15 Dec Son of Anger Donovan Cook #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @DonovanCook20 @maryanneyarde

FEATURED AUTHOR: DONOVAN COOK

It is my pleasure to welcome Donovan Cook again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held between December 5th — December 16th, 2022. Donovan Cook is the author of the Viking Historical Fiction, Son of Anger (Ormstunga Saga), which was released on 12 Nov 2020 (347 pages).

Below are highlights of Son of Anger, Donovan Cook’s author bio, and my 5-star review of his riveting novel for which the ending resonated with me after I finished the book.

To follow the blog tour, CLICK Tour Schedule

HIGHLIGHTS: SON OF ANGER

Son of Anger

(The Ormstunga Saga, Book 1)

By Donovan Cook

(Blurb)

Ulf is like a storm, slowly building up its power, he grows more dangerous with each passing moment. And like all storms, he will eventually break. When he does, he will destroy everything in his path.

Ulf is one of a long line of famous Norse warriors. His ancestor Tyr was no ordinary man, but the Norse God of War. Ulf, however, knows nothing about being a warrior.

Everything changes when a stranger arrives on Ulf’s small farm in Vikenfjord. The only family he’s ever known are slaughtered and the one reminder of his father is stolen — Ulf’s father’s sword, Ormstunga. Ulf’s destiny is decided.

Are the gods punishing him? All Ulf knows is that he has to avenge his family. He sets off on an adventure that will take him across oceans, into the eye of danger, on a quest to reclaim his family’s honour.

The gods are roused. One warrior can answer to them. The Son of Anger.

Buy Links:

This book is available on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link (if you have it):   •   Amazon UK  •   Amazon US  •   Amazon CA  •   Amazon AU  •  Barnes and Noble

AUTHOR BIO: DONOVAN COOK

Donovan Cook was born in South Africa but raised in England, and currently works as an English tutor. He is the author of the Ormstunga Saga, which includes his debut novel Son of Anger and the follow-up, Raid of the Wolves. His novels come from his fascination with the Viking world and Norse Mythology, and he hopes that you will enjoy exploring this world as much as he did writing about it.

When Donovan is not teaching or writing, he can be found reading, watching rugby, or working on DIY projects. Being born in South Africa, he is a massive Springboks fan and rarely misses a match.

Social Media Links:

Website   •   Twitter   •   Facebook   •   BookBub   •   Amazon Author Page   •   Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW: SON OF ANGER

Son of Anger by Donovan Cook is an epic coming-of-age tale that sweeps you into a Nordic action/ adventure during the Viking age. Ulf, the son of the famous warrior Bjørn, is embittered because he believes his father, who died in battle, had abandoned him as a boy. Ulf’s uncle has adopted him as his son and trains him with weapons whenever they are not doing chores on the farm. A cruel Viking plunders the family farm, slaughtering Ulf’s adopted family and leaving him for dead. A voice in a near-death vision charges Ulf to slay a cloaked troll. Unarmed, Ulf asks how he can slay the troll, and the voice answers, “Trust in your blood, Bjørnson. Embrace it.”

Ulf wakes from his near-death experience to learn that an older man found him and an enslaved mute boy treated his wounds. After the boy unexpectedly kills his abusive master, Ulf accepts him as his companion and names him Vidar after Odin’s son, who avenged his father’s death. Likewise, Ulf swears to avenge the deaths of his adopted family, and he retrieves his father’s sword, Ormstunga. Finally, he sets off on his pathway of vengeance with the mysterious Vidar to seek aid from Jarl Thorgils.

Ulf saves the son of Jarl Thorgils from a bear attack. Seriously injured, Ulf recovers in the household of Jarl Thorgils, for whom Bjørn had championed. Ulf must prove himself as a loyal and capable warrior to the Jarl, but he repeatedly falls short, in part, due to his uncontrollable anger. Yet, on his adventures, he slowly learns from failures and embraces his legacy and destiny to be a great warrior like his father. The riveting, climactic ending took my breath away.

Author Donovan is a master storyteller, weaving supernatural elements of Norse mythology into the tale. Scenes move at a fast clip, but nuances of the supernatural molding Ulf’s destiny bubble just beneath the surface of the story. The tale follows the structure of the classic Joseph Campbell hero’s journey. Ulf is an engaging, flawed hero who must undergo trials on his road to self-discovery. He is often knocked down, but he gets back up, ready to face his next challenge. After I finished the book, his epiphany of what truly motivates a warrior to fight resonated with me.

On the surface, Son of Anger seems like a simple tale, but underneath there are powerful themes of coming-of-age, good vs. evil, and father vs. son. It is a story about friendship and the bond between warriors fighting alongside each other. Author Donovan vividly describes the Viking culture, the warriors’ training with weapons, and the fight scenes. The story works best when told from Ulf’s point of view, but there are occasional scenes when characters head-hop. The book is best suited to a mature audience due to some graphic scenes of violence and some explicit language. Extra bonuses at the end of the book are a glossary of Viking terms used in the narrative and a list of Norse gods.

Son of Anger is a compelling, fast-paced tale of a young Viking on a hero’s journey fraught with conflict, intrigue, and betrayal. It is highly recommended for readers who enjoy multi-layered Viking action and adventure with elements of Norse mythology spun into the story.