Axe of Iron: The Settlers ~ J. A. Hunsinger ~  Vinland Publishers, LLC ~ Historical Fiction

Halfdan Ingolfsson and the ships accompanying  him left Greenland with their minds filled with the stories told by other  Northmen Northmen who had been successful is helping to build two settlements on  the eastern coast of North America long before Columbus was born. Halfdan  understood the hardships of carving a living space out of virgin territory. He knew  about the fights with the area's inhabitants known as Skraelings (thought to  have been Indians).  As a result, Halfdan wants to go to a different place,  hoping to make contact with different Skraelings and try to live peaceably amongst  them.

 

With five ships in the fleet, all loaded with  women, children, the crews, tools and domestic animals the people would need,  Halfdan set sail to the west of Greenland.  Five days after setting sail,  they arrive at a beach where they spend several days building up their stores  of food. Here they meet and trade with the Indians called Tornit. 

 

As the flotilla sets sail once again, they head  west and then south, following the coastline traveling a couple of days before  taking to another beach where they meet the Thalmiut. The next morning Halfdan  takes a few women and part of the fighting men to visit the Thalmiut village where  they trade many items and learn many new things. While Halfdan is gone, the  settlers face the first real battle in the new land. Other Indians from another  tribe start the battle, but they are no match for the Northmen. After taking a  prisoner and Halfdan returns after his trading adventure, they set sail  south still following the coastline. With the help of the captured Indian, the  Northmen find a wonderful spot just off a fjord, with high ground,  plenty of trees and food for the hunting. Here they decide to make their village.  Here is present day Hudson Bay, at the southern beach.

 

The story ends with a premonition of a future  battle with the Naskapi Indians. Look for its sequel Axe of Iron:  Confrontation.  The student of history and the reader who loves historical romances and  accounts of explorations of new lands will love this book. Good descriptions,  although a little slow reading at first, gives the reader a fair idea of the  Northmen's way of life, their tools, their dreams and their labors. The thrill of  facing the unknown and the courage of these pioneer men and women make this book a  good read. I recommend this book to them and to those who have been attracted  to the stories of the Vikings of old.

 

AUTHOR BIO:
J.A. Hunsinger lives in Colorado,  USA, with his wife Phyllis. He has been associated with commercial aviation, both in and out of the cockpit. As an engineering technical writer for Honeywell  Commercial Flight Systems Group, of Phoenix, AZ, he authored two comprehensive  pilots' manuals on aircraft computer guidance systems and several supplemental  aircraft radar manuals. His manuals are published and distributed worldwide to  airline operators by Honeywell Engineering.

 

 Axe of Iron series, starting with The Settlers, is the culmination of a lifelong interest in the Viking Age especially as it pertains to Norse exploration west of  Iceland and extensive research and archaeological site visitations as an amateur historian. He  has tied the discovery of many of the Norse artifacts found on this continent to places and events portrayed in his novels. The next book of the series,  Axe of Iron--Confrontation will publish during the fall of 2008.