'A Celtic warrior defending her people from Viking raiders infiltrates an ancient sect to save her homeland, in this gripping original saga set in the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla
'Mercia, 878. Witch-warrior Niamh discovers a new order called the Hidden Ones is seeking to establish a foothold in Lunden. Her land is already scarred by Viking raiders, bloody wars, and clashing cultures. Determined to protect what remains of her homeland, she infiltrates this new group to discover whether they stand with her… or against her. Yet when Niamh learns the Hidden Ones have stolen an artifact sacred to her people, her own loyalties are challenged. Casting aside newfound alliances and friendships, Niamh soon discovers that betrayal comes with a heavy price and it will take everything in her power – her gods willing – to survive.'
I've yet to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but as someone who's enjoyed many of the games in the series and has always liked Viking history and Norse mythology it's a game that I'm looking forward to sitting down to play at some point in the future. As such, when it was announced that a tie-in novel was being released I was eager to read it, hoping that it would encourage me to finally play the game.
Set some time after the events of the game, Sword of the White Horse follows Niamh, a warrior witch of the Women of the Mist, a secret order that operates out of the hidden isle of Avalon. Following the events of the game, one of their sacred artefacts, the sword Excalibur, was taken from beneath Stonehenge by the Viking shield-maiden Eivor. When a secret group called the Hidden Ones sends out word that they're looking for a skilled warrior to join their cause the Lady of Avalon sends Niamh to pretend to be this warrior and infiltrate their organisation.
Upon arriving in Lunden, Niamh is met by two members of the order, the mistrustful Marcella, and the kind Hytham. Working together with Hytham, Niamh is deemed to be worthy of becoming a temporary member of the group, and begins to perform missions with them. Through working with them Niamh learns more than she ever thought she would, discovering that there's a secret war going on in Mercia, one that sees rival factions fighting to gain power, and that Excalibur is an item that all sides seek to possess. However, when Niamh finally discovers who has the sword, she must decide if she can really turn on her new allies, even if she is sworn to return the artefact to her people.
As someone who hasn't yet played the game I was a little worried that there would be times reading this book that I'd get a little lost, or that my lack of knowledge would leave me having to google for background information. Other than one scene in which I felt there was a lack of information (Niamh got filled in on the rival faction but the reader didn't get this info) I never felt too lost. It quickly became apparent who each group was in the grand scheme of things. I even discovered after finishing the book when doing a little background reading that several characters other than Eivor appeared in the game too. For someone like myself, coming in with no information, this all read fine and didn't change my enjoyment; but I can imagine that for those who have played the game this would have been a great surprise.
Despite the inclusion of several characters from the game, the book focuses on a brand new character, Niamh. Elsa Sjunneson does a great job at putting the reader into Niamh's head throughout the book, and she quickly becomes a very complex and conflicted character. Her people mean everything to her, her position as a warrior witch is one she holds with pride. She takes care in her duties, and is willing to put her life on the line. However, as the book progresses she begins to gain a different outlook on things, thanks in part to the relationships she begins to form with those she'd have once considered her enemies. She starts to wonder if there could be more peaceful solutions, if she and her people could change their relationships with the outside world going forward. These thoughts put her in opposition to what she's been ordered to do, and over the course of the book we see how this all weighs on her as she tries to find the perfect solution.
Niamh was enjoyable to spend time with, and I found her to be a character that had a lot more to her than first appeared. Initially set up as a hardened warrior, we see that she has a deep caring to her. She will go out of her way to help oppressed people, especially women. She tried to use her skills to help and heal where she can. And despite her occupation, there are several times where she avoids killing, even though that'd be her best solution. I'd have liked to have spent more time with the character, to really get to see more of her in more complex situations, as I felt she was a character that could go on to be a very interesting figure; especially with how the book ends.
The novel also manages to fit a lot of interesting locations in too, and sees Niamh travelling all over Great Britain. From London, to Hadrians Wall, to Ravensthorpe, and even White Horse Hill, our hero spends a great deal of her time going from place to place in order to complete her mission. This does in some way make me think of the Assassin's Creed games, and how you have to travel all over the map, going from your home base to mission locations and back again over and over; and it was kind of neat that the author managed to get this gaming feel into the novel.
Whether you're a fan of the game looking to experience more of the ever expanding Assassin's Creed universe, or a complete newcomer who was attracted by how the story sounded, this is a book that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It's got some great characters, some wonderful world building, and some tense action sequences that are sure to keep folks entertained. Here's hoping we get more from Niamh and her story in the future.
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