Ragnvald Eysteinsson, descendant of kings, grew up believing that he would one day take his dead father's place as chief of his family's lands. But sailing home from a raiding trip to Ireland, the younger warrior is betrayed and left for dead by men in the pay of his greedy stepfather, Olaf. Rescued by a fisherman, Ragnvald is determined to avenge his stepfather's betrayal, claim his birthright and the woman he loves, and rescue his beloved sister, Svanhild. Opportunity may lie with Harald of Vestfold, a young warrior prphesied to one day rule all of Norway. While Ragnvald's duty is to fight - and even die - for his honor, Svanhild must agree to an advantageous marriage, though her adventurous spirit years to see the world. Olaf has arranged a husband for her - a hard old man she neither loves nor desires. When the chance to escape Olaf's cruelty comes at the hand of her brother's archrival, she is forced to make a hearbreaking choice: family or freedom. Set in a mystical and violent world defined by honor, loyalty, deceit, passion, and courage, The Half-Drowned King is an electrifying adventure that breathtakingly illuminates the Viking world and the birth of Scandinavia.
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