcoming battle between the pirate kings and the Vikings loyal to Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway. Throughout this quickly paced adventure romance, the actions and the motivations that inspire the characters remain remarkably uncomplicated: Sulke is driven by greed, Ohthere by honor, familial love, and revenge, Freydis by a simple desire to be loved. Enno is the most complex character, pitting feelings of anger toward the Norsemen against affection for Freydis and the tribesmen who treat him with such respect; he is able to regain his dignity, the thing he most regrets losing, through being adopted into his new family as their leader. The straightforward emotions and lack of complicated politics enable younger readers to traverse the landscapes of the Dark Ages with ease, gaining insight into the lifestyles, beliefs, traditions, and concerns of the peoples of ancient Norway while following a well-wrought story of romance, revenge, and familial loyalty.