Last week Prime Video pulled back the curtain on Bloodaxe, its new historical drama from Vikings creator Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst. From its bloody trailer, it's already clear that this new show's eight-episode first season is going to be thrilling, chronicling the rise of Viking raider Erik Bloodaxe (Xavier Molyneux) and his wife Gunnhild (Jessica Madsen) as they make a bold play for the throne of Norway. Its January 20, 2027 release date can't get here soon enough.
While it's far too early to tell if Bloodaxe will capture the same sort of magic as Hirst's previous hit, I think it's fair to be optimistic. It's easy to forget, but Hirst wrote every single episode of Vikings, which was a huge factor in how consistently excellent it remained for the entirety of its six-season run. There's no reason to think he can't pull off a similar feat here, delving into a slightly different time period and location for Bloodaxe.
However, January is still a ways off. What are lovers of Norse sagas to do in the meantime? Thankfully, Hirst isn't the only writer who's turning out exceptional Viking stories at the moment. In fact, a recent, completed trilogy from one of the heroic fantasy genre's most prominent writers could be the perfect way to get in the mood for Bloodaxe ahead of its release, while immersing yourself in a Norse-inspired saga of an even more epic nature.
John Gwynne's The Bloodsworn is an ideal read for Vikings fans
While it's not rooted in real history like Bloodaxe or Vikings, John Gwynne's fantasy series The Bloodsworn shares a lot of the same sensibilities. The story is set in a fantasy world inspired by Norse myth and culture, where longboats prowl the waters, bands of warriors seek to win their battle-fame, and creatures like trolls and vaesen stand every bit as real as the humans in their midst.
Gwynne first burst onto the fantasy scene in 2012 with Malice, the beginning book of his The Faithful and the Fallen quartet, which quickly solidified him as an exciting new voice in the genre. Since then he's completed two other series: Of Blood and Bone and The Bloodsworn, with another new one, The Wolfheart Chronicles, due to kick off on November 3. Few authors have turned out such consistently solid fantasy novels as Gwynne over the past decade and a half; when you pick up a John Gwynne book, you can basically always count on a sweeping adventure filled with heroism, action, and worldbuilding so vivid that it feels like it takes place in a real, living place.
But of Gwynne's series, The Bloodsworn feels special. Many fantasy books have drawn inspiration from the epic myths and history of Norse culture, but Gwynne's novels are some of the only ones I've come across that truly feel like they were written by someone who deeply understood it. Gwynne is a Viking re-enactor, so his descriptions of Viking kit, of shield-walls and the mentality of those who stand behind them, hits differently. If you want a fantasy series set in a fresh, secondary world that will still feel intimately familiar to lovers of Norse myth and Viking culture, then The Bloodsworn is that series.
What is John Gwynne's Bloodsworn trilogy about?
The Bloodsworn tells its own version of the Norse Ragnarök, where the world serpent rises to consume the Earth, gods battle across the land, and stout-hearted warriors do their best to fight through the impending apocalypse. Yet while you might think you know how that story goes, the journey to get to Gwynne's version of it is what makes The Bloodsworn so enjoyable.
Starting with the first book, The Shadow of the Gods, readers are introduced to three primary characters whose stories all interweave to varying degrees. Orka is an older woman living in the wilds with her son and husband, who has some serious skeletons in her closet. When her husband is killed and her son abducted as part of a far-reaching conspiracy, Orka sets out on a globe-spanning quest to save her boy — and isn't shy about murdering anyone who gets in her way. Think Kratos from the newer God of War games, and you have a decent idea of what you're getting into with Orka.
Elvar is a warrior in her prime, who left behind her life as a noblewoman to join the Battle-Grim, a powerful warband in search of glory. Elvar fights to earn every scrap of respect she gets, and her journey from a lower status in the Battle-Grim to one of its most fearsome figures is epic.
Then there's Varg, a thrall with a secret ability who is taken in by another warband, the legendary Bloodsworn. Varg wants revenge for the death of a loved one, but his time with the Bloodsworn changes him in ways he never expects.
While Elvar, Varg, and Orka's quests all align in various ways, it's the bigger picture battle that takes over by the end of the first volume. The second book, The Hunger of the Gods, sees the gods themselves join the fray, setting the world of Vigrid and its various factions trembling as their ancient powers reawaken. The third book, The Fury of the Gods, brings everything together for the big finish. The Norse apocalypse, Ragnarök, is one of the most enduring myths of all time, and John Gwynne does it proud with his own version, melding deeply personal stakes with deific battles that tear the land asunder.
The best part is that all three books of The Bloodsworn are finished and out in the world, so this is not a series where you'll have to wait between installments. If you're dying for more Viking stories to tide you over until Bloodaxe arrives, I cannot recommend John Gwynne's trilogy enough.
Bloodaxe season 1 arrives January 20, 2027 on Prime Video, while all three of The Bloodsworn novels are available wherever books are sold. Gwynne's next book, The Wolves of War, which begins a brand new trilogy that melds Vikings with Slavic folklore, is set to be released on November 3 from Orbit.
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