Publisher's Synopsis
VIKINGS in North America 1,000 years ago? Yes! According to this novel there were, and they had quite an adventure. Leif Eiriksson's discovery of a new land just a few days' sail to the southwest of his Greenland Viking home has opened the door for a new Norse colony. His followers in Greenland and Iceland can now expand into the promising land in North America he calls "Wineland the Good." However promising, there's a problem. The rich, heavily forested land is already occupied, and the natives aren't too friendly. At first, trade between the two cultures looks beneficial, but soon, conflicts arise. This beautiful land is also a dangerous land. There are age-old rivalries among the coastal tribes. The Vikings must choose their allies; but in doing so, they also inherit their new friends' old enemies. Thrust into this tribal turmoil is Leif's son, Thorgils "The Learned." Thorgils is not cast in the same mold as his aggressive Viking relatives. He would rather trade than fight. But, one after another, obstacles arise to challenge the colonists. Besides the tribal conflicts, economic and political shifts in the far-off Nordic homelands and even climate change, combine to threaten the Viking settlers. Onto this Wineland stage steps a strong-willed Viking woman and her equally strong-minded men. Our lady is determined to use the men in her life to reach her ambitious goal of becoming "Queen of the Land." Will she succeed, or will the price prove too high? And how will her actions affect the Wineland colony? Bishops, kings and native knights crowd the Wineland chessboard, and the descendants of Leif the Lucky are their pawns. But just as events in both the new colonies and the far-off homelands threaten to overwhelm Leif's followers, something unexpected occurs. Will this determine the future of the struggling Norse settlements? Or will it be the Fates after all, who decide the destiny of the Norse colonies as the story of "THE BATTLE FOR WINELAND" plays out?
