Book Review – The Blazing Sea by Tim Hodkinson

About the Book

Einar and the Wolf Coats have angered most of the kings of Northern Europe. With England no refuge, their only solution is to set sail across the Whale Road.

A chance encounter with a slave trader leads them to Muslim Spain, but what starts as a joyous homecoming for one of the crew ends in the Caliph’s infamous dungeons.

The Mediterranean proves a perilous sea. Byzantine warships roam, armed with liquid fire that can torch man and ship alike. Viking mercenaries and pirate lords alike spill blood for gold or glory.

With a chance to retake his stolen kingdom of Orkney, Einar must first save an innocent life… and risk his own and those of his crew once more.

Format: Paperback (320 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 11th September 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The Blazing Sea is the eighth book in the Whale Road Chronicles featuring the adventures of Icelander Einar Unnsson and the fearsome band of warriors known as the Wolf Coats. (In case you’re wondering, the ‘whale-road’ is a very old poetic term for the sea.) I first discovered this series when I read book four, The Serpent King, and I regret that since then I’ve only managed to fit in one further book in the series, Eye of the Raven. Some day I hope I’ll find the time to go back to the beginning.

As the book opens, Einar and the Wolf Coats are far from their homeland, in the unfamiliar territory of the Mediterranean hoping to turn a ship full of slaves into gold. For Einar, it would provide the means to return home with enough troops to reclaim his kingdom. For the others, well, there’d be beer and women for a start. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned after a particularly dangerous run-in with a vessel equipped with the devastating incendiary weapon, ‘Greek fire’. Suddenly the slaves are gone and with it the fortune they’d hoped for. Now a gruesome fate awaits them unless they agree to take on a dangerous mission on behalf of the Byzantine Empire.

To achieve their objective they must penetrate a pirate stronghold on the island of Frumentaria (the Spanish island of Formentera). The pirate camp is protected by strong defences, both natural and man-made. What’s more they have managed to find the means of creating Greek fire, supposedly a closely guarded secret of the Byzantine Empire. With that guarding the harbour, no ship can hope to enter. It’s going to take courage and cunning to infiltrate the camp from the landward side. But as Einar knows sometimes a small band of men, even heavily outnumbered, can achieve what an army cannot.

As before, the action comes thick and fast. The pace really accelerates towards the end of the book as Einar and the Wolf Coats navigate one tricky situation after another with a combination of guile, daring, epic fighting ability and, not least, luck. All the Wolf Coats possess different skills whether that’s stealth, acute hearing or eyesight, expert seamanship or fearsome ability with an axe. One of my favourite characters is Affreca, the sole female member of the Wolf Coats, who is an incomparable archer and the secret (or perhaps not so secret by now) object of Einar’s affections.

As always the author’s knowledge of the period really comes through in the authentic detail of everything from weaponry to social and religious customs. There are particularly vivid descriptions of the city of Constantinople, which is a world away in size and sophistication from anything Einar and the Wolf Coats have ever seen.

Fans of the series will be pleased to learn The Blazing Sea contains all the full-on action of previous books. Nevertheless, by the end of the story, things will have changed forever for the Wolf Coats. Maybe a new quest awaits . . .

I received a review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.

In three words: Action-packed, authentic, exciting
Try something similar: A Day of Reckoning by Matthew Harffy

About the Author

Tim Hodkinson grew up in Northern Ireland where the rugged coast and call of the Atlantic ocean led to a lifelong fascination with Vikings and a degree in Medieval English and Old Norse Literature. Tim’s more recent writing heroes include Ben Kane, Giles Kristian, Bernard Cornwell, George R.R. Martin and Lee Child. After several years in the USA, Tim has returned to Northern Ireland, where he lives with his wife and children.  (Photo: X profile )

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