Varangian

Constantinople in the mid-eleventh century is a city where deceit and murder are everyday tools. The Byzantine Empire holds sway over the known world, and behind the great walls of its capital, the ruling elite trade in betrayal, excess and the brutal workings of power.

Into this setting steps Harald Hardrada, a sea-roving Viking. At the court of Michael V, an emperor whose mind is unstable, peril waits around every corner. Harald finds himself moved about as a piece in the rival factions' struggle for control.

The story asks whether he can survive such a perilous place, and whether he can turn his attention to winning back what is properly his.