The Sword of Saint Isidores is the first book in the Circles of Time series by David Thomas Kay. In the 10th century, King Athelstan of England gave Harold Fairhair, the King of Norway, a jewelled sword that was stolen from the Saint Isidores monastery during a Viking raid. But Harold had no idea that the sword was cursed. Through his heir, King Hakon, the sword was passed on to the Jarl of Hordaland, Hauk. After Hauk's son, Ragnarr, inherits the sword, he marries a beautiful thrall named Theresa, an Asturian woman who longs to go home. However, a disastrous attempt to flee ends with a monk's death. Slowly, Theresa learns to love her husband and gives him two children. Now, the children must avenge their father and fulfill his dream.

Author David Thomas Kay has written a gripping tale of war, revenge, and love. Epic in scale and action-paced from beginning to end, The Sword of Saint Isidores is a multi-generational saga of Vikings at the peak of their glory days. The narrative covers the period when Christianity began to spread its influence in Norway, with kings and jarls divided between Christianity and Paganism. Kay moves the plot at a brisk pace, going from one generation's story to the next in a seamless fashion. The cast of characters is large, but the depth and complexity the author brings to each of them is truly impressive. Ragnarr, Theresa, Wilhelm, and Rota are bound to resonate with readers. I also enjoyed how Theresa and Ragnarr's relationship evolved over the course of the book. Highly recommended.

David Thomas Kay’s The Sword of Saint Isidores is the first book in the Circles of Time series. In the 10th century AD, King Athelstan gives the King of Norway, Harold Fairhair, a jeweled sword. It’s more than just a gift, though. It’s the start of something big, something that will shape Norway forever. It’s believed the sword is cursed, and anyone who possesses it will be affected. The Vikings have taken Theresa and Alphonso captive, and all they want is their own homeland. Rota has inherited a curse from her warlock father and spends her nights hunting in the woods. Throughout history, the sword carries its curse, passed from person to person, wreaking havoc wherever it lands. Can the curse ever be broken?

The Sword of Saint Isidores is a wonderful piece of historical fiction! David Thomas Kay has produced a masterpiece, a compelling mystery based on Scandinavian mythology. The writing draws you in, placing you firmly in a story with excellent characters whom you’ll love right from the start. Each adventure melds with the next, and you’ll learn so much about different cultures and important characters from Norse culture and the Vikings. It may be fictional, but it’s a fantastic way to learn a bit of history along the way, and it’s packed with action and some humor to keep it light. David has a way with words that allows you to be a part of things as they happen, and his world-building and character development are second to none. If you love historical fiction or you just want something a little different from what you normally read, this one doesn’t disappoint.

The Sword of Saint Isidore is the first book in the Circles of Time Chronicles by David Thomas Kay, and it follows the lives and beliefs of several different characters. Alphonso is a young monk searching for redemption. Theresa is an Asturian woman enslaved by Vikings. They both ache for their lost homeland. In the forests, Rota, cursed like her warlock father, hunts by night, while Wilhelm, a battle-worn mercenary, clings to his Christian faith amid pagan Norse rituals. Ragnarr, son of Hauk the Red, reveres a legendary jeweled sword and plans to carry it to a new land: the Lake District of England. Rumored to be cursed, the blade leaves a trail of misfortune, shaping the fates of all who possess it, and perhaps the future of Norway itself.

The Sword of Saint Isidore by David Thomas Kay has a deep fascination with the Viking Age. It takes place during the reign of Harald Fairhair, the first king to unite Norway, and you can feel that sense of history in motion from the very beginning. The sword central to the story is beautiful, powerful, and cursed, and it creates a ripple effect that goes far beyond the battle itself. It’s not about the sword so much as what it unleashes in the people who wield it. This isn’t a fast-paced, action-every-chapter kind of book. It takes its time. There are many characters, a lot of moving parts, and moments where you need to slow down and take it all in. I enjoyed the immersive historical settings, moral conflict, and the blend of myth and reality where fate feels just as real as steel. This story delivers, and it reads like a saga: layered, serious, and sometimes heavy, but in a way that makes the world feel alive rather than rushed. What really stayed with me were the characters. They felt realistic, each with their own goals and struggles, which made the story even harder to put down. Overall, The Sword of Saint Isidore is an excellent read!

When a storm separates a fleet of three Viking ships headed to Ireland for trade, a pirate ship attacks and pillages the fleet’s trade ship, leaving the Vikings with no booty and one ship less. In a bid to compensate for their loss, Thorgil, a jarl, leads a raid on a monastery called Saint Isidores, where they make off with slaves and plunder, including a beautiful sword, which, unknown to the crew, bears the curse of a dying monk. After being traded at the port of Cork, the sword finds its way to King Athelstan of England. Circa 925, King Athelstan gifts the sword to King Harald of Norway. Soon, King Harald awards the sword to his most loyal chieftain, Hauk the Red, an act that is about to set his kin and, unwittingly, that of Thorgil on a tumultuous path of bad luck and peril. Find out how it all goes down in The Sword of Saint Isidores: Circles of Time by David Thomas Kay.

If you are looking for a historical novel flavored with drama, action, adventure, Norse mythology, Christian theology, plot twists, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, The Sword of Saint Isidores by David Thomas Kay is a must-read. With visceral prose and impressive, expansive worldbuilding, Kay takes readers back to the Viking age, focusing on c. 925-950 AD. The cinematic depictions brought the civilization around the North Sea during that era to life on the pages, and I learned a lot about their culture, lifestyle, politics, beliefs, and world. From the sea voyages to the bloody raids, campaigns, and even architecture, everything is captured in great detail. This page turner is an exceptional piece of writing. I loved it. It goes straight to the top of my favorites’ shelf.