August 2010
To Fans of the Strongbow Saga:
Because readers of the Strongbow Saga have had to wait so long for the next installment of Halfdan’s story–and because, as I explained in the newsletter I posted in June, you will unfortunately have to continue waiting at least until, at the earliest, sometime next year–I have decided to make available to my readers a long selection of the novel I’m currently writing.
Its title is The Beast of Dublin, and in some ways it can be considered a prequel to the Strongbow Saga. The story is set in Ireland around the year 840, roughly five years before the Strongbow Saga begins, and it concerns one of the first great adventures that Hastein, Halfdan’s captain, had. Other characters from the Strongbow Saga also play roles in its story, including Ivar the Boneless, Torvald, and Tore, and a new character–an Irishman named Conall, who will, together with Hastein, play a major role in the final book of the Strongbow Saga–is introduced.
I am still in the process of writing The Beast of Dublin. So although the preview being offered is long—at over 31,000 words, it is novella length—readers interested in giving it a look should be aware that it is not a complete story, because the finished novel will be much longer. This is just a “first look” I’ll be making available for a limited time. And incidentally, if any readers want to offer feedback on the book so far, I’d love to hear your reactions to it—please write me at strongbowsaga@gmail.com.
The preview will available only as an e-book through Amazon’s Kindle store. Here is a link to where it is located. For those who are not yet familiar with
Amazon’s Kindle store, e-books can be purchased there which can be read on a Kindle e-book reader, as well as on personal computers, iPads, smart phones, and similar devices through free downloadable apps available at Amazon.
My best regards,
Judson Roberts