The Fell Deeds of Fate: A Historical Novel of the Vikings in Byzantium (The Saga of Hasting the Avenger Book 4)
“A wonderful, exciting new adventure filled with danger, ambition, and unexpected twists.” — Reader Review
848 AD. In the years since he conquered Paris, the legendary Hasting has grown fat, melancholic, and irritable. The man who once had the world at his feet now finds himself kicked out of his own home by a wife who has petitioned the lawspeaker for a divorce. When a chance visit from his old friend Bjorn Ironsides ignites a spark of his former ambition, Hasting conceives a mad plan: to prove he is still the man who took Paris by launching a raid on the greatest city on earth—Miklagard (Constantinople).
Sailing north on an epic rally, Hasting must use every ounce of his remaining reputation to convince former allies and new enemies to join his quest for redemption. Yet, from the start, he is dogged by a pride and arrogance that threaten to land his crew in ruin. The Fell Deeds of Fate is a veritable Odyssey across the Norse world, following one man’s desperate attempt to achieve internal change through outward action. In a world where every deed is weighed by fate, Hasting must decide what he is willing to sacrifice before his mad adventure meets a catastrophic end.
The History behind The Fell Deeds of Fate
The historical foundation of The Fell Deeds of Fate rests on the significant six-year gap in the record of Viking activity in France, spanning from the Siege of Paris in 845 AD to their reemergence in Frankish records in 853 AD. This period of documentary silence offers fertile ground for exploring the “Salt Hypothesis,” which posits that the pursuit of “white gold” was a primary driver of Norse expansion into the river systems of Eastern Europe. Historically, the island of Noirmoutier—fictionalized in the novel as Vindreyland—served as a strategic maritime hub because of its high-quality salt flats, which produced the essential preservative needed for long-distance voyages and trade networks of the Viking Age. The narrative weaves these economic realities into Hasting’s ambitious “Odyssey” toward Miklagard (Constantinople), reflecting the authentic trade routes along the Dnieper and Volga rivers, where the Norse traded furs, ivory, amber, and slaves, for the immense riches of the Byzantine Empire.
The novel also explores the complex political origins of the Kyivan Rus, introducing the historical figure Rurik and his brothers during an early, ambitious phase before their traditional “invitation” to rule the Slavic tribes in 862 AD. As Hasting’s crew endures the grueling portage of longships between the Daugava and Dnieper rivers—a logistical feat supported by archaeological evidence from sites like Gnezdovo—they encounter the rising power of the Khazar Empire and the splendor of 9th-century Constantinople, protected by the “impenetrable” Theodosian Walls. The story culminates in a diplomatic encounter with the historical Empress Theodora, who ruled as regent in 847 AD and was known for her pragmatism. By depicting Theodora hiring Hasting’s crew as mercenaries, the narrative foreshadows the historical development of the elite Varangian Guard, grounding Hasting’s fictional journey in the verifiable practices of Byzantine statecraft and Norse-Byzantine interactions.