Tag: HF Reading Challenge

Book Review – The Wolf’s Oath by Tim Hodkinson @HoZ_Books

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About the Book

938 AD. Einar leads the Wolf Coats back to the northern realms to honour a comrade’s last request.

When they encounter a fearsome band of mercenaries the Wolf Coats are vehemently opposed to joining forces… until a violent skirmish makes both sides realise they will be stronger together.

Einar and his crew must prove themselves to their new allies by investigating strange tales of bloodshed in the far north. To complete this mission, Einar must cross swords with allies of his most bitter enemy.

Einar will either win renown and respect – or the infamy of death and dishonour.

Format: Paperback (432 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 8th October 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The Wolf’s Oath is the ninth book in The Whale Road Chronicles series. If you haven’t read the earlier books in the series don’t worry because there are brief recaps of previous events and introductions to the members of the Wolf Coats. They may have different backgrounds, faiths and personal histories but they are all skilled warriors bound by oaths of loyalty and comradeship.

The momentous events at the end of the last book, The Blazing Sea, mean Einar Thorfinnsson has been thrust into the role of leader of the Wolf Coats. It’s not something he wanted and he often feels the burden of responsibility for making life or death decisions. Nor has his leadership been met with universal approval. Only loyalty to the person from whom he inherited the role keeps the Wolf Coats united… for now. Einar knows that at some point he’s going to be challenged and the time will come when he must prove his worth as a leader.

With the promise of gold, the Wolf Coats travel to Hålogaland in the far north of Norway, an area inhabited by the Finni, a people steeped in magic. It’s an inhospitable place, a land of vast forests and bogs which is snowbound for much of the year. It’s also a place of folklore and superstition, with tales of elves and trolls who prey on the unwary. Not to mention the wolves and marauding bears. Their other reason for agreeing to undertake this long and dangerous voyage is the possibility it may allow them to fulfill a dying wish.

Their destination is the location of a fierce tussle for control between rival kings that has seen settlements destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered without mercy. The identity of the assailants is unknown but there are strange reports of men with the heads of beasts, the dead returning to life and giants spouting fire. Einar and his comrades suspect there’s a more down to earth explanation especially as there’s one particular aspect they’ve encountered before, with deadly results.

Those who like their historical fiction to have plenty of action won’t be disappointed. There are brutal initiation tests, tavern punch-ups, ambushes, a holmgang (the Viking equivalent of a duel to the death) as well as plenty of narrow escapes. The climatic battle scene involves the Wolf Coats putting every last ounce of strength they have into maintaining a shield wall, although even that may not be enough.

As always there’s a wealth of authentic detail about everything from weaponry to social and religious customs. There are fantastic new characters to meet, as well as a few surprises for both the Wolf Coats and the reader.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.

In three words:Thrilling, action-packed, immersive
Try something similar: A Night of Flames 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 returned to Northern Ireland, where he lives with his wife and children.

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Book Review – A Monster in the Ash by Susie Gordon

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Monster in the Ash by Susie Gordon which will be published on 15th October 2026. My thanks to Kelly at Folk PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Claret Press for my review copy.

About the Book

Sadie Shaposnick spent the war running a black-market racket out of her husband Leon’s East End butcher shop. Now Leon has returned from a German POW camp, traumatised and dismayed to find Fascism rising once again, only ten years after Cable Street. With the authorities turning a blind eye, Leon joins a vigilante gang formed by Simka Reubens, a charismatic former street-fighter with ties to Sadie’s late mother Rosy Gold—a local anti-fascist icon who died fighting Franco in Spain. At first, Sadie resists being drawn into the gang, but as the violence escalates she realises that fighting back is the only way to protect her neighbours and hopefully repair her faltering marriage.

Meanwhile, Sadie’s widowed sister Karla has to raise her daughters alone in her grief-stricken in-laws’ mansion. When her late husband’s younger brother Rafi returns from fighting with armed partisans in Mandatory Palestine, Karla must decide how far she’ll go to feel alive again. But when Rafi crosses paths with Sadie, he is drawn into the struggle as well, sending the gang into even greater peril.

With Oswald Mosley gaining power, the only option is resistance, even if it means facing the ghosts of the past while fighting the monsters that are rising from the ashes of the war.

Format: Paperback (235 pages) Publisher: Claret Press
Publication date: 15th October 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The Shaposnick family are already bruised and battered by war. They’re mourning the loss of loved ones, coping with the strains that separation can place on a marriage, trying to keep the family business going. Even seemingly miraculous returns don’t come without problems because there are some things that once broken cannot so easily be mended.

What Jewish ex-servicemen like Leon weren’t expecting to be confronted with was a resurgence of fascism directed at the Jewish community. Antisemitic speeches in public places designed to whip up hatred that brand Jews as ‘aliens’ despite the fact many Jews fought and died for Britain, as well as attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues

The “monster” of the book’s title is Oswald Mosley, interned for much of the Second World War, but now seeking to revive the fascist movement in Britain and still a formidable figure. ‘He had his claws in every corner of society: rich folk to put up the cash for his campaign, the anxious middle classes to listen to his minions, and common thugs to do his dirty work.’ A few contemporary parallels spring to mind…

The novel describes how the Jewish community of London’s East End sought to fight back, mobilising themselves into a group known in the book as the Gold Gang (inspired by the real life 43 Group) to take direct action: disrupting meetings and marches, even eventually infiltrating fascist groups. Some, like Leon, are prepared to use violence, arguing that it is the only way to defeat the fascists, nothing having come of more peaceful methods. Others, like Leon’s brother Raymond, want nothing to do with it, either because they fear the repercussions or simply believe it is futile.

The novel depicts how these differences play out within the Shaposnick family, some of whose relationships are already complicated by their wartime experiences. There is conflict and betrayal, moments of violence and fear. But there are also touching reconciliations. Even when things calm down, not everyone is confident they have a future in Britain. Towards the end of the book we get quick glimpses of what the future holds for some of the characters. Personally I would have liked a little more detail how some of the things mentioned came about.

The book immerses you in the life of London’s East End Jewish community, its customs and religious practices giving a real sense of authenticity. I made frequent use of the Glossary to help with terms I was unfamiliar with.

A Monster in the Ash is a fascinating, emotionally involving insight into an aspect of life in post-WW2 Britain that was completely new to me.

About the Author

Susie Gordon is a Liverpool-based author, poet and journalist. Her first poetry collection, Peckham Blue, was published in London by Penned in the Margins, and her second collection, Harbouring, was published through Math Paper Press. A Monster in the Ash is her first novel. (Photo: Instagram profile)

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