Embers & Glory

A LitRPG/GameLit Viking Adventure (Frostworld, Book 3)

By: Blake Arthur Peel

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

In the land of the dead, no man is king . . .

Jarl Beckström, Clan Lord of Norvaask, has done the impossible. With the help of his friends, he forged an alliance with Jotungard—their bitterest rival—and installed a new ruler upon the throne. Now he turns his focus inward to strengthen his people for the impending war.

But as they prepare, the world crumbles down around them.

The Freeze is looming, and entire clanholds are being destroyed. With every warrior that falls in battle, the undead horde only grows stronger. They're spreading westward like an unstoppable plague.

Time is running out.

Meanwhile, Freya Beckström has escaped captivity and found an unlikely mentor—Hjalmar, the Old Man of the Tundra. Together, they embark on a journey to uncover an ancient weapon, something they hope will be strong enough to defeat Siryyx the Devourer once and for all.

Hope rests in unity. Only by setting aside their blood feud can the people of Norvaask survive total annihilation.

©2021 Blake Arthur Peel (P)2023 Tantor

It kept me engaged through the whole series

Very fun and engaging story, lots of twists and turns kept you guessing. Excited to read more from this series and author.

A little slow

Well I went to the third book and sure enough it ended but it left enough for if there's another book I'll read it

Can Jarl and Ingrid Unite the Clans!!

Halvard is acting Clan Lord whilst Jarl goes off to get help from the Jotungard and raise the other Clans against the Draugr. However, Halvard falls victim to treachery within Norvaask, as there are those that are not happy with the change of leadership and preferred the previous management. Halvard is poisoned, falling gravely ill.
Meanwhile, Jarl, having not only taken on the Spear Maidens tasks, and earned her favour, has brought the two Clans together. The Spear Maiden has also come to see something in Jarl that she has not seen in other Battleborn, nor in most of the other men she has ever met, and has formed an instant attraction to him. After the Spear Maiden was seriously wounded in a fight for the leadership of the Jotungard, Jarl offered his warband as protection for her. Whilst she was healing, the two Clan Leaders become very close.
However, they have a plan to bring the clans of Njordrassil together, to face the increasing Draugr threat, and so Jarl and his Warband, including the Fireborn Runa, head back to Norvaask.
What they don’t see, is Freya Beckstrom, still imprisoned at Jotungard, having been captured by the Spear Maiden. Freya meets Hjalmar, the Old Man of the Tundra, who tells her that she has the ability to call fire forth without drinking any flame spirit, and so she has been trying desperately to find her ‘soulfire’, he flame within, so she can escape.
Without giving too much away, Freya manages to get away and find Hjalmar again, who takes her on as an apprentice. Together, they start an incredible journey to look for an ancient weapon that could possibly stop the Draugr and Siryyx, they may be the only chance the clans have. The only problem is, this weapon is deep within the ice plains of Njordrassil, where no one has been and returned for generations. To get there, they will have to fight not only brutal blizzards and cold, but vicious and dangerous creatures the likes of which no one has seen or fought before.
As Jarl tries to rally his Clan, bringing all he can, and save his friend Halvard, the Spear Maiden desperately tries to rally the clans in her part of the realms.
Meanwhile, the Draugr continue forward, destroying village after village, and for every person they kill, they add another soldier to their army, constantly moving forward to consume every living being on the Tundra.
This final book is a desperate battle, against an implacable foe, relentless and every time you lose someone, they are added to the enemy. Time is not on the side of the Clans, as the smaller clans and villages are overrun and added to the Draugr force. But generations of stubborn politics and infighting between Clans is also preventing unification and alliances, and may well be the end of the Warrior Clans. It will be up to the combined leadership of Ingrid and Jarl to see if they can not only unite the remaining clans, but rally them into a single army to fight against Siryyx.
There are some brilliant characters in this book, it is not just about Vikings beating undead with a bit of LitRPG tossed in. Jarl is fascinating as the young farmer, not content with his role, determined to be a Battleborn, and through a funny set of circumstances, not only ending up Clan Lord, but earning the respect of the warriors around him. It is not just his own clan he earns the respect of though, through sheer determination, some charisma, and farm boy charm, he also earns the respect of the Spear Maiden, perhaps one of the most fearsome, and impressive characters in the book. Ingrid is not just this brutal warrior though, she is someone that has had to win her position through extreme skill against men usually far stronger than her. She is smarter, more tactically minded, with political genius learned, and passed on by her father. The Spear Maiden is beautiful, but also deadly and her soldiers follow her with intense loyalty.
The other amazing character in this book (series), is Freya. She goes through this fascinating change, moving from a very ugly, arrogant person, rude, entitled, who looks down on everyone and thinks she is superior to everyone. Once she is imprisoned, and becomes a Thrall herself, she starts to see the world so differently, and instead of fighting against it, she adjusts her thinking completely, starting to realise just how terrible a person she was. With this, she tries desperately to become not only a better person, but to perform selfless acts. Her transformation in this book makes for one of the best characters in the series.
The world building continues to be exceptional in this series, from the epic Clan Homes, to the ice plains, and the creatures that dwell upon the tundra and the stunning combat sequences.
The LitRPG component of this book (and Series) has been perfect, with just the right amount of character information so you know what is happening, but not too much so you feel smothered with data constantly. The actual system itself is really clever, having the characters immersed in their own development, an almost living campaign, it was something different to the usual ‘I was playing a game and got sucked in’ thing – and it was done really well.
Overall, this is an outstanding end to what has been a really brilliant series, I was actually really sad to see it wrap up as I have loved the story and the characters. Peel has done a masterful job of wrapping this up, tying up all the loose ends so that it ends really nicely. Absolutely worth the read.
Neil Hellegers does an exceptional job with the Narration as he did with Books 1 and 2. Hellegers Narration was clear and concise, easy to understand, and he does a wonderful job of creating male and female voices. He not only provides easily distinguishable voices (so that you can tell males and females apart), but he does an exceptional job with creating the emotional state of the characters, letting you really know how they are feeling as he tells this story. You can feel Jarl’s angst at his situation, Ingrid’s Snark, Sass or Ferocity, or the subtle changes in Freya, as she is no longer so brittle and more Selfless in her actions.
Hellegers Narration is sensational, and utterly captivating, as with the other books, I listened to this in little over a day, barely stopping. The tempo of the book itself is non-stop, but Hellegers adds a real edge to the story with the trepidation, almost fear and anxiety at times, but always courage, in the face of the Draugr threat. Just Outstanding!
A must listen, Hellegers Narration really brings the story to life in a way you are not going to get from reading the book!!

An epic conclusion to an epic series!

Loved this story, loved the characters. Sad the story was over.

This was an interesting one — epic fantasy in a world of Norse mythology with a touch of LitRPG. Definitely recommend this series to fans of the genre.

A good story and some DnD rpg humor

I really enjoyed this series. I hope the author will continue with similar content along this line …