In this, the third volume of the Haakon series, our hero, Haakon Olesson, goes in search of his nemesis - Harud Olafsson. His quest to exact justice on Harud takes Haakon and his men through the wilds of Eastern Europe - through lands held by various warrior nomadic tribes - down to the jewel of the eastern Mediterranean - Constantinople. Throughout the volume Haakon finds himself a step behind Harud and unable to close the gap. Unfortunately for Haakon and Rosamund, the other jarls of Norway are not content to let Haakon's lands remain unprotected. Can Haakon make it back to Haakonstead in time to keep rival hands off of his family and his holdings?

Once again, I found this book to show a superior writing style than the first two volumes in the series. In this one, the author even manages to find time to describe, in detail, the architecture and wonders of Byzantium in its glory. We're also introduced to some additional drama and two very distinct storylines. While I found the home thread/away thread dual stories interesting, the timing was just a little too dramatic to be plausible. Given the variability of travel times, the fact of Haakon arriving DURING the battle for his home is just too odd. I was pleased that both Haakon finally discovers that heroes cannot allow themselves to become fixed on revenge. Revenge is a small pursuit worthy only of small men. ( )