The Norse and Viking epic fantasy reading list (2022)
There’s a lot to love about Norse fantasy. Be you a fan of blood oaths, horns of mead, and meddling gods, or you prefer valkyries, Valhalla, and Vikings, you're in the right place! I've collected all the newest and best Norse epic fantasy for you below.
Check them out and find your next read!
Warriors of Blood and Shadow (The Silent Champions Box Set Book 1) by Andy Peloquin
Burdened with legend. Hardened by battle scars. Hellbent on bloody revenge.
As the son of a famous general, Aravon is proud to captain his own company against his people's enemy. But the experienced veteran’s march toward glory dissolves into pain as ruthless barbarians massacre every last one of his soldiers. Burning for vengeance, he leaps at the chance to spearhead a specially-trained company and pay back his tragic defeat with blood.
Desperate to not repeat his tragic past, Aravon trains his new warriors relentlessly. But the captain fears that all the tactical drills in the world may not matter when they’re forced to defend a helpless village against overwhelming odds. As his quick raids sow chaos amongst the enemy, the bloodthirsty savages threaten to make Aravon's nightmarish history repeat itself…
Can the captain take command of his fighting spirit before the kingdom falls to barbarous invaders?
Shields in Shadow is the first book in the action-packed Silent Champions military fantasy series. If you like square-jawed heroes, well-oiled military action, and epic world-building, then you’ll love Andy Peloquin’s gripping novel.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
"A masterfully crafted, brutally compelling Norse-inspired epic." —Anthony Ryan
THE GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.
A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.
As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.
Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.
The Blood-Tainted Winter (The Song of the Ash Tree: First Edda) by T. L. Greylock
Raef Skallagrim wants to take the sea road. His ship is fast and sleek, his crew skilled and eager, and they will seek out new lands and win fame in the eyes of the gods. But Raef’s father refuses to allow the journey and when a stranger brings word that the king is dead and a gathering has been called to choose a successor, Raef must set aside his dream for his duty to his ancestral lands and his father.
When factions split at the gathering to choose a successor, Raef finds himself mired in bloodshed and treachery. Forced to make an uneasy alliance with a man he does not trust, Raef must navigate the tides of a war among three kings while seeking revenge for cold-blooded murder.
But winter has come early to Midgard, and even the gods will feel the cold.
Windborn by Alex S. Bradshaw
Drowning is only the beginning...
Edda Gretasdottir is a raider, a fell-handed shield-maiden, feared along every coast. Hers is a life woven in battle scars.
But she never wanted to walk the warrior's path. All she wanted was freedom, to earn enough gold to buy her family their own remote farm, and to escape their oppressive chieftain. Now, she has enough plunder so that she can finally hang up her shield and live in peace.
That peace is stolen from Edda, however, when raiders burn her home, destroy all that she loves, and toss her, wounded and bleeding, into the ravenous ocean.
But the fates are cruel and this is not the end for Edda: she rises from the bloody surf as a Windborn, a cursed warrior whose supernatural gifts are a poor exchange for everything she has lost.
Fuelled by rage and armed with strange new powers Edda will hunt for whoever sent the raiders, for whoever is responsible for taking everything from her. She will show them the sharp edge of her axe... or die trying.
Windborn is a dark, character-driven Norse fantasy packed with emotion, deadly foes, and vicious battles.
Winter’s Fury (The Furyck Saga: Book One) by A.E. Rayne
Jael Furyck isn’t happy.
Her father is dead. Her uncle has stolen the throne.
And now he wants to marry her off to the fallen son of her arch-enemy.
But Jael is a battle-hardened warrior, trained to kill since she was ten-years-old.
She doesn’t plan on being anyone’s wife.
Eadmund Skalleson is drunk.
His father is threatening him with a wife again.
And this time he’s given him an ultimatum.
Marry Jael Furyck or your brother returns from exile.
But if Eadmund was ever going to choose a wife, it wouldn’t be Jael Furyck.
Not her. Not ever.
Winter’s Fury is the first book in The Furyck Saga: a gripping epic fantasy series that takes you into a richly-woven world of warring kingdoms, mysterious dreamers, dark magic, and an ancient prophecy that emerges from the shadows to weave a dangerous web around them all...
A Warrior’s Burden (Saga of the Known Lands: Book One) by Jacob Peppers
Where he walks, death follows.
He was once known as Prince Bernard, ruler of his people and the man who led them in the Fey War against creatures out of myth and legend, beings out of nightmare. A man renowned for his strength, a man feared by his own people as much as his enemies. But there are other names for him, too. Kingslayer. Oathbreaker. Traitor. The Crimson Prince.
And they are all true.
Now, he is simply Cutter, a man who arrived at the village of Brighton, a small place on the outskirts of the Known Lands, where men and women brave the harsh temperatures and freezing winds to survive. A man who brought with him a past full of regrets and an infant child, one he swore to protect.
For fifteen years, he watched over the child, hidden away in the desolate wilderness. But a man cannot run from his past—not forever. Sooner or later, it catches him. Always, it catches him.
Death comes to Brighton, led by a brother he betrayed and the troops of a kingdom he betrayed. Death comes to Brighton—and it is he who brought it.
With an entire kingdom against him, with the Fey stirring restlessly in the Black wood, eager for revenge, a lone warrior, once a prince, will be forced to take up his axe once more to protect the youth. To keep his promise.
It is heavy that axe, that promise, but he carries it, as he must. It is the price of his sins.
It is a warrior’s burden.
I Shall Return With Winter by C.F. Welburn
DEFY FATE. DEFY GODS. DEFY EVERYONE.
When Oben’s farm is sacked by marauding Skalgs, he embarks on a deadly quest for revenge, leaving pious Edale behind to enter the godless north.
But Skaligar is a strange place, and his enemies are full of surprises, which will push his endurance and his faith to their limits. He finds himself an unwitting pawn in their ancient prophecy; one which tells of a Conduit who will deliver Edale into their hands.
If Oben is to see his homeland again, he must not only survive, he must prove the prophecy wrong, whilst exacting vengeance on those to whom he grows ever more bound.
You might also try my own Norse-inspired series, The Runewar Saga! Check out the first book below.
The Throne of Ice & Ash (The Runewar Saga: Book 1) by J.D.L. Rosell
A throne in peril. A tragic betrayal. Two heirs struggling to save their land. The prophesied war engulfing the world...
Bjorn, youngest heir to the Mad Jarl of Oakharrow, has always felt more at ease with a quill than a sword. Yet when calamity strikes his family, he draws a blade and leads a company of warriors into the cold mountains in pursuit of a mysterious foe. Though he seeks vengeance, an ancient power stirs within him, and the whispers of prophecy beckon him toward an ominous destiny...
Aelthena, Bjorn's sister, was born with the aptitude to lead, and she's eager to prove it. But her society's rules for women, and her love for her brother, restrain her efforts to command. As she walks the fine line between ambition and virtue, enemies of mankind and myth rally against Oakharrow, and even her allies question her right to rule...
The Runewar is rising—it begins with the fall of a throne.
The Throne of Ice & Ash is Book 1 of The Runewar Saga, a new epic fantasy series by best-selling author J.D.L. Rosell. It tells the tale of Viking warriors, runic magic, and legendary creatures inspired by Norse mythology. If you love character-driven sword and sorcery, then embark on this journey through the perilous world of Enea…
Have some favorite Norse stories of your own? You can add them to the list on Goodreads! Visit it here.
Check back in the future for more lists like this geared toward other niches within high fantasy. I'll see you then!
- Josiah
This page contains affiliate links, which, at no cost to you, help support the running of this website.