This was my first venture into Harffy’s writing but will not be my last as I really enjoyed the writing style throughout, as the author created a very vivid, believable world woven around a real historical event. Having read a lot of Norse-focused fiction lately due to Norsevemeber, I had high expectations with this one and it more than lived up to them, and I particularly liked the detail and focus on a real event, and A Time of Swords was well balanced between information about the period and events and action and story. The characters were well-written too, and Hunlaf made for an excellent main character, and it was fascinating to see his growth and transformation from monk to warrior, and it was done in a very believable way, with introspection and self-doubt, and it was impossible not to be invested in his story. While the wider cast was equally well-developed with individual and unique voices, motivations and roles within this story.