Janus T. Saito-Madsen The Stones of Gorm

The Stones of Gorm is the opening volume in The Blood and the Crown , an eight-part saga tracing the Danish monarchy from Gorm the Old to Queen Margrete I. Set in the 10th-11th centuries, the book blends meticulous historical research with vivid dramatization. It follows Denmark's founding dynasty - King Gorm and Queen Thyra, Harald Bluetooth, Sweyn Forkbeard, and Cnut the Great - as they rise from a small northern kingdom to rulers of the North Sea Empire. But this is also the story of England. From the first burnings along the coast, to the Danegeld that drained its treasure, to the invasions that toppled thelred the Unready and pitted Edmund Ironside against the Danes at Assandun, the English crown stood at the centre of the struggle. Out of blood and betrayal emerged Cnut, the boy who became king of both Dane and Saxon. Drawing on sources such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , Saxo Grammaticus, and the Encomium Emmae Reginae , The Stones of Gorm recreates the wars, faith, and rivalries that bound Denmark and England together. For readers of Bernard Cornwell and Michael Wood, this is both a sweeping introduction to Anglo-Scandinavian history and a gripping tale of kings, queens, and the fate of nations.