ERIC BRIGHTEYES - A Viking Saga

H. Rider Haggard

Apr 2010 · Abela Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

ERIC Thorgrimursson (nicknamed 'Brighteyes' for his most notable trait), strives to win the hand of his beloved, Gudruda the Fair. Her father Asmund, a priest of the old Norse gods, opposes the match, thinking Eric a man without prospects. But deadlier by far are the intrigues of Swanhild, Gudruda's half-sister, a sorceress, who desires Eric for herself. She persuades the chieftain Ospakar Blacktooth to woo Gudrida, making the two men enemies. Battles, intrigues, and treachery follow. 

From the pen of the master of Victorian action and adventure this novel actually seems rather less dated in the early 21st century than Haggard's other work or the general run of Victorian adventure fiction. 

Improvements in our understanding of the Viking period have done surprisingly little to falsify Haggard's imagination of its setting, and the book should still hold appeal to any reader interested in the period. Clearly influenced by the pioneering saga translations by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson in the late 1860s ERIC BRIGHTEYES set a standard of quality and fidelity to the saga style that remained unmatched until Poul Anderson's novel The Broken Sword 60 years later. 

33% of the net profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.

About the author

Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE (22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) — known as H. Rider Haggard — was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the Lost World literary genre. He was also involved in agricultural reform throughout the British Empire. His stories, situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential.