A review by dhillinck
The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker

5.0

The best historical novels do more than deliver thrilling action scenes and compelling characters. They immerse you in not only the physical setting of a particular time and place, but also the peculiar moral universe that residents of that time and place occupied. Such is the case with "The Sea Queen," the second installment in Linnea Hartsuyker's anticipated trilogy based upon an obscure episode from the Viking sagas. The author delivers an exciting plot with plenty of intriguing details about the material culture of medieval Scandanavia. But she excels at weaving the ethics and values of the old Norse into the rich characterization of her protagonists. So much historical fiction features anachronistic moralizing that emphasizes present-day concerns like diversity, gender equality, and so on. Even in this volume, which focuses on the adventures of Svanhild, the titular sea queen, Hartsuyker avoids portraying her main character as a paragon of empowered feminism. Svanhild's virtues (bravery, charisma, and audacity) and vices (impatience, impulsiveness, and envy) seem just right for the times. These are, in fact, the character traits that Norsemen (yes, men!) widely shared. Svanhild is strikingly sympathetic because she feuds and fights and loves like her Viking brethren. I will eagerly await the next installment in this series.